Demographic Trends in Korean Native Cattle Explained Using Bovine SNP50 Beadchip

Area of Science:

• Population Genetics
• Animal Genomics

Background:

• Linkage disequilibrium (LD) provides insights into population genetic history.
• Effective population size (Ne) is crucial for understanding genetic variation loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare LD patterns and Ne across three Korean cattle breeds and other Asian cattle populations.
• To assess the current genetic status and historical trends of Korean cattle breeds.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the bovine Illumina SNP50 panel for genotype data from 129 cattle samples.
• Calculated LD (r²) values for approximately 29,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
• Estimated effective population size (Ne) based on LD (r²) values.

Main Results:

• Effective population size varied significantly across breeds, from 16 (Hainan) to 226 (Yanbian).
• Korean native breeds showed Ne ranging from 59 (Brindle Hanwoo) to 83 (Brown Hanwoo).
• A concerning decline in Ne for Korean cattle breeds over recent generations was observed.

Conclusions:

• Significant variations in LD and Ne exist among the studied cattle populations.
• Korean native cattle breeds are experiencing a critical reduction in effective population size.
• Urgent conservation strategies are recommended to protect these local breeds.