Selection for Resilience in Livestock Production Systems.

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Genetics
• Agricultural Sustainability

Background:

• Selective breeding for animal resilience is crucial for sustainable production systems.
• Current breeding efforts are hindered by a lack of consensus on defining and quantifying resilience.
• Understanding the genetic basis of resilience is essential for effective improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review definitions and related concepts of animal resilience (robustness, resistance, tolerance).
• To explore methods for quantifying animal resilience.
• To examine the genetic background of resilience and strategies for its improvement via selective breeding.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of definitions, quantification methods, and genetic aspects of animal resilience.
• Analysis of resilience indicators derived from physiological deviations during challenging conditions.
• Discussion of selective breeding strategies and genetic markers for resilience.

Main Results:

• Proposes a definition of resilience: an animal's ability to cope with perturbations and recover normal function.
• Suggests using deviations in physiological functions as indicators for resilience.
• Highlights the potential of these indicators as proxies for studying genetic determinism.

Conclusions:

• A clear definition and quantifiable indicators are vital for advancing selective breeding for animal resilience.
• Physiological deviations offer a promising approach to measure resilience and understand its genetic underpinnings.
• Implementation of genetic markers for resilience indicators can enhance selection schemes for more sustainable livestock production.