Data from Thai Landrace sows were used to estimate genetic parameters for reproduction and production traits in first and later parities. The reproduction traits investigated were total number of piglets born per litter (TB), number of stillborn piglets (SB), and number of piglets born alive but dead within 24 h (BAD). The reproduction data pertained to 12,603 litters born between 1993 and 2005...

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic associations for gilt growth, compositional, and structural soundness with sow longevity and lifetime reproduction. Performance and pedigree information from 1,447 commercial females from 2 genetic lines were included in the data analyzed. Growth was expressed as days to 113.5 kg BW (DAYS) and compositional traits included loin muscle area (LM...

Drought limits light harvesting, resulting in lower plant growth and reproduction. One trait important for plant drought response is water-use efficiency (WUE). We investigated (1) how the joint genetic architecture of WUE, reproductive characters, and vegetative traits changed across drought and well-watered conditions, (2) whether traits with distinct developmental bases (e.g. leaf gas exchan...

Understanding the architecture of genetic variation, that is the number, effect, location, and interaction, of genes responsible for phenotypic variability in nature is important for the understanding of microevolutionary processes. In this study, we have used a quantitative trait loci (QTL) approach to uncover the genetic architecture of fitness-relevant traits associated with reproduction and...

Invasive plants often experience rapid changes in biological interactions by escaping from their original herbivores at their new habitats, and sometimes re-associating with those herbivores afterwards. However, little is known about whether the temporal changes in herbivorous impact work as a selective agent for defensive traits of invaded plants. Solidago altissima (goldenrod) is a North Amer...

Allocation decisions depend on an organism's condition which can change with age. Two opposite changes in life-history traits are predicted in the presence of senescence: either an increase in breeding performance in late age associated with terminal investment or a decrease due to either life-history trade-offs between current breeding and future survival or decreased efficiency at old age. Ag...

Investment in current reproduction should come at the expense of traits promoting future reproduction, such as immunity and longevity. To date, comparative studies of pace-of-life traits have provided some support for this, with slower paced species having greater immune function. Another means of investment in current reproduction is through secondary sexual characters (SSC). Investment in SSC...

This is the first description of the polymorphisms of arylalkylamine-N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT) gene in Indian goats with different reproductive traits (twinning percentage and age of sexual maturity). Based on the important role of AA-NAT in reproduction, it is considered as a possible candidate gene for this trait. Two novel synonymous SNPs, C825T (exon2) and C1249T (exon3) were identified....

Over the last twoto three-decade period, the beef industry has made great use of genetic selection tools to improve economically important traits. Much of that improvement is due to the implementation and use of expected progeny differences (EPD). Since beef producers are paid for their animals on the basis of weight, or in some cases by the merit of animal carcasses, most EPD reported in breed...