title: Population genetic structure in the Holstein breed in Brazil.
abstract: We evaluated the population genetic structure of the Holstein breed in Brazil through pedigree analysis with the aim of supporting genetic management of extant herds. We used data from genealogical records of 204,511 animals in farms from south and southeast Brazil. Pedigree records between 1943 and 2005 were divided into seven periods of 8 years to estimate the effective population size (N e ). N e varied during the study periods, ranging from 0.19 to 3016.25. There was an increase in the percentage of inbred animals over time, from 0.18 to 5.0 %. However, this figure may be an underestimate due to the low completeness of pedigree, primarily related to paternal pedigree. The effective number of founders (fe) was 473 animals and ancestors (fa) was 471. The genetic contribution of 260 ancestors (founders or not) accounted for 50 % of the genetic variability in the population. The average relatedness coefficient (AR) and inbreeding coefficient indicate that the Holstein breed in Brazil is being effectively managed, despite a moderate founder effect and the low number of animals that are responsible for the population variance.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Programa de Pós Graduação em Zootecnia, Itapetinga, BA, 45700-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mário Henrique
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Magalhães Araújo da Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Rua José Moreira Sobrinho, s/n, Jequié, BA, 45206-190, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Henrique Mendes
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Malhado
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Rua José Moreira Sobrinho, s/n, Jequié, BA, 45206-190, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Lauro
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 7712, Cep 91540-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. jaime.cobuci@ufrgs.br.
authors.forename: Jaime Araujo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cobuci
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Gado de Leite, Rua Eugênio do Nascimento, 610, Juiz de Fora, MG, 36038-330, Brazil.
authors.forename: Claudio Napolis
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Rua José Moreira Sobrinho, s/n, Jequié, BA, 45206-190, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Luiz Souza
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Carneiro
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D001947:Breeding; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D003612:Dairying; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D008297:Male; D010375:Pedigree
keywords: Dairy cattle; Effective population size; Genetic variability; Inbreeding