About this Research Topic

Background

Biodiversity makes life possible, provides health and social benefits, and drives the economy. The recent COVID-19 pandemic is emphasizing the need for more awareness of the links between human health, animal health, and the health of ecosystems, and the ripple effects of the pandemic may be catastrophic to animal biodiversity and its contribution to the recovery mechanisms, particularly for livestock communities across the globe. Animal genetic resources could play a pivotal role in adapting to changing socio-economic and environmental conditions and to get back on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 after the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many visions on how to achieve a sustainable livestock that provides enough food and ecosystem services for present and future generations. The diversity of animal genetic resources defines not only animal breeds' production and functional traits, but also the ability to adapt to different environments, including food and water availability, climate, and diseases. Diverse animal genetic resources, particularly in the developing world, are a key to economic development. A suitable management of biodiversity can also prevent the diffusion of invasive alien species that represent one of the primary threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Genetic diversity has been identified as an important factor influencing a population's long-term potential for survival. A population lacking genetic diversity often exhibits an increased rate of extinction. Inbreeding, genetic drift, restricted gene flow, and small population size all contribute to a reduction in genetic diversity. The development and implementation of new technologies applied to molecular biology and genomics, such as next-generation sequencing methods and high-throughput genotyping platforms, are allowing the rapid increase of availability of genomic resources in livestock. The goal of the present research topic is to establish discussion and utilize the resources in terms of which strategies and capacities will be more efficient to solve the primary challenges that are affecting animal biodiversity around the world.

In this Research Topic we call authors to submit their hypotheses and findings on strategies to sustainably manage animal biodiversity, including all aspects of the locally adapted breeds/populations, the application of recent advances in genomic technologies, the exploration and exploitation of adaptability traits, the contribution of environmentally induced epigenetic changes to adaptation mechanisms, etc. Authors are welcome to contribute information on the following topics: animal genetic resources, genetic diversity and inbreeding, adaptability traits, breeding strategies and sustainable management, conservation genetics, genetic plasticity and thermo tolerance, genetic response to climate change, and capacities in Results for Development to contribute to the UN 2030 SDGs.

We consider all types of articles, starting from Brief Research Reports (4000 words) and Data Reports (3000 words) to Original Research articles (12000 words), Mini Reviews (3000 words) and full (12000 words) Reviews, and Methods (12000 words). This Research Topic is an excellent opportunity to give animal biodiversity the research focus and visibility which it deserves.

Keywords: Green strategies, animal biodiversity, inbreeding control, climate change, local adaptation, genetic plasticity

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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