Marcadores moleculares y diversidad genética en conejos: herramientas para la mejora y conservación

Contextualization: Genetic diversity in rabbits is a fundamental component for ensuring population health and optimizing productive traits. This variability reduces the risk of diseases associated with the homozygosity of harmful recessive alleles and improves carcass quality. Globally, countries such as China, Italy, Spain, and France lead rabbit production, while in America, both consumption and production remain limited. Due to its nutritional properties high protein content, low cholesterol levels, and significant contributions of vitamins and minerals rabbit meat represents a healthy alternative to other animal protein sources. Knowledge gap: Despite the growing body of literature, important gaps remain in terms of geographic coverage and breed representation. Most studies have been conducted in Europe, Asia, and North Africa, with limited information from the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania. Furthermore, there is a tendency to focus on commercial breeds, to the detriment of local or breeds, whose genetic diversity and adaptability are still poorly explored. This situation limits a comprehensive understanding of the genetic heritage of rabbits. Purpose: Conduct a systematic review of the most widely used molecular techniques for analyzing genetic diversity in rabbits, in order to identify the most effective methodologies for strengthening sustainable rabbit production. Methodology: A systematic review of articles available in specialized databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar was carried out. Predefined inclusion criteria were applied, and the extracted data were organized and analyzed descriptively. Excel and Canva were used for the graphical presentation of results. Results and conclusions: The results show a predominance in the use of microsatellites, followed by mitochondrial DNA, SNPs, WGS, and, to a lesser extent, dominant markers such as ISSR, SCoT, and AFLP. It is concluded that, although new techniques are emerging, microsatellites continue to be the most widely applied markers in population genetics studies in rabbits.