Assessment of genetic diversity among native Algerian rabbit populations using microsatellite markers

Abdelbaki Bouhali; Abdelkader Homrani; Nuno Ferrand; Susana Lopes; Ahmed Mostafa Emam

doi:10.5194/aab-66-207-2023

Assessment of genetic diversity among native Algerian rabbit populations using microsatellite markers

Arch Anim Breed. 2023 Jul 27;66(3):207-215. doi: 10.5194/aab-66-207-2023. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Abdelbaki Bouhali^{1

2}, Abdelkader Homrani¹, Nuno Ferrand^{3

4}, Susana Lopes³, Ahmed Mostafa Emam⁵

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Sciences and Technics for Animal Production (LSTAP), Department of Agronomic Sciences, Faculty of Nature Sciences and Life, Abdelhamid Ibn Badis Mostaganem University, Mostaganem, Algeria.
² École Normale Supérieur Taleb abderrahmane Laghouat, Laghouat, 4033, Algeria.
³ CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigacao em Biodiversidade e Recursos Geneticos, Campus Agrario de Vairao, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal.
⁴ Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciencias, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
⁵ Animal Production Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Ministry of Agriculture, Nadi El Saiid street, 12618, Dokkii, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

Having higher adaptability against abiotic stress, which is characterized in rural areas in developing countries, local farm animal genetic resources (FAGRs) are increasingly precarious for random and unsystematic crossing with exotic breeds. In this study, 85 microsatellite loci were utilized to assess genetic diversity among native Algerian rabbits (NARs) sampled from an area of 753 km (from north to south) and 919 km (from east to west). Those distances covered 25 significant geographical points in seven rural areas (El Taref, Mostaganem, Sidi Bel Abbès, M'Sila, Dar Chioukh, Faidh El Botma, and Laghouat). A total of 558 alleles were observed in this study. The highest genetic diversity was registered in the southern direction among NAR populations. The mean number of alleles per locus (MNa) and the inbreeding coefficient ( $F_{IS}$ ) were highest in Laghouat (4.482 and 0.232), while they were lowest in El Taref (4.000 and 0.149). In the current study, the number of private alleles (Pa) ranged from 9 to 23. In addition, the average of observed heterozygosity (0.427) was lower than the expected value (0.524) due to high levels of inbreeding. The discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC), the neighbor-joining tree (NJ), and the analysis of STRUCTURE software confirmed the classification of populations according to geographical zones into four main groups (east, west, south, and middle). The results of the current study are useful for breeding improvement and conservation plan research in relation to local animal genetic resources in Algeria.