Genetics, Phenotype, and Livestock Industry Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering concepts from the lecture notes on traits, phenotypes, genotypes, environment, GxE interactions, and the livestock seedstock industry.

Trait

A characteristic of an animal that can be measured or observed.

Phenotype

The observable expression of a trait, determined by genotype and environment.

Genotype

The genetic make-up of an individual; all genes and gene combinations that affect traits.

Environment

External factors that influence animal performance.

P = G + E

Phenotype equals genotype plus environment; performance is determined by both genetic and environmental factors.

Environmental Effect

The effects that external factors have on animal performance.

Biological Type

A classification for animals with similar genotypes for traits of interest.

Heavy draft types

A biological type example, typically referring to large, strong horses bred for heavy work.

Prolific wool types

A biological type example, sheep bred for high wool production.

Dual-purpose types

A biological type example, cattle bred for more than one production purpose.

Tropically adapted types

Biological types adapted to tropical environments across species.

Heat tolerance

A trait related to an animal’s ability to withstand high temperatures, part of a genotype.

Parasite resistance

A trait related to an animal’s ability to resist parasites, part of a genotype.

Interaction

A dependent relationship among components of a system where the effect of one component depends on others.

Genotype by Environment (GxE) Interaction

Differences in performance between genotypes that change across environments.

Genetically adapted

Animals that have evolved in a location over generations and carry genes enabling survival there.

Breeding objective

A general goal for a breeding program; what constitutes the best animal.

Seedstock

Breeding stock; animals whose role is to be a parent or contribute genes to the next generation; supplies germplasm.

Germplasm

Genetic material used for breeding, including live animals, semen, and embryos.

Elite Breeders

Producers who generate the best purebred animals.

Multipliers

Entities that propagate the best genetics for use by end users.

End users

Commercial producers who purchase seedstock and apply genetics to production.

Purebreds

Wholly of one breed or line.

Line

A group of related animals within a breed; a concept related to inbreeding.

Inbreeding

Mating of related individuals to increase homozygosity within a line.

Commercial producers

End users who decide on mating plans and which animals to keep or sell to fit their enterprise.