Analysis of genetic relationships from morphological characters in Spanish goat breeds

Relationships between ten Spanish goat breeds were studied using qualitative and quantitative analyses of data from 26 morphological characters. The average morphological distance between breeds, measured as MCD (mean character difference), has a value of (0.6615 ± 0.1042), with extreme values of 0.4231 between Negra Serrana-Blanca Celtiberica and Malaguena-Canaria pairs, and 0.8846 for the Canaria-Blanca Andaluza pair. Two well-defined clusters can be appreciated in the dendrograms. One formed by Malaguena, Canaria, Verata and Murciano-Granadina breeds, and the other one composed by Negra Serrana, Blanca Celtiberica, Retinta Extremena and Blanca Andaluza breeds. Pirenaica and Guadarrama breeds are included in one or the other cluster depending on the program used (PAUP vs. PHYLIP). Relationships between the goat breeds and their possible ancestral origins are discussed in relation to classifications made by other authors. Although these results agree with results obtained with blood markers, it is difficult to interpret the phylogenetic relationships between goat breeds in relation to ancestral trunks. However, the racial classifications obtained adjust perfectly to the three production systems (meat, milk, and dual-purpose aptitudes).