U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research: Fort Collins, CO
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    CareersSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Plains Area Fort Collins, Colorado Center for Agricultural Resources Research Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research Docs Animal





- Scientists
- Virtual Tour
- Analyzing Populations
- Project Plan
- Animal GRIN Database
- Protocols
- Honey Bees
- Brochure
- Request a Tour
- Popular Press Articles

Genetic Evaluation Genetic composition of our livestock breeds and aquatic species determine how well the livestock and aquaculture industries can respond to new consumer, environmental, or food security demands.  We know from our work that U.S. animal populations are quite diverse and plastic.  This enables industry to mold and shape different livestock breeds and fish populations for varying purposes.   Our mission is to build germplasm and tissue collections that are at least as diverse as existing populations and make those samples available for utilization by a range of customers.  We use molecular and quantitative tools to assess genetic diversity in and among livestock populations.  As a result we are able to quantify genetic diversity levels within the collection and live populations.  Having such a bench mark enables us to monitor whether or not breeds are likely to have genetic diversity problems and if so - offer recommendations on how to navigate through such situations. Click here to find out: How pedigrees can be used to capture diversity
How well breed collections capture diversity
How isolated populations drift apart


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov