Biodiversity and Biotechnologies in Animal Husbandry

Breeds and species in animal husbandry. Animal products. Introduction and history of genetic breeding in animals husbandry. The products of farm animals. Principal dairy species and breeds. Principal meat species and breeds. Role and tools of classical genetic breeding to improve quanti-qualitative traits of animal production. Limits of selection and breeding. Role and perspectives of molecular biotechnologies in animals. Farm animal genomes: sequencing projects, genomic annotation, bioinformatic tools. Comparative genomics applied to farm animal studies. Search for genes associated to production traits: the candidate gene approach. Gene assisted selection: examples of polymorphisms in candidate genes involved in quanti-qualitative productions of farm animals. Marker assisted selection. Microsatellites and paternity test. QTLs search and applications to animal products improvements. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and their utility in animal husbandry. Molecular markers and animal products traceability (at animal, breed and species level). Biodiversity: organisation levels of biodiversity and measures. Genetic diversity and measures. Management of intraspecific genetic diversity, candidate species to domestication and domestic species. Molecular knowledge applied to the history of domestication of principal farm animals. Biotechnology of reproduction and transgenic animals: artificial insemination, embryo transfer and MOET schemes, ovum pick up, semen and embryo sexing. Cloning techniques, perspectives of cloned animals in animal husbandry. Transgenic animals: traits of interest, applications and perspectives.