Crossbreeding effect on sexual dimorphism of body weight in intergeneric hybrids obtained between muscovy and Pekin duck

• Published in: Genetics selection evolution (Paris) Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 163 - 170
• Main Authors: CHEIN TAI, ROUVIER, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Les Ulis EDP Sciences 15.03.1998; BioMed Central Ltd; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Animals; Aquatic birds; Biological and medical sciences; Body weight; Classical genetics, quantitative genetics, hybrids; Cross-breeding; Ducks; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Hybrids; Intergeneric hybridization; Life Sciences; Sexual dimorphism; Vertebrata; Asia; China; Vertebrata; Body weight; Race; Hybrid; Duck; Sexual dimorphism; Aves
• ISSN: 0999-193X; 1297-9686; 1297-9686
• DOI: 10.1186/1297-9686-30-2-163

From a factorial crossbreeding experiment between two Muscovy and Pekin duck strains it appears that the increased body weight sexual dimorphism in favour of males in the Muscovy growing duck depends on the Muscovy mother in pure breds and in the reciprocal cross. The ratio of male to female body weight averages took the values of 1.19, 1.47, 1.75, 1.77, 1.84 and 1.64, respectively, at 4, 10, 16, 20, 30 and 40 weeks of age in the Muscovy progeny. This tendency was similar in the Pekin x Muscovy progeny. On the contrary this ratio took the values of 1.07 and 1.11 at 10 and 16 weeks of age in the Pekin progeny, being similar in the Muscovy x Pekin progeny (1.06 1.07 and 1.08, respectively, at 16, 20 and 30 weeks of age). These results are evidence of a contribution of the Muscovy female duck to increase the body weight sexual dimorphism in duck by depressing the body weight growth in female progeny and not in the male progeny either in pure or crossbreeding. If the maternal effects are assumed to be similar in male and female progeny, the ranking of the four genotypes in the female progeny could be explained by adding to the effect of sex-linked genes (Z chromosome) the effect of genes on the W chromosome. Within a Mendelian inheritance pattern it may be suggested that, besides the usual sex-linked gene effects, coding genes of the non-pseudo-autosomal region (NPAR) of the Muscovy W chromosome depress growth when compared to the Pekin W chromosome.