Delgado-Bermejo, J.V.Vargas, JulioLandi, VincenzoMartínez, AmparoGómez, MayraCamacho, EsperanzaÁlvarez, Luz ÁngelaAguirre-Riofrío, Lenin2016-12-12T10:59:23Z2016-12-12T10:59:23Z2016http://hdl.handle.net/10396/14153Macabea cattle are the only Bos taurus breed that have adapted to the wet tropical conditions
of the Amazon. This breed has integrated into the culture of the indigenous Shuar-
Asuar nations probably since its origins, being one of the few European zoogenetic
resources assimilated by the deep-jungle Amazon communities. Despite its potential for
local endogenous sustainable development, this breed is currently endangered. The present
study used molecular genetics tools to investigate the within- and between-breeds
diversity, in order to characterize the breed population, define its associations with other
breeds, and infer its origin and evolution. The within-breed genetic diversity showed high
values, as indicated by all genetic parameters, such as the mean number of alleles (MNA =
7.25±2.03), the observed heterozygosity (Ho = 0.72±0.02) and the expected heterozygosity
(He = 0.72±0.02). The between-breeds diversity analysis, which included factorial correspondence
analysis, Reynolds genetic distance, neighbor-joining analysis, and genetic
structure analysis, showed that the Macabea breed belongs to the group of the American
Creoles, with a Southern-Spain origin. Our outcomes demonstrated that the Macabea
breed has a high level of purity and null influences of exotic cosmopolitan breeds with European
or Asiatic origin. This breed is an important zoogenetic resource of Ecuador, with relevant
and unique attributes; therefore, there is an urgent need to develop conservation
strategies for the Macabea breed.application/pdfengPublic Library of Sciencehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/PLOS One, October 24 (2016)Molecular Study of the Amazonian Macabea Cattle Historyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess