Genetic and Environmental Factors Influencing Gestation Length in Lusitano Horses |
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| Affiliation: | 1. CIISA - Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, Portugal;2. Veterinary Medicine Department, ICAAM – Mediterranean Environment and Agrarian Sciences Institute, School of Science and Technology, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal;1. Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, CEP 14.884-900, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil;2. Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, CEP 18.618-307, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brasil;3. Escola Superior Agrária do Instituto Politécnico de Santarém, Apartado 310, 2001-904 Santarém, Portugal;4. CIISA - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal;5. Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre - Escola Superior Agrária de Elvas, 7350-903 Elvas, Portugal;6. VALORIZA - Centro de Investigação para a Valorização de Recursos Endógenos, 7300- 555 Portalegre, Portugal;1. Laboratório de Biotecnologia e Reprodução Animal (BioRep), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;2. Laboratório de Fisiologia Molecular e Integrativa da Reprodução (MINT), Universidade Federal do Pampa (Unipampa), Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;3. Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Chapecó, Santa Catarina, Brazil;4. Instituto Sócio Ambiental e dos Recursos Hídricos, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA), Belém, Pará, Brazil;5. Instituto da Saúde e Produção Animal, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA) Belém, Pará, Brazil;6. Historep, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPEL), Campus da Saúde, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;7. Brasil Reprodução Animal e Universidade Iguaçu – UNIG, Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;8. Departamento de Patologia Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPEL), Capão do Leão, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;9. Departamento de Zootecnia, Faculdade de Agronomia Eliseu Maciel, Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPEL), Capão do Leão, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;1. Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada;2. Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinary Sciences Department, Harper Adams University, Edgmond, United Kingdom;3. Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada;1. Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yalelaan 114, 3584 CM, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands;2. Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yalelaan 7, 3584 CM, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands;3. Section of Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag XO4, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | Breeding and parturition records collected over a period of 35 years in the Alter Real stud of Lusitano horses were used to calculate gestation length (GL). The 1027 gestations by 209 mares mated to 60 stallions had a mean GL of 338.1 ± 9.26 days. The mixed model analysis of variance indicated that the sex of the foal and inbreeding of the dam and foal had no significant effect on GL (P > .05). On the other hand, GL increased linearly with mare age, with an estimated regression coefficient of 0.155 ± 0.069 days/year (P < .05). Year and conception month affected GL (P < .05), with longer gestations observed when breeding occurred between January and April, followed by a decline of about 5 and 10 days in GL of mares bred in May and in June–July, respectively. Important differences were observed between stallions (P < .05), with most stallions resulting in a distribution of GL in an interval of ±5 days. The inclusion of the mare as a random effect in the mixed model resulted in an estimated repeatability of GL of 0.427, indicating that mares tend to be regular in having long or short gestations across their lifetime. Variance components estimated in an Animal Model resulted in heritability estimates of 0.39 for maternal genetic effects and 0.19 for direct genetic effects, with no association between the two components. Overall, the mare seems to have the major genetic influence on GL in Lusitano horses, but environmental factors, such as month of conception and also the age of the mare, have a noticeable effect. |
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| Keywords: | Heritability Inbreeding Mare Maternal effect Stallion |
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