(1) Background: Reproductive performance is crucial for the pork industry's success. The Large White pig is central to this, yet the genetic factors influencing its reproductive traits are not well understood, highlighting the need for further research. (2) Methods: This study utilized Genome-Wide Association Studies to explore the genetic basis of reproductive traits in the Large White pig. We collected data from 2237 Large White sows across four breeding herds in southern China, focusing on eight reproductive traits. Statistical analyses included principal component analysis, linkage disequilibrium analysis, and univariate linear mixed models to identify significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms and candidate genes. (3) Results: Forty-five significantly related SNPs and 17 potential candidate genes associated with litter traits were identified. Individuals with the TT genotype at SNP rs341909772 showed an increase of 1.24 in the number of piglets born alive (NBA) and 1.25 in the number of healthy births (NHBs) compared with those with the CC genotype. (4) Conclusions: The SNPs and genes identified in this study offer insights into the genetics of reproductive traits in the Large White pig, potentially guiding the development of breeding strategies to improve litter size.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani14192874 | DOI Listing |
BMC Med
January 2025
PsychGen Center for Genetic Epidemiology and Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
Background: Maternal stress during pregnancy may impact offspring development via changes in the intrauterine environment. However, genetic and environmental factors shared between mothers and children might skew our understanding of this pathway. This study assesses whether prenatal maternal stress has causal links to offspring outcomes: birthweight, gestational age, or emotional and behavioral difficulties, triangulating across methods that account for various measured and unmeasured confounders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Biol Sci
January 2025
Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad 651 88, Sweden.
Recombination plays a key role in increasing the efficacy of selection. We investigate whether recombination can also play a role in resolving adaptive conflicts at loci coding for traits shared between the sexes. Errors during recombination events resulting in gene duplications may provide a long-term evolutionary advantage if those loci also experience sexually antagonistic (SA) selection since, after duplication, sex-specific expression profiles will be free to evolve, thereby reducing the load on population fitness and resolving the conflict.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Biol Sci
January 2025
Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety in Anhui, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China.
The current study has revealed a unique sexual selection pattern in , a species renowned for its ultrasonic communication, which differs from the patterns observed in other anuran taxa. Typically, females listen to male vocalizations and exhibit phonotaxis towards preferred traits for mate selection. In contrast, female do not actively approach displaying males for mate selection; instead, they use courtship calls to attract potential mates and incite male competition for access to them.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Biol Sci
January 2025
Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich 8057, Switzerland.
The intensity and direction of sexual selection are intricately linked to the social and ecological context. Both operational sex ratios (OSRs) and population densities can affect the ability of males to monopolize resources and mates, and thus the form and intensity of sexual selection on them. Here, we studied how the mating system of the promiscuous and strongly sexually dimorphic fruit fly responds to changes in the OSR and population density.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Lett
January 2025
Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Pollinators face declines and diversity loss associated with multiple stressors, particularly pesticides. Most pollination services are provided by annual bees that undergo winter diapause, and many common pesticides are highly soluble in water and move through soil and plants where bees hibernate and feed, yet the effects of pesticides on pollinators' diapause survival and performance are poorly understood. Pesticides may have complex effects in bees, and some were shown to induce hormetic effects on various traits characterized by high-dose inhibition coupled with low-dose stimulation.
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