Genetic Structure of the Ca Rater Mallorquí Dog Breed Inferred by Microsatellite Markers

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Ca Rater Mallorquí is a hunting and ratting dog that prevents disease spread and economic losses related to rodent activities on farms. Their presence on farms decreases the need for chemical products against rats and other rodents. Unfortunately, the breed’s number of births has declined. We aimed to study the intra and interracial characterisation of the Ca Rater Mallorquí dog breed, clarify its genetic structure and relationship to other related canine breeds, and find preservation solutions for the breed. Our results clearly show that it is a genetically independent and well-defined breed. However, according to census data, this breed should be part of a conservation plan. Our study provides essential knowledge of the Ca Rater Mallorquí genetic situation and constitutes the starting point for designing and implementing a conservation plan to avoid extinction. ABSTRACT: Ca Rater Mallorquí is a dog breed from the Island of Mallorca (Spain) traditionally used as a hunting and ratting dog to prevent disease spread and economic losses related to rodent activities on farms. However, the census data shows a population decline that should be addressed by implementing a conservation program. The first step to implementing a conservation plan is knowing the genetic situation of the Ca Rater Mallorquí population. Therefore, we aimed to genetically characterise the breed in our study. We analysed 33 microsatellites recommended by the International Society of Animal Genetics (ISAG) in 77 samples. Data were obtained from 13 samples of Balearic, Spanish, and international dog breeds to study the genetic diversity among breeds. The population did not significantly deviate from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium with heterozygosity (Ho) of 0.655 and expected heterozygosity (He) of 0.685. The Wright’s fixation indices, the Factorial Correspondence Analysis (FCA), a dendrogram representing Reynolds genetic distance between populations, and the pairwise F(ST) values establish the Ca Rater Mallorquí as an independent breed distinct from the Balearic, Spanish, and international breeds.