title: [Comparative evolution of the body composition of 3 genetic types of rabbits during postnatal development].
abstract: The postnatal growth of 45 male rabbits, from matings of Little Russian (PR), New Zealand White (NZ) or much less than Géant blanc du Bouscat much greater than (GB) sire (widely different in mature body weight) with New Zealand White does has been studied between 14 and 84 days. Until 70 days, a strong maternal effect dissimulated the genetic potentialities of ponderal growth in the three types of rabbits (table 1). Those which had the highest mature body weight due to their genetic origin, showed the fastest ponderal growth rate but were the last to attain a given degree of maturity in body weight. The development of carcass components was studied using allometric relations (table 3). The classification of body components in decreasing order of precocity (increasing o der of allometric coefficients) was as follows: bone tissue, muscle tissue, DNA, minerals, water, proteins and lipids for biochemical components. The allometric coefficients of bone and muscle tissues, water, lipids and DNA differed in the three genetic types, explaining the differences in body composition observed among those types compared at equal age, weight or degree of maturity in body weight (table 4). The body composition depended not only on the physiological stage, but also on the rate at which it was attained. The progeny of much less than Géant blanc du Bouscat much greater than had low carcass qualities: reduced adiposity and muscle/bone ratio; Little Russians and New Zealands showed higher precocity: at all the stages studied, the (PR X NZ) rabbits exhibited the highest carcass adiposity, while the New Zealand rabbits had the best muscle/bone ratio.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001823:Body Composition; D001834:Body Water / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight; D001846:Bone Development; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male; D024510:Muscle Development; D011817:Rabbits / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004247:DNA
vernacular_title: Evolution comparée de la composition corporelle de lapins de trois types génétiques, au cours du développement postnatal.