Studying Genetic Diversity in Moghani Sheep Using Pedigree Analysis

Studbook information collected from ۱۹۸۸ to ۲۰۱۱ in Jafarabad breeding station of Moghani sheep, north-west of Iran, related to ۹,۴۵۷ lambs were used to study the genetic diversity and to evaluate the effectiveness of an implemented rotational mating scheme using pedigree analysis. Lambs born during ۲۰۰۹-۲۰۱۱ were considered as reference population. Means inbreeding and average coancestry for the reference population were computed as ۰.۴۰ and ۰.۷۴%, respectively. The mean generation interval was ۴.۴۸ years with a longer generation interval on dam-progeny pathways. Average equivalent complete generation, as a measure of pedigree completeness, was ۳.۳۷. Effective population sizes were estimated to be ۲۲۶ and ۲۷۶ from the individual rate in coancestry and from the individual increase in inbreeding, respectively. Genealogical parameters estimated based on probabilities of gene origin including the effective numbers of founders, the effective numbers of ancestors, the effective numbers of founder genomes (founder genome equivalents) and the effective numbers of non-founder genomes considering the reference population were estimated as ۱۴۳, ۱۱۷, ۶۷, and ۱۲۶, respectively. Approximately, ۵۰% of the total genetic variation was explained by the ۴۳ most influential ancestors, with a maximum individual contribution of ۳.۲۷%. The results indicated that although some evidences on bottlenecks and genetic drift during recent years were identified in the studied population, a considerable genetic variability existed in this population due to implementation of an efficient rotational mating scheme for controlling inbreeding.