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78
Poster 6
José Campo presents Poster 6 during the poster sessions in the Aula.
Session theme 1: Development, validation and automated measurements of indicators of animal welfare
HETEROTIC EFFECTS ON FLUCTUATING ASYMMETRY OF
DIFFERENT BILATERAL TRAITS IN THREE SEX-LINKED CROSSES OF
CHICKENS
J.L. Campo, M.T. Prieto
Departamento Mejora Genética Animal, Instituto Nacional Investigación Agraria y Alimentaria, Madrid,
Spain
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of heterosis on the fluctuating asymmetry of
various bilateral traits. Fluctuating asymmetry is used as an indicator of animal welfare and
environmental and genetic stress.
Five bilateral traits (middle toe length, leg width, leg length, wing length, and wattle length) were
measured in 20-week-old birds of three sex-linked F1 crosses of chickens (Black Castellana x
Black-barred Andaluza, Quail Castellana x Silver Quail Castellana, and White Prat x White
Leghorn) and their parents. The sample sizes were 116, 124, and 139, respectively. Birds were not
deliberately disturbed in any way, husbandry conditions being standard. The relative fluctuating
asymmetry was defined by the absolute difference between right and left sides divided by the mean
of the right and left sides.
There was considerable heterosis for relative fluctuating asymmetry in all traits and crosses.
Heterosis percentage was significant (P < 0.05) for the relative fluctuating asymmetry of wing
length (-23%) and wattle length (+75%) in the Black Castellana x Black-barred Andaluza cross, the
relative fluctuating asymmetry of toe length (+63%) and wattle length (+115%) in the Quail
Castellana x Silver Quail Castellana cross, and the relative fluctuating asymmetry of toe length
(+26%), wing length (+66%) and wattle length (+65%) in the White Prat x White Leghorn cross.
Heterosis percentage for the combined relative fluctuating asymmetry of the five traits was
significant in the Black Castellana x Black-barred Andaluza and the White Prat x White Leghorn
crosses (+57% and +36%).
These findings are consistent with the notoriously low heritability estimates found for the
fluctuating asymmetry of bilateral traits. They also indicate that sometimes there are positive
relationships among levels of heterozygosity and morphological asymmetry and sometimes there
are negative relationships, and that nonadditive genetic effects and heterosis are important in terms
of animal welfare.
Contact information: J.L. Campo or email jlcampo@inia.es
Complete address: Departamento Mejora Genética Animal, Instituto Nacional Investigación Agraria
y Alimentaria, Apartado 8.111, 28080 Madrid, Spain, jlcampo@inia.es
Species: Laying hen