Genetic diversity within and between European pig breeds using microsatellite markers

Summary An important prerequisite for a conservation programme is a comprehensive description of genetic diversity. The aim of this study was to use anonymous genetic markers to assess the between‐ and the within‐population components of genetic diversity for European pig breeds at the scale of the whole continent using microsatellites. Fifty‐eight European pig breeds and lines were analysed including local breeds, national varieties of international breeds and commercial lines. A sample of the Chinese Meishan breed was also included. Eleven additional breeds from a previous project were added for some analyses. Approximately 50 individuals per breed were genotyped for a maximum of 50 microsatellite loci. Substantial within‐breed variability was observed, with the average expected heterozygosity and observed number of alleles per locus being 0.56 [range 0.43–0.68] and 4.5 respectively. Genotypic frequencies departed from Hardy–Weinberg expectations (P