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Fetal programming by co-twin rivalry in sheep.

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Fetal programming impacts sheep reproduction, with relative birth weight difference significantly affecting litter size in adult ewes. Lower birth weight relative to co-twins impairs reproductive ability, highlighting economic consequences.

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Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Animal Science
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Fetal rivalry impacts intrauterine environment and fetal growth, leading to fetal programming effects in adulthood.
  • While fetal programming's effects on sheep body composition are known, its impact on reproductive performance in adult ewes is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze fetal programming effects on litter size (LS) in purebred Ripollesa ewes.
  • To determine the influence of birth weight variations and littermate sex on reproductive outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 41,475 litter size records from 7,177 ewes.
  • Statistical modeling using threshold mixed models to assess effects of absolute birth BW (ABBW), relative birth BW (RBBW), and sex of littermate (SLM).
  • Bayes factors (BF) were used to compare model relevance.

Main Results:

  • The model incorporating RBBW and excluding ABBW and SLM was strongly preferred (BF > 31.6).
  • Ewes born lighter than their co-twins (>600g difference) showed impaired reproductive ability (1.162 lambs/lambing).
  • Ewes with a birth weight difference of 151-300g lighter than their co-twin had increased litter sizes (1.226 lambs/lambing).

Conclusions:

  • Relative birth weight difference is a key factor in fetal programming affecting sheep reproductive performance.
  • Fetal programming significantly influences litter size in sheep under rangeland conditions, with economic implications.
  • Findings contribute to understanding twin biology in mammals, potentially applicable to humans.