BLOOD-GROUP AND PROTEIN POLYMORPHISM IN THE FINNISH NATIVE CATTLE POPULATIONS

Nine blood group loci and five polymorphic protein loci were investiga ted in the native East-, North- and West-Finnish cattle populations. T he studied East-, North- and West-Finnish cattle populations comprised 74, 55 and 121 individuals, respectively. According to the average de gree of heterozygosity, East-Finnish cattle had the highest genetic va riation and North-Finnish cattle the lowest. Within the loci investiga ted, the East- and North-Finnish cattle populations, which are threate ned by extinction, did not lack genetic diversity. The genetic distanc es between West- and North-Finnish cattle calculated by the NEI's (197 2) standard method ranged from 0.019 to 0.052 in three partly differen t locus groups and between East- and North-Finnish cattle from 0.034 t o 0.046. The distances between East- and West-Finnish cattle were 0.03 0 in all cases. According to these results, East-, West- and North-Fin nish cattle could be regarded as three different native breeds.