Across-breed validation study confirms and identifies new loci associated with sexual precocity in Brahman and Nellore cattle

The aim of this study was to identify candidate regions associated with sexual precocity in Bos indicus. Nellore and Brahman were set as validation and discovery populations, respectively. SNP selected in Brahman to validate in Nellore were from gene regions affecting reproductive traits (G1) and significant SNP (p ≤ 10^–3) from a meta-analysis (G2). In the validation population, early pregnancy (EP) and scrotal circumference (SC) were evaluated. To perform GWAS in validation population, we used regression and Bayes C. SNP with p ≤ 10^–3 in regression and Bayes factor ≥3 in Bayes C were deemed significant. Significant SNP (for EP or SC) or SNP in their ±250 Kb vicinity region, which were in at least one discovery set (G1 or G2), were considered validated. SNP identified in both G1 and G2 were considered candidate. For EP, 145 SNP were validated in G1 and 41 in G2, and for SC, these numbers were 14 and 2. For EP, 21 candidate SNP were detected (G1 and G2). For SC, no candidate SNP were identified. Validated SNP and their vicinity region were located close to quantitative trait loci or genes related to reproductive traits and were enriched in gene ontology terms related to reproductive success. These are therefore strong candidate regions for sexual precocity in Nellore and Brahman.     

松嫩平原野古草无性系种群的营养繁殖特征

野古草是典型的无怀系禾草,分蘖节存活时间最多为４ａ。割草场和放牧场野古草无性系种群的分蘖株为增长型的年龄结构;放牧能增加２、３龄分蘖株的形成与存活;野古草无性系种群１龄级分蘖株的生产力明显高于２龄级;割草场和放牧场的野古草无性系潜在种群均于增长的年龄结构。以硌潜在种群的数量估计,割草场将保护翌年群落的优势种地位和作用;放牧场具有向优势和演替的潜在趋势。     

中国河西走廊草地农业的基本格局和它的系统相悖─—草原退化的机理初探─—

河西走廊的草地资源位于西北荒漠的大背景中，由山地、荒漠和绿洲三个子系统构成，其中荒漠子系统居主导地位，具有先天的脆弱性。它们在人为干预下，在自然生态系统的农业化过程中，发生了山地一绿洲一荒漠组成的耦合农业系统。由于耦合不够完善，它所固有的相悖因素未能有效控制，形成涵有系列相悖因子群的系统相悖。主要表现为时间相悖，空间相悖和种间相悖。三者互相影响，但时间相悖起主导作用，使系统的生态危机加剧。它通常表现为草原退化。对草地农业生态系统的自由能的调控，保持自由能的积累和输出基本相当，是防止草原退化的根本出路。草原退化是草地对于草食动物压迫的对策系统和动物对于草地负荷行为的对策系统的综合反映。放牧程度可以作为草原退化过程的向量系统，但不是草原退化的本质。     

松嫩平原羊草草地水淹干扰恢复过程的群落动态

根据随机取样的测定数据，经过幂函数和多元回归分析及相关检验，揭示了草地水淹干扰对羊草 寸草苔、羊草 杂类草群范数量性状的变化规律。水淹干扰对草地植被的物种组成及其比例有明显的影响。水淹后基本恢复到正常草地的种类数量和生产量配置大约需要6—7年。随着生境水分减少和土壤变干，羊草种群的数量和生物量均以幂函数形式增加，而寸草苔和杂类草的数量和生物量则呈先增后降的变化过程。     

新疆塔里木盆地两河流域野生麻资源调查

麻具有药用、轻纺、保健、造纸、制作药烟、蜜源等多种经济价值.新疆塔里木盆地两河(叶尔羌河、塔里木河)流域是野生麻(大叶白麻Poacynum hendersonii、白麻P.pictum、罗布麻Apocynum venetum)的主要产区,其中大叶白麻分布广,面积大,储量多.按有关分类方法,将野生麻资源划分为6个群系12个群丛.野生麻分布面积23.56万hm2,有麻面积18.12万hm2,其中大叶白麻占99.51%;白麻占0.49%.鲜麻总产量59.35万t,折合干麻总产量24.41万t.为更好的利用野生麻资源,在对其种类、分布、面积、生物量调查的基础上,对麻的开发前景、野生麻田的保护管理及改良培育、人工麻田的建立、科技攻关5个方面提出了建议.     

