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Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / Maternal Lineage of Warmblood Mares Contributes to Variation...
PloS one2015; 10(10); e0139358; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139358

Maternal Lineage of Warmblood Mares Contributes to Variation of Gestation Length and Bias of Foal Sex Ratio.

Abstract: Maternal lineage influences performance traits in horses. This is probably caused by differences in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transferred to the offspring via the oocyte. In the present study, we investigated if reproductive traits with high variability-gestation length and fetal sex ratio-are influenced by maternal lineage. Data from 142 Warmblood mares from the Brandenburg State Stud at Neustadt (Dosse), Germany, were available for the study. Mares were grouped according to their maternal lineage. Influences on the reproduction parameters gestation length and sex ratio of offspring were analyzed by simple and multiple analyses of variance. A total of 786 cases were included. From the 142 mares, 119 were assigned to six maternal lineages with n≥10 mares per lineage, and 23 mares belonged to smaller maternal lineages. The mean number of live foals produced per mare was 4.6±3.6 (±SD). Live foal rate was 83.5%. Mean gestation length was 338.5±8.9 days (±SD) with a range of 313 to 370 days. Gestation length was affected by maternal lineage (p<0.001). Gestation length was also significantly influenced by the individual mare, age of the mare, year of breeding, month of breeding and sex of the foal (p<0.05). Of the 640 foals born alive at term, 48% were male and 52% female. Mare age group and maternal lineage significantly influenced the sex ratio of the foals (p<0.05). It is concluded that maternal lineage influences reproductive parameters with high variation such as gestation length and foal sex ratio in horses. In young primiparous and aged mares, the percentage of female offspring is higher than the expected 1:1 ratio.
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Publication Date: 2015-10-05 PubMed ID: 26436555PubMed Central: PMC4593555DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139358Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Comparative Study
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

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This study investigates the influence of maternal lineage on gestational length and foal sex ratio in Warmblood horses. Findings demonstrate significant variation in these reproductive traits based on the genetic lineage of the mares.

About the study

  • The researchers sourced data from 142 Warmblood mares at the Brandenburg State Stud in Neustadt (Dosse), Germany. They evaluated the mares according to their maternal lineage.
  • The research looked at the possibility of the maternal lineage influencing gestation length and the sex ratio of offspring, which are considered “high variability” reproductive traits.
  • A total of 786 cases were studied, and the mares were divided into smaller lineage groups. The average number of live foals produced per mare was 4.6±3.6, and the live foal rate was 83.5%.
  • From a total of 640 foals born alive at term, 48% were male and 52% female, indicating a higher-than-expected number of female offspring.

Findings

  • The average gestation length was found to be 338.5±8.9 days, ranging between 313 to 370 days. The study found that gestation length was significantly affected by maternal lineage, as well as variables such as the individual mare, the age of the mare, the year and the month of breeding and the sex of the foal.
  • The sex ratio of the foals was also significantly influenced by the mare’s age group and maternal lineage. It was noted that in young first-time mothers and older mares, the percentage of female offspring was higher than the expected 1:1 ratio.

Conclusion

  • The study concludes that the maternal lineage in horses significantly influences reproductive parameters that typically exhibit high variation, such as gestation length and sex ratio of the foals. It suggests that the maternal genetic lineage likely contributes to these observed variations.

Cite This Article

APA
Kuhl J, Stock KF, Wulf M, Aurich C. (2015). Maternal Lineage of Warmblood Mares Contributes to Variation of Gestation Length and Bias of Foal Sex Ratio. PLoS One, 10(10), e0139358. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0139358

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 10
Pages: e0139358
PII: e0139358

Researcher Affiliations

Kuhl, J
  • Graf Lehndorff-Institut for Equine Science, Vetmeduni Vienna, Neustadt (Dosse), Germany; Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Stock, K F
  • Vereinigte Informationssysteme Tierhaltung w.V. (vit), Verden (Aller), Germany.
Wulf, M
  • Graf Lehndorff-Institut for Equine Science, Vetmeduni Vienna, Neustadt (Dosse), Germany.
Aurich, C
  • Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Birth Rate
  • Breeding
  • Female
  • Horses / genetics
  • Horses / physiology
  • Inheritance Patterns / genetics
  • Male
  • Maternal Age
  • Pedigree
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy, Animal / genetics
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sex Ratio

Conflict of Interest Statement

Vereinigte Informationssysteme Tierhaltung w.V provided salary to K.F. Stock. This does not alter the authors' adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Laseca N, Anaya G, Peña Z, Pirosanto Y, Molina A, Demyda Peyrás S. Impaired Reproductive Function in Equines: From Genetics to Genomics. Animals (Basel) 2021 Feb 3;11(2).
    doi: 10.3390/ani11020393pubmed: 33546520google scholar: lookup
  2. Todd ET, Hamilton NA, Velie BD, Thomson PC. The effects of inbreeding on covering success, gestation length and foal sex ratio in Australian thoroughbred horses. BMC Genet 2020 Apr 8;21(1):41.
    doi: 10.1186/s12863-020-00847-1pubmed: 32268877google scholar: lookup
  3. Del Prete C, Vastolo A, Pasolini MP, Cocchia N, Montano C, Cutrignelli MI. Effects of maternal dietary supplementation with antioxidants on clinical status of mares and their foal. BMC Vet Res 2024 Sep 11;20(1):404.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-024-04252-zpubmed: 39256763google scholar: lookup
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