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How Suri Llamas Fit the Definition of A Breed
by D. P. Sponenberg, DVM, PhD
The development of all species of domesticated animals first
arose as a partnership of humans with the particular species.
After domestication had been achieved, humans easily appreciated
that not all animals were equal in talent for all tasks. This
is as true of llamas as it is any other species.
As human endeavors became more complex over time, llamas
were selected to be specialists for various tasks, e.g., packing,
fiber, ceremonial use. Specialization is basically the process
of breed development with profound consequences for the breeding
of llamas or any other species. The important concept, at
least in early stages of breed development, is that function
guides the process, and external form simply follows however
it can.
Understanding breeds and breed development can help breeders
to understand suri llamas as they are developing into a breed.
Predictability is a key
A breed can be viewed as a predictable genetic package. To
be useful, breeds need to be predictable. That is the way
to fit certain niches with a high degree of success. This
matching of a breed to a niche is something generally underappreciated
in much of the North American llama business, largely because
most llamas are somewhat outside the mainstream of production
agriculture.
Llamas, instead of performing tasks, have tended to become
"companion animals" in most situations. But this
trend is now increasingly reversing, and llamas are being
selected for specialized use as packers, livestock guardians,
show stock, single-coated fiber producers, or suri fiber producers.
Some of these efforts to target specific types of llamas span
several decades and are affecting the genetics of the llamas
involved. As the functional abilities of llamas are increasingly
valued, the emphasis on these traits in breeding programs
has also increased. As a result, the predictability of different
groups of llamas for specific tasks is something that is appreciated
and valued more and more. The suri llama is central to one
of these efforts, and the process of consolidating the suri
llama as a predictable genetic package has begun.
The founder effect
Breed development in most species usually follows a fairly
consistent pathway. In the first stage of the development
of most breeds, people simply use what is locally available
and adapt it to the task at hand. Consequently, the resulting
animals are shaped by what is locally available ("the
founder effect") and the subsequent selection of the
traits to suit a specific task. The goal of such breeding
is reasonably consistent function, and the animals within
the group are usually somewhat variable as to looks.
This type of population is best termed a "landrace,"
which means a local or regional breed simply springing up
and becoming uniform by virtue of local selection for a specific
purpose in a specific environment. Llamas in most South American
countries, at least currently, fit this model fairly well.
Any external consistency is a spin-off from a combination
of the founder effect and human selection for function. This
is in contrast to past production in pre-Columbian times when
higher levels of organization, selection, and movement of
select stock were surely a part of llama production.
Gentrification
The usual stage of breed development after the landrace stage
is standardization, which can occur through two main routes.
One route is local or regional, and more or less can be viewed
as standardization "from within" as the breed is
made more uniform in its original niche. I speculate this
sort of standardization characterized llamas before the European
conquest. The other process is aptly called "gentrification,"
which is a term coined by David and Judy Nelson to neatly
summarize this important process.
Gentrification occurs when the landrace is taken out of its
original site and standardized removed from its original niche.
This is standardization "from without." Either mechanism
("within" or "without") can result in
a functional, predictable breed. Gentrification does have
a certain inherent risk, however, in that removal of animals
from the original niche can impose changes in the breed that
deviate from the original purpose.
A realistic approach
Suri llamas in North America could fit either process of
breed standardization, although true standardization "from
within" would be unlikely. That would require going to
South America to import suri llamas, bring them north, and
then maintain them as a closed population. Breed formation
through gentrification ("from without") is more
realistic and more likely, and it can certainly lead to a
strong and appropriate outcome.
Gentrification is more in keeping with the important first
steps that have already taken place, such as inclusion of
new animals following keuring and validation of adequacy for
type and conformation. The strategy of gentrification can
offer greater genetic breadth in the North American suri llama
to provide for its secure future. The final product is not
limited to the very small potential numbers of those from
South America, but is allowed to expand by inclusion of selected
North American animals as well.
Still, there are risks
A risk with gentrification is that the resulting breed will
be frivolous rather than conformationally and biologically
sound. This happens to a great many dog breeds exported from
one region to another and selected outside of their original
environment for changed purposes. Unfortunately, this results
in many being nothing like the original in the "homeland."
The best caution against such outcomes is a good breed standard,
(SLA can check that off already!), and a consistent breeder
culture favoring sound, productive animals with good temperaments.
Balance is the key, and balance is sometimes difficult to
recognize and reward. It is frequently easier to select for
extreme animals than for balanced animals, but decades of
such selection usually result in unbalanced animals that at
some point just do not hold up well.
Range of variation determined
Landraces are formed by accidents of history, (founders),
selection and geographic isolation. Standardized breeds take
that isolation a step further by allowing only breeding within
the group and limiting variability by deciding on an accepted
range of variation. The result is that the breed becomes much
more visually uniform than most landraces. The level of uniformity
varies from standardized breed to standardized breed as breeders'
associations decide what to include and exclude from the breed.
The important issue is that the range of variation in a standardized
breed is arbitrarily narrowed by the breeders. It may not
reflect the original state of the population when that population
was simply functioning as a landrace. One level of limitation
of phenotype has already occurred simply by defining suri
llamas as suri. Other coat types are excluded. This is a useful
limitation. An extreme example, however, would be the insistence
that all the llamas be suri and over 90% white. This approach
is extreme because it needlessly eliminates breeding animals
while accomplishing very little of practical benefit.
The suri llama's progress
Suri llamas are in the process of becoming a predictable
genetic resource, which by definition will qualify them as
a breed. Breeders have a huge responsibility in forming this
breed carefully and with well-thought practices and procedures
to provide for a healthy genetic framework while not losing
the level of genetic uniformity necessary to predictability.
These practices and the care with which they have been undertaken
by the SLA have already taken the suri llama beyond the stage
of a landrace. For example, the keuring process is one huge
step in the direction of a standardized breed. The fact that
a careful, even-handed process is being used contributes significantly
to the prospects for long-term success of the suri llama breeders'
endeavor.
Walking the tightrope
Currently, SLA members are building a sound base from which
the breed will move into the future. That base is assured
by the keuring process. But breeders must always keep in mind
that the keuring is a phenotypic (appearance) process, and
not a genotypic (or genetic) process. At some unknowable point
in the future, the genetic issue will increase in importance
because this is the source of the final predictability of
a breed. There are a number of ways that the "genetic
consistency" component can be added to this good beginning.
The result of any breed development program should be to assure
that increasingly more is known about the background of animals
registered as suri llamas.
For example, in the early days of breed development it is
appropriate to take in any and all animals on an equal footing.
But at some point the undocumented outside animal presents
a very real risk of disrupting more than helping the breed.
At that point, one subtle "tweak" to the system
is to insist on a date after which all animals presented for
inspection have at least one parent already registered in
the herd book. This reduces the "maximum unknown"
about an animal from 100 percent to 50 percent. In a few years,
the standard can be tightened even further.
A note of caution: an eventual insistence on only
registered ancestors will close the population too tightly.
The goal is a consistent population, which implies some closure,
assured by inspection, perhaps in the future by pedigree as
well. But a viable population is also desirable, and this
goal implies some level of being open to a degree of outside
breeding. This is a tightrope to walk, but several breeds
have succeeded on this course.
The SLA breeders' community is off to a good start with rules
that are well-defined and open to all who want to participate.
Sustaining that culture of breeders is important, since it
assures that standards remain high, uniformly applied, and
accessible to all who want to take part. As time passes and
as numbers increase, logical adjustments to the process of
inspection and registration can be made to further enhance
the standing of the suri llama as a standardized breed that
is not only beautiful, but sound and useful.
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