Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026
13:18
Data Collection on Marine Litter Ingestion in Sea Turtles and Thresholds for Good Environmental Status
Published on: May 18, 2019
12.6K
Litter Survival Differences between Divergently Selected Lines for Environmental Sensitivity in Rabbits.
Ivan Agea1, María-Luz García2, Agustín Blasco3
1Departamento de Tecnología Agroalimentaria, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Ctra de Beniel Km 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, Spain.
Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|August 28, 2019
Summary
Selection for environmental sensitivity in rabbits influenced kit survival and litter weight homogeneity at weaning. Higher birth weight correlated with increased kit survival rates, indicating a link between environmental adaptation and offspring viability.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Genetics
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Divergent selection experiments are crucial for understanding animal adaptation.
- Environmental sensitivity in livestock can impact productivity and welfare.
- Correlated responses to selection provide insights into genetic architecture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess correlated responses in rabbit kit weight and survival due to selection for environmental sensitivity.
- To analyze litter weight homogeneity and its relationship with survival.
- To investigate the link between birth weight and early survival probability.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a divergent selection experiment on environmental sensitivity in rabbits over 12 generations.
- Measured kit weight, litter weight, and survival rates from birth to weaning.
- Calculated weight distance to assess litter homogeneity and analyzed birth weight-survival relationships.
Main Results:
- Both high and low lines exhibited similar weights and survival rates at birth and 4 days.
- The low line showed a higher survival rate at weaning (0.67 vs. 0.62).
- Higher birth weight was associated with increased kit survival probability.
Conclusions:
- Selection for environmental sensitivity induced correlated responses in rabbit kit survival and litter weight homogeneity at weaning.
- Environmental sensitivity selection impacts offspring viability and litter uniformity.
- Birth weight is a significant predictor of early kit survival.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Divergence and Curl
3.1K
The divergence of a vector field at a point is the net outward flow of the flux out of a small volume through a closed surface enclosing the volume, as the volume tends to zero. More practically, divergence measures how much a vector field spreads out or diverges from a given point. For an outgoing flux, conventionally, the divergence is positive. The diverging point is often called the "source" of the field. Meanwhile, the negative divergence of a vector field at a point means that the vector...
3.1K
01:32What is Natural Selection?
126.0K
Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.
126.0K
01:06Divergence and Stokes' Theorems
3.5K
The divergence and Stokes' theorems are a variation of Green's theorem in a higher dimension. They are also a generalization of the fundamental theorem of calculus. The divergence theorem and Stokes' theorem are in a way similar to each other; The divergence theorem relates to the dot product of a vector, while Stokes' theorem relates to the curl of a vector. Many applications in physics and engineering make use of the divergence and Stokes' theorems, enabling us to write...
3.5K
02:37Gene Duplication and Divergence
7.9K
The seminal work of Ohno in 1970 popularized the idea of gene duplication and divergence. DNA sequence comparison studies reveal that a large portion of the genes in bacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes was generated by gene duplication and divergence, indicating its critical role in evolution.
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are...
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are...
7.9K
01:25Divergence and Curl of Electric Field
7.1K
The divergence of a vector is a measure of how much the vector spreads out (diverges) from a point. For example, an electric field vector diverges from the positive charge and converges at the negative charge. The divergence of an electric field is derived using Gauss's law and is equal to the charge density divided by the permittivity of space. Mathematically, it is expressed as
7.1K
01:26Divergence and Curl of Magnetic Field
3.9K
The magnetic field due to a volume current distribution given by the Biot–Savart Law can be expressed as follows:
3.9K