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Genetic investigations and pedigree analysis in captive barbary sheep ( Ammotragus lervia pallas 1777)
Author(s) -
Schreiber Arnd,
Matern Bernd
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.1430080306
Subject(s) - biology , population bottleneck , endangered species , zoology , population , phosphoglucomutase , genetic analysis , genetics , ecology , allele , demography , microsatellite , gene , sociology , habitat , biochemistry , enzyme
The electrophoretic variation of blood proteins (hemoglobin, transferrin, adenylatekinase, and phosphoglucomutase) was studied in a population of 21 barbary sheep ( Ammotragus lervia ) living at Frankfurt Zoological Gardens. A polymorphism in hemoglobin was sufficient for pedigree analysis in most cases. It could be demonstrated that one female Barbary sheep cared for a lamb that genetically was not its own descendant. “Mismothering” has also been reported from domestic sheep. We suggest this to be critical when basing pedigree assumptions for stud‐book purposes merely on behavioral evidence. Biochemical pedigree control is recommended for the genetic management of endangered social caprines during bottleneck phases of population recovery.