Exploring the genetics of pigmentation in dairy cattle to build resilience to climate change induced heat stress
Supervisors
Richard Mort, Lancaster University
Davina Hill, School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow
Industry Partner - Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC)
Summary
Heat tolerance in cattle is an increasingly important trait with global economic significance. Heat stress impacts on animal welfare, milk/meat yields and reproduction. Cattle that are predominantly black are susceptible to heat stress but white animals are more likely to develop skin cancer. This is already a major economic and welfare issue in Australia and New Zealand and will be increasingly an issue in the UK with climate change. As such, genetic traits that optimise the balance between black and white patches and their distribution may be valuable in building resilience to climate change.
You will develop computer vision/image analysis approaches combined with genome wide association studies (GWAS) to discover genetic variants that influence cattle pigmentation. You will go on to apply thermal imaging equipment to explore the role of cattle pigmentation in thermoregulation in UK cattle. In doing so you will be exposed to cutting edge computer vision, machine learning and genetic analysis pipelines applied to real world applications in collaboration with the Livestock Improvement Corporation - a New Zealand based global genetics and selective breeding business.
At LIC you will gain insights into how a genetics company applies data from genetics research to inform assisted breeding programs aimed at enhancing genetic resilience. Through the training provided you will develop a highly transferable skill set, attractive to academia agritech (e.g., genetics businesses, livestock farming), biotech, and biopharma.