|
"Iberian Origins of New World Horse Breeds" |
|||
|
by Cristina Luís, Cristiane Bastos-Silveira, E. Gus Cothran, and Maria do Mar Oom |
|||
|
|
|||
| Fossil records, archaeological proofs, and historical documents report that horses persisted continuously in the Iberian Peninsula since the Pleistocene and were taken to the American continent (New World) in the 15th century. To investigate the variation within the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region of Iberian and New World horse breeds, to analyze their relationships, and to test the historical origin of New World horses, a total of 153 samples, representing 30 Iberian and New World breeds, were analyzed by sequencing mtDNA control region fragments. Fifty-four haplotypes were found and assigned to seven haplogroups. Reduced levels of variation found for the Menorquina, Sorraia, and Sulphur Mustang breeds are consistent with experienced bottlenecks or limited number of founders. For all diversity indices, Iberian breeds showed higher diversity values than South American and North American breeds. Although, the results show that the Iberian and New World breeds stem from multiple origins, we present a set of genetic data revealing a high frequency of Iberian haplotypes in New World breeds, which is consistent with historical documentation. PMID: 16489143 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] | |||
|
|
|||
| "The studies that Dr. Gus Cothran conducted, in particular, have shown that the "markers" in a particular kind of blood test show that these horses appear to be direct descendants with no apparent influx of other blood, to the Spanish horses which were brought to the California Missions by the Spaniards. Genetic marker data indicates the Sulphur herd has a clear Spanish component in it's ancestry and analysis of wild horse populations can provide valuable information about current levels of genetic variation. Genetic analysis can be a useful tool in the overall management of wild horse populations on public lands". These mission horses were of Sorraia, Jennet and Andalusian breeding. They exhibit a 56% "dun factor" in feral herds, which is the highest known to occur in any feral herd. (Dun factor are all of the "zebra-like" markings, such as the dorsal stripe, ear tips, leg barring, herring bone/saw tooth markings along the dorsal, ventral stripes and other unusual markings). | |||
|
Equine Blood Typing, DNA Research and Parentage Verification |
|||
| The horse industry in North America have utilized parentage verification in their registration programs for over four decades. Breeders have proven that parentage testing and well run breeding programs, can ensure accurate pedigrees. DNA based parentage testing is performed at UC Davis, at the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory and the University of Kentucky. For many years, Dr. Cothran did the testing at UKy., but has since transferred to Texas A&M. (E G Cothran, Dept of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine/Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M, College Station, TX 77843) | |||
