A Bayesian analysis of the effect of selection for growth rate on growth curves in rabbits

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2003Author
Blasco, Agustín
Piles, Miriam
Varona Aguado, Luís
Suggested citation
Blasco, Agustín;
Piles, Miriam;
Varona Aguado, Luís;
.
(2003)
.
A Bayesian analysis of the effect of selection for growth rate on growth curves in rabbits.
Genetics Selection Evolution, 2003, vol. 35, núm. 1, p.21-41.
https://doi.org/10.1051/gse:2002034.
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Gompertz growth curves were tted to the data of 137 rabbits from control (C)
and selected (S) lines. The animals came from a synthetic rabbit line selected for an increased
growth rate. The embryos from generations 3 and 4 were frozen and thawed to be contemporary
of rabbits born in generation 10. Group C was the offspring of generations 3 and 4, and group S
was the contemporary offspring of generation 10. The animals were weighed individually twice
a week during the rst four weeks of life, and once a week thereafter, until 20 weeks of age.
Subsequently, the males were weighed weekly until 40 weeks of age. The random samples of
the posterior distributions of the growth curve parameters were drawn by using Markov Chain
Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. As a consequence of selection, the selected animals were
heavier than the C animals throughout the entire growth curve. Adult body weight, estimated
as a parameter of the Gompertz curve, was 7% higher in the selected line. The other parameters
of the Gompertz curve were scarcely affected by selection. When selected and control growth
curves are represented in a metabolic scale, all differences disappear.
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Genetics Selection Evolution, 2003, vol. 35, núm. 1, p.21-41European research projects
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