The Use of SNP Microarrays for Biodiversity Studies of Sheep – A Review

The conservation of farm animal genetic resources and their protection against genetic erosion requires knowledge of biodiversity status. Genetic variation in populations can be estimated using both traditional pedigree-based methods and molecular techniques. SNP microarrays are a new generation of molecular genetic tools, which have found application in analysis of biodiversity in populations of domestic and wild sheep, in studies of resistance to intestinal parasites and foot rot, and in searching for markers associated with meat and milk yield, or colour inheritance traits. The aim of the study is the review of recent literature on the biodiversity and the use of molecular markers for population genetics in different breeds and populations of sheep.