Genetic diversity and population structure in lines of chickens divergently selected for high and low 8-week body weight.

A long-term selection experiment for high or low 8-wk BW in White Plymouth Rock chickens was conducted to study effects of selection on BW and correlated characters. Two lines [high (HWS), low (LWS) weight] were established and have undergone 48 generations of selection. The lines were managed to curtail inbreeding and to maintain similar population structures; such is necessary for equitable comparison of selection response between lines. Our objective was to test the success of that breeding strategy by characterizing genetic diversity and inbreeding in these lines. A pedigree of 5,998 individuals was assembled, with 68 founders, 2,962 HWS chickens, and 2,968 LWS chickens. Inbreeding coefficients (F) were calculated for each line. Maximum F was 0.53 and 0.61, mean F was 0.26 (SD 0.15) and 0.30 (SD 0.17), and change in F was 1.3 and 1.6% per generation in LWS and HWS lines, respectively. The effective population size was 38.3 in LWS and 32.1 in HWS lines. The effective number of founders was 15.7 in both lines, and the effective number of ancestors was 17.5 and 15.5 in LWS and HWS lines, respectively. Thirty ancestors accounted for 90% of the genetic makeup of both lines. Seven male and eight female founders still contributed to both lines at generation 48, although some contributed more to one line than the other. Family sizes were similar for males and females of each line, with males having larger family sizes with greater variance. Accumulated inbreeding was high and effective population size was low, as expected in closed lines. Effective number of founders was relatively low compared with actual number of founders, indicating some contributed more than others to the last generation. Family size statistics indicated that fewer males than females were used, leading to the observed levels of inbreeding. Given their similarity in genetic diversity and family size, it can be concluded that breeding decisions throughout the project resulted in similar population structures in the lines.