Coat Color in Local Goats: Influence on Environmental Adaptation and Productivity, and Use as a Selection Criterion

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The physical characteristics that are observed at first sight in an animal (for example, coat color) tell us a lot about its capacity to adapt to the surrounding environment. In this review, we address the issue of color in goats and its direct effect on meat and milk production to design a tool for small producers (mainly in rural areas) that will allow them to have selection criteria that are very easy to apply. ABSTRACT: This paper aims to review, systematically synthesize, and analyze fragmented information about the importance of coat color in local goats and its relationship with productivity and other important traits. Topics on current research on color expression are addressed, the relationship that has as a mechanism of environmental adaptation, its relationship with the production of meat, milk, and derivates, and the economic value of this characteristic. The use of this attribute as a tool to establish selection criteria in breeding programs based on results reported in the scientific literature is significant, particularly for low-income production systems, where the implementation of classic genetic improvement schemes is limited due to the lack of productive information, which is distinctive of extensive marginal or low scaled production systems around the world.