Crossbreed

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A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. Crossbreeding, sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism. While crossbreeding is used to maintain health and viability of organisms, irresponsible crossbreeding can also produce organisms of inferior quality or dilute a purebred gene pool to the point of extinction of a given breed of organism. [1]

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A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though the term "mixed breed" is technically more accurate. Outcrossing is a type of crossbreeding used within a purebred breed to increase the genetic diversity within the breed, particularly when there is a need to avoid inbreeding.

In animal breeding, crossbreeds are crosses within a single species, while hybrids are crosses between different species. In plant breeding terminology, the term crossbreed is uncommon, and no universal term is used to distinguish hybridization or crossing within a population from those between populations, or even those between species.

Designer crossbreed

A designer crossbreed or designer breed is a crossbred animal that has purebred parents, usually registered with a breed registry, but from two different breeds. These animals are the result of a deliberate decision to create a specific crossbred animal. [2] Less often, the animal may have more than two pure breeds in its ancestry, but unlike a mutt or a mongrel, its entire pedigree is known to descend from specific known animals. While the term is best known when applied to certain dog crossbreeds, other animals such as cattle, horses, birds [3] and cats may also be bred in this fashion. Some crossbred breeders start a freestanding breed registry to record designer crossbreds, other crossbreds may be included in an "appendix" to an existing purebred registry. either form of registration may be the first step in recording and tracking pedigrees in order to develop a new breed.

Examples of designer crossbreds

The purpose of creating designer crossbreds is usually one or more of the following reasons:

  1. to breed animals with heterosis, commonly known as "hybrid vigor", [4]
  2. to create animals with more predictable characteristics than mixed breed or mongrel breeding,
  3. to avoid certain undesirable recessive traits that lead to genetic diseases that plague many purebred animals,
  4. to develop an animal that combines what are viewed as the best traits of two or more breeds, [4]
  5. as the preliminary steps toward developing a new animal breed. [2]

Breeders of designer crossbreds borrow the technical language from hybrid plant breeding: A first generation, 50–50 crossbred is an F1 cross. [2] Subsequent generations may see a purebred animal crossed back on a crossbred, creating a 75/25 cross, [2] or a BC1 or F1b "backcross."[ citation needed ] The breeding of two crossbreeds of the same combination of breeds, creating an F2 cross, an animal that is still a 50–50 cross, but it is the second filial generation of the combination. [5] An F2 cross bred to an F2 cross creates an F3 cross. Similarly, an F2 animal bred to an F1 animal creates an F2b backcross. F3 crosses and greater are called "multi-generational" crosses.[ citation needed ] In dog breeding, three generations of reliable documented breeding can be considered a "breed" rather than a crossbreed. [6]

There are disadvantages to creating designer crossbreeds, notably the potential that the cross will be of inferior quality or that it will not produce as consistent a result as would breeding purebred animals. For example, the Poodle is a frequent breed used in creation of designer crossbreeds, due to its non-shedding coat, but that trait does not always breed true when it is part of a designer cross. [2] Also, because breeders of crossbred animals may be less careful about genetic testing and weeding out undesirable traits, [6] certain deleterious dominant genes may still be passed on to a crossbreed offspring. In an F2 cross, recessive genetic traits may also return if the parent animals were both carriers of an undesired trait.

Crossbreeds in specific animals

Cats

The many newly developed and recognized breeds of domestic cat are crossbreeds between existing, well-established breeds (sometimes with limited hybridization with some wild species), to either combine selected traits from the foundation stock, or propagate a rare mutation without excessive inbreeding. However, some nascent breeds such as the Aegean cat are developed entirely from a local landrace population. Most experimental cat breeds are crossbreeds.

Cattle

In cattle, there are systems of crossbreeding. In many crossbreeds, one animal is larger than the other. One is used when the purebred females are particularly adapted to a specific environment, and are crossed with purebred bulls from another environment to produce a generation having traits of both parents. [7]

Sheep

The large number of breeds of sheep, which vary greatly, creates an opportunity for crossbreeding to be used to tailor production of lambs to the goal of the individual stockman. [8]

Llamas

Results of crossbreeding classic and woolly breeds of llama are unpredictable. The resulting offspring displays physical characteristics of either parent, or a mix of characteristics from both, periodically producing a fleeced llama. The results are increasingly unpredictable when both parents are crossbreeds, with possibility of the offspring displaying characteristics of a grandparent, not obvious in either parent. [9]

Dogs

A crossbred dog is a cross between two (sometimes more) known breeds, and is usually distinguished from a mixed-breed dog , which has ancestry from many sources, some of which may not be known. Crossbreeds are popular, due to the belief that they have increased vigor without loss of attractiveness of the dog. Certain planned crossbreeding between purebred dogs of different breeds are now widely known as "designer dogs" and can produce puppies worth more than their purebred parents, due to a high demand.

Horses

The National Show Horse was developed from crossbreeding programs in the 1970s and 1980s that blended Arabian horse and American Saddlebred bloodlines National Show Horse.jpg
The National Show Horse was developed from crossbreeding programs in the 1970s and 1980s that blended Arabian horse and American Saddlebred bloodlines

Crossbreeding in horses is often done with the intent of ultimately creating a new breed of horse. One type of modern crossbreeding in horses is used to create many of the warmblood breeds. Warmbloods are a type of horse used in the sport horse disciplines, usually registered in an open stud book by a studbook selection procedure that evaluates conformation, pedigree and, in some animals, a training or performance standard. Most warmblood breeds began as a cross of draft horse breeds on Thoroughbreds, but have, in some cases, developed over the past century to the point where they are considered to be a true-breeding population and have a closed stud book. Other types of recognized crossbreeding include that within the American Quarter Horse, which will register horses with one Thoroughbred parent and one registered Quarter Horse parent in the "Appendix" registry, and allow such animals full breed registration status as Quarter Horses if they meet a certain performance standard. Another well-known crossbred horse is the Anglo-Arabian, which may be produced by a purebred Arabian horse crossed on a Thoroughbred, or by various crosses of Anglo-Arabians with other Anglo-Arabians, as long as the ensuing animal never has more than 75% or less than 25% of each breed represented in its pedigree.

Hybrid animals

A hybrid animal is one with parentage of two separate species, differentiating it from crossbred animals, which have parentage of the same species. Hybrids are usually, but not always, sterile. [10]

One of the most ancient types of hybrid animal is the mule, a cross between a female horse and a male donkey. The liger is a hybrid cross between a male lion and female tiger. The yattle is a cross between a cow and a yak. Other crosses include the tigon (between a male tiger and female lion) and yakalo (between a yak and an American bison). The Incas recognized that hybrids of Lama glama (llama) and Vicugna pacos (alpaca) resulted in a hybrid with none of the advantages of either parent. [11]

At one time it was thought that dogs and wolves were separate species, and the crosses between dogs and wolves were called wolf hybrids. Today wolves and dogs are both recognized as Canis lupus , but the old term "wolf hybrid" is still used.

Mixed breeds

A mixed-breed animal is defined as having undocumented or unknown parentage, while a crossbreed generally has known, usually purebred parents of two distinct breeds or varieties. A dog of unknown parentage is often called a mixed-breed dog, "mutt" or "mongrel." A cat of unknown parentage is often referred to as a domestic short-haired or domestic long-haired cat generically, and in some dialects is often called a "moggie". A horse of unknown bloodlines is called a grade horse.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse breed</span> Selectively bred populations of domesticated horses

A horse breed is a selectively bred population of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a broader sense to define landrace animals of a common phenotype located within a limited geographic region, or even feral "breeds" that are naturally selected. Depending on definition, hundreds of "breeds" exist today, developed for many different uses. Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament: spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance; "cold bloods," such as draft horses and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work; and "warmbloods," developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods, often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dog breed</span> Group of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs

A dog breed is a particular type of dog that was purposefully bred by humans to perform specific tasks, such as herding, hunting, and guarding. Dogs are the most variable mammal on Earth, with artificial selection producing upward of 360 globally recognized breeds. These breeds possess distinct traits related to morphology, which include body size, skull shape, tail phenotype, fur type, body shape, and coat colour. However, there is only one species of dog. Their behavioral traits include guarding, herding, and hunting, and personality traits such as hyper-social behavior, boldness, and aggression. Most breeds were derived from small numbers of founders within the last 200 years. As a result, today dogs are the most abundant carnivore species and are dispersed around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dog breeding</span> Mating selected dogs for specific qualities

Dog breeding is the practice of mating selected dogs with the intention of maintaining or producing specific qualities and characteristics. When dogs reproduce without such human intervention, their offspring's characteristics are determined by natural selection, while "dog breeding" refers specifically to the artificial selection of dogs, in which dogs are intentionally bred by their owners. Breeding relies on the science of genetics, hence a breeder who is knowledgeable on canine genetics, health, and the intended purpose of the dogs attempts to breed suitable dogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldendoodle</span> Dog breed

The Goldendoodle, also known as a Groodle, is a designer dog created by crossbreeding a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. First widely bred in the 1990s, they are bred in three different sizes—each corresponding to the size of Poodle used as a parent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cockapoo</span> Crossbreed dog type

A cockapoo is a dog crossbreed bred from a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle, most commonly the Miniature Poodle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mongrel</span> Dog with mixed breeds

A mongrel, mutt or mixed-breed dog is a dog that does not belong to one officially recognized breed, including those that result from intentional breeding. Although the term mixed-breed dog is sometimes preferred, many mongrels have no known purebred ancestors.

A true-breeding organism, sometimes also called a purebred(biology slang: pure line or true-breeding line), is an organism that always passes down certain phenotypic traits to its offspring of many generations. An organism is referred to as true breeding for each trait to which this applies, and the term "true-breeding" is also used to describe individual genetic traits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dog crossbreed</span> Dog type

Dog crossbreeds, sometimes called designer dogs, are dogs which have been intentionally bred from two or more recognized dog breeds. They are not dogs with no purebred ancestors, but are not otherwise recognised as breeds in their own right, and do not necessarily breed true.