2种方法在荒漠草原植物种群分布格局中的适用性比较

研究首次比较了2种方法在测定荒漠草原6种植物种群分布格局中的适用性.结果表明,方差均值比率法及聚集强度指数法中的多个指数都适合于这6种植物分布格局的计算.但其中的聚块性指数法的运算难度较大,宜慎用.比较结果这6种植物种群皆为聚集分布,但聚集程度有所差别.     

贺兰山野生有蹄类动物的经济价值及种群动态变化

记述了贺兰山的4种野生有蹄类动物——马麝、马鹿、岩羊、鹅喉羚的经济价值及目前的种群动态变化,对贺兰山野生有蹄类动物的种群致危原因进行了分析,并据此提出了相应的保护管理建议。     

Analysis of genetic diversity in Bolivian llama populations using microsatellites

South American camelids (SACs) have a major role in the maintenance and potential future of rural Andean human populations. More than 60% of the 3.7 million llamas living worldwide are found in Bolivia. Due to the lack of studies focusing on genetic diversity in Bolivian llamas, this analysis investigates both the genetic diversity and structure of 12 regional groups of llamas that span the greater part of the range of distribution for this species in Bolivia. The analysis of 42 microsatellite markers in the considered regional groups showed that, in general, there were high levels of polymorphism (a total of 506 detected alleles; average PIC across per marker: 0.66), which are comparable with those reported for other populations of domestic SACs. The estimated diversity parameters indicated that there was high intrapopulational genetic variation (average number of alleles and average expected heterozygosity per marker: 12.04 and 0.68, respectively) and weak genetic differentiation among populations (F_ST range: 0.003–0.052). In agreement with these estimates, Bolivian llamas showed a weak genetic structure and an intense gene flow between all the studied regional groups, which is due to the exchange of reproductive males between the different flocks. Interestingly, the groups for which the largest pairwise F_ST estimates were observed, Sud Lípez and Nor Lípez, showed a certain level of genetic differentiation that is probably due to the pattern of geographic isolation and limited communication infrastructures of these southern localities. Overall, the population parameters reported here may serve as a reference when establishing conservation policies that address Bolivian llama populations.     

Genetic diversity decreases as population density declines: Implications of temporal variation in mitochondrial haplotype frequencies in a natural population of Tscherskia triton

Although the spatial genetic differentiation that occurs in animal populations has been extensively studied, information on temporal variations in genetic structure and diversity is still lacking, especially for animals with oscillating populations. In the present study, we used the mtDNA D‐loop sequence to assess the temporal genetic variation in samples from six successive years for the greater long‐tailed hamster, Tscherskia triton. Sampling was carried out between 1998 and 2003 in cropland on the North China Plain, China. A total of 108 individuals were analyzed. The temporal samples showed a high level of genetic diversity. Substantial genetic changes in haplotype frequencies over time were detected for the hamster population. Random genetic drift and migration are likely to be the major factors responsible for the observed temporal pattern. The genetic diversity of the hamster population was higher in years with higher population density, and lower in years with lower population density. The result supports our hypothesis that genetic diversity decreases when population density declines in animals whose population oscillates greatly between years. The combined effects of inbreeding and genetic drift caused by reproduction, dispersal and population size might play important roles in the observed changes in genetic structure and diversity between years.     

Practical aspects of genetic management of small populations – The Olkuska sheep example

Abstract

The study aimed to identify important factors threatening genetic diversity within small sheep populations, and to propose sustainable management strategies. Demographic evolution, genetic diversity and current genetic management practices were analyzed in a population of Polish Olkuska sheep. Unbalanced contributions of individual rams to the next generation were observed due to differences in the period of their utilization, the number of progeny and the number of daughters used in reproduction. Matings between closely related animals were common. Pedigree completeness was satisfactory and inbreeding coefficient was high, 11.71% for lambs born in 2012. Relatively high values of potential and realized coancestries within flocks showed the importance of keeping more than one ram. The genetic conservation index and average relatedness coefficient, and their comparison between regions was helpful in considering management options. The information on genetic relationships and genetic conservation parameters of rams should be provided to breeders with simple interpretations.