The Alberes cattle breed is a Catalonian autochthonous bovine population located in the Alberes Massif (north east of Spain), in the eastern extreme of the Pyrenees Mountains, and is well adapted to this zone in which it mainly makes use of forest resources. Cows are small sized and rustic, living under a semi-feral management system with minimal human contact. Traditionally, two coat colour varieties, Black and Fawn, have been described. Nevertheless, in both coat colour types the wild-type allele (E+) of the extension locus predominates. The Alberes breed clusters within the Cantabrian trunk, although some other breeds may also have influenced the population during its history. All of the females are used for replacement and the surplus males are destined for fattening despite their low meat potential. Age at first calving ranges between 3 and 4 years. The 2007 census estimated the number of adult animals at 138 females and 9 males. The Alberes breed is considered as an Endangered Breed according to the FAO classification and intends to start an in situ minimum kinship conservation programme and also a cryoconservation scheme with embryos and semen.

The genetic diversity, genetic differentiation and relationship between four short stature cattle populations of south India - Punganur, Iduki, Kasargod and Vatakara - was studied, using 24 microsatellite loci. A total of 164 alleles were observed. The mean number of alleles per locus was 6.58 with mean observed and expected heterozygosity values of 0.70 and 0.75 respectively. The relative magnitude of gene differentiation (FST) was 6% and was significant except between the Iduki and Kasargod populations. The negative FIS values obtained for the majority of loci indicated a lack of population structure in the four populations. Both phylogenetic and correspondence analysis exhibited a closeness between Iduki and Kasargod animals. The results indicated that all four populations were outbred and Kasargod and Iduki animals should be considered as one even though these are reared for different purposes.

Ethiopia has a diverse sheep population, numbering 23.6 million, in parallel with its diverse ecology, production systems and communities. A comprehensive phenotypic and genetic characterization of Ethiopian sheep populations was initiated in 2005 to provide a nationwide framework for the management of sheep genetic resources. In this paper, we describe the indigenous sheep types in terms of physical characteristics, eco-regional distribution and community affinity. We also present relationships of sheep types with agricultural production systems, and farmers'/pastoralists' assessment of their sheep types. Fourteen traditionally recognized sheep types were identified and physically described.

The sheep types could be categorized into four groups (sub-alpine short-fat-tailed, highland long-fat-tailed, lowland fat-rumped and lowland thin-tailed) based on their ecological distribution, tail types (fat-tail versus thin-tail), tail form/shape, and fiber type. There is high morphological and ecological diversity among the major sheep groups as well as among the sheep types. There is also a strong relationship between sheep types, ethnic groups and production systems. Assessment of the genetic distinctiveness of the traditional sheep types is important for developing rational conservation-based improvement programs. Molecular genetic assessment of the population structure is a follow up activity.

Cette étude s'est intéressée à l'identification des différents écotypes de la race Barbarine, principale race ovine à queue grasse en Tunisie. Un inventaire national a été conduit dans les différents étages bioclimatiques du pays allant du Nord subhumide jusqu'au Sud Saharien, en passant par le Centre semi-aride. Les principaux résultats ont permis de mettre en évidence au sein de cette race 10 écotypes différents:

1. Quatre écotypes au Nord, de grand format à tête rousse, de grand format à tête noire, à robe noire, et de type “Sardi” à museau, “lunettes” et membres noirs.

2. Quatre écotypes au Centre, de format moyen avec dominance de la tête rousse, à tête rousse avec une liste frontale blanche, à tête claire tirant vers le blanc et à tête rousse et à queue arquée.

3. Deux écotypes au Sud, de petit format à tête rousse, et de type “Sagâa” avec une tête blanche, un museau et des “lunettes” de couleur brune. Cette diversité d'écotypes au sein de la race Barbarine constitue un apport nouveau aux connaissances des races ovines autochtones. Jusqu'à maintenant, seuls deux écotypes, à tête rousse et tête noire, étaient répertoriés au sein de la race Barbarine.

On-farm surveys were conducted to investigate the biodiversity of local chickens and their performance potential. The study was carried out in rural areas of northern Jordan. A sample of 846 adult local chickens was phenotypically characterized based on morphology, feather colors, comb shape and performance. Body measurements for cluster analyses were recorded on 460 adult females. The most predominant chicken type was the Jordan Baladi (67.3%) followed by the Pakistani (27.7%) and the Brahma (5%). Cluster analyses showed that the three populations are distinct. The Jordan Baladi and the Pakistani were closer to each other than the Brahma. Plumage colors were observed either as single color or mottled (a mix of many colors). The latter was the most predominant (23.1 %) followed by black (19.5%) and light brownish (19.1%). The single comb type was the most predominant (80.3%). Hens of the local chicken reached sexual maturity at about 22-30 weeks of age. The average clutch number was 1-5 per year, with 18-30 eggs per clutch. Each hen laid on average 68.9±3.3 eggs per year. The body size of adult females and males was about 1 240±10g and 1 890±30g, respectively. Indiscriminate crossbreeding was taking place frequently. Genetic characterization would complement the phenotypic characterization and should be conducted. This would help to initiate a program for the preservation of genetic diversity in local chickens in Jordan.

The study was conducted to investigate the phenotypic diversity of Guajolote present in small backyard poultry operations. From September 2004 to July 2006, in 54 municipalities in the coastal region of Oaxaca, Mexico 768 “guajalotes” growers were visited. Eleven different phenotypes of Guajolote, previously described as turkey varieties, have been identified. The phenotypes identified and their frequency are: Bronze (30.1%), Black (29.0%), Royal Palm (13.4%), Auburn (5.3%), Bourbon Red (5.2%), Narragancet (2.6%), Spotted (2.4%), Brown (2.2%), Slate (1.7%), White (1.5%) and Imperfect Albino (0.2%). The remainder (6.4%) were not identified as a phenotype previously described. This is the first report about the phenotypic differentiation of Guajolote in Mexico.

Kanarese buffaloes are medium built animals distributed in the South Kanara region on the west coast of South India. These buffaloes are dual purpose animals used mainly for agricultural operations in wet fields and for some milk production. They are famous for racing in water-bound fields. South Kanara buffaloes are moderate milk yielders producing about two to seven litres daily for a lactation period that ranged between 210 to 360 days. Genetic diversity analysis was performed using 10 microsatellite markers in a panel of 48 unrelated animals. The average number of alleles was estimated to be 6.30 with an average heterozygosity of 0.62 per locus. The population showed departure from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at all of the 10 loci tested. The heterozygote deficiency was estimated as 9.2% suggesting the presence of considerable inbreeding in the population. The allele frequency distribution followed the normal L-shaped form suggesting that the breed had not encountered a genetic bottleneck in the recent past.