Purebreds are "cultivated varieties" of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be "pedigreed". Purebreds breed true-to-type which means the progeny of like-to-like purebred parents will carry the same phenotype, or observable characteristics of the parents. A group of purebreds is called a pure-breeding line or strain.

Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members of the association. Breed associations or clubs may vary in their goals, activities and nomenclature from country to country, even for the same breed. Most domesticated animals, whether they are agricultural animals such as cattle, llamas, poultry, sheep and pigs, or companion animals such as pigeons, horses, cats and dogs, have breed clubs associated with the breed.

An F1 hybrid (also known as filial 1 hybrid) is the first filial generation of offspring of distinctly different parental types. F1 hybrids are used in genetics, and in selective breeding, where the term F1 crossbreed may be used. The term is sometimes written with a subscript, as F1 hybrid. Subsequent generations are called F2, F3, etc.

A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders while they are young. The terms studbook and register are also used to refer to lists of male animals "standing at stud", that is, those animals actively breeding, as opposed to every known specimen of that breed. Such registries usually issue certificates for each recorded animal, called a pedigree, pedigreed animal documentation, or most commonly, an animal's "papers". Registration papers may consist of a simple certificate or a listing of ancestors in the animal's background, sometimes with a chart showing the lineage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savannah cat</span> Breed of cat

The Savannah is a breed of hybrid cat developed in the late 20th century from crossing a serval with a domestic cat. This hybridization typically produces large and lean offspring, with the serval's characteristic large ears and markedly brown-spotted coats. F1 and F2 male Savannahs can be very large, and in 2016 an F2 male attained a world record for tallest cat at 48.4 centimetres (19.1 in). Show-eligible F4–F5 cats range from 5.0 to 8.2 kilograms however, comparable in size to other large domestic cat breeds such as the Maine Coon or Norwegian Forest cat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limousin cattle</span> French breed of cattle

The Limousin, French: Limousine, is a French breed of beef cattle from the Limousin and Marche regions of France. It was formerly used mainly as a draught animal, but in modern times is reared for beef. A herd-book was established in France in 1886. With the mechanisation of agriculture in the twentieth century, numbers declined. In the 1960s there were still more than 250 000 head, but the future of the breed was not clear; it was proposed that it be merged with the other blonde draught breeds of south-western France – the Blonde des Pyrénées, the Blonde de Quercy and the Garonnaise – to form the new Blonde d'Aquitaine. Instead, a breeders' association was formed; new importance was given to extensive management, to performance recording and to exports. In the twenty-first century the Limousin is the second-most numerous beef breed in France after the Charolais. It is a world breed, raised in about eighty countries round the world, many of which have breed associations.

Animal breeding is a branch of animal science that addresses the evaluation of the genetic value of livestock. Selecting for breeding animals with superior EBV in growth rate, egg, meat, milk, or wool production, or with other desirable traits has revolutionized livestock production throughout the entire world. The scientific theory of animal breeding incorporates population genetics, quantitative genetics, statistics, and recently molecular genetics and is based on the pioneering work of Sewall Wright, Jay Lush, and Charles Henderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friesian Sporthorse</span> Breed of horse

The Friesian Sporthorse is a Friesian crossbred of sport horse type. The ideal Friesian Sporthorse is specifically bred to excel in FEI-recognized sport horse disciplines. Thus, "sporthorse" refers to the phenotype, breeding, and intended use of these horses. The term "Friesian Sport Horse" is a generic term to describe any Friesian-cross horse.

Foundation stock or foundation bloodstock refers to animals that are the progenitors, or foundation, of a breed or of a given bloodline within such. Many modern breeds can be traced to specific, named foundation animals, but a group of animals may be referred to collectively as foundation bloodstock when one distinct population provides part of the underlying genetic base for a new distinct population.

Purebred breeders are dog breeders that intentionally breed purebred dogs specifically to continue the lineage of certain breed characteristics in dogs by mating selected canines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Part-Arabian</span> Breed of horse

A part-Arabian, partbred Arabian or, less precisely, half-Arabian, is a horse with documented amounts of Arabian horse breeding but not a purebred. Because the Arabian is deemed to be a breed of purebred horse dating back many centuries, the modern breed registries recognized by the World Arabian Horse Organization generally have tightly closed stud books which exclude a horse from registration if it is found to contain any outside blood. However, Arabian breeding has also been used for centuries to add useful traits to countless other horse breeds. In the modern era, crossbreeding has been popular to combine the best traits of two different breeds, such as color, size, or ability to specialize in a particular equestrian discipline.

The Baroque Pinto is a Dutch horse breed of Baroque type founded in the 1950s and 1960s, using the Friesian horse, Dutch Warmblood (KWPN), German Warmblood, and other European warmblood breeds for its foundation stock. Some consider it to be a type of Friesian cross or Friesian Sporthorse, while others consider it to be its own breed.

References

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