Overview
- A unique exchange between leading animal breeders and evolutionary geneticists
- Review and discussion of the key principles important to maintain fitness in breeding populations
- A comprehensive overview of how to explore fitness in breeding programs
- Strategies and approaches to manage genetic diversity
- Understand the value of genetic diversity to preserve fitness
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Table of contents (18 chapters)
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Front Matter
Keywords
About this book
Fitness and adaptation are fundamental characteristics of plant and animal species, enabling them to survive in their environment and to adapt to the inevitable changes in this environment. This is true for both the genetic resources of natural ecosystems as well as those used in agricultural production.
Extensive genetic variation exists between varieties/breeds in a species and amongst individuals within breeds. This variation has developed over very long periods of time. A major ongoing challenge is how to best utilize this variation to meet short-term demands whilst also conserving it for longer-term possible use.
Many animal breeding programs have led to increased performance for production traits but this has often been accompanied by reduced fitness. In addition, the global use of genetic resources prompts the question whether introduced genotypes are adapted to local production systems. Understanding the genetic nature of fitness and adaptation will enable us to better manage genetic resources allowing us to make efficient and sustainable decisions for the improvement or breeding of these resources.
This book had an ambitious goal in bringing together a sample of the world’s leading scientists in animal breeding and evolutionary genetics to exchange knowledge to advance our understanding of these vital issues.
Editors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Adaptation and Fitness in Animal Populations
Book Subtitle: Evolutionary and Breeding Perspectives on Genetic Resource Management
Editors: Julius Werf, Hans-Ulrich Graser, Richard Frankham, Cedric Gondro
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9005-9
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-9004-2Published: 06 November 2008
Softcover ISBN: 978-90-481-8050-9Published: 19 October 2010
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4020-9005-9Published: 17 October 2008
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XII, 258
Topics: Life Sciences, general, Genetics and Population Dynamics, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Evolutionary Biology