Vbo Ontology

What is VBO?

Definition: Formal ontology structured as directed acyclic graph (DAG) where:

• Nodes = breed concepts (unique IDs)
• Edges = hierarchical relationships (is-a, part-of)
• Metadata = breed names (preferred + synonyms), species, FCI classification (for dogs/cats), breed clubs

Coverage (by Species):

• Companion Animals: Canis familiaris (dog) - 900+ breeds; Felis catus (cat) - 250+ breeds; Rabbit (200+), Guinea pig (50+)
• Livestock: Cattle (300+), Horse (350+), Sheep (500+), Goat (200+), Swine (100+), Poultry (200+)
• Exotic Species: Fish (200+), Rodents, Amphibians, Reptiles

Total: 19,500+ breed concepts across 49 species

VBO Hierarchical Structure

Dog (Canis familiaris) Example:

VBO_DOG_ROOT (Dog - all breeds)
├── VBO_GROUP_1 (FCI Group 1: Sheepdogs & Cattle Dogs)
│   ├── VBO_COLLIE (Rough Collie)
│   ├── VBO_COLLIE_SMOOTH (Smooth Collie)
│   ├── VBO_AUSTRALIAN_SHEPHERD (Australian Shepherd)
│   ├── VBO_GERMAN_SHEPHERD (German Shepherd Dog)
│   └── ... (50+ herding breeds)
├── VBO_GROUP_2 (FCI Group 2: Pinschers, Schnauzers, Molossians)
│   ├── VBO_BOXER (Boxer)
│   ├── VBO_DOBERMAN (Doberman Pinscher)
│   └── ... (20+ molossoid breeds)
├── VBO_GROUP_3 (FCI Group 3: Terriers)
│   ├── VBO_SMOOTH_FOX_TERRIER (Smooth Fox Terrier)
│   └── ... (30+ terrier breeds)
├── VBO_GROUP_8 (FCI Group 8: Retrievers, Flushing Dogs)
│   ├── VBO_LABRADOR (Labrador Retriever)
│   ├── VBO_GOLDEN (Golden Retriever)
│   └── ... (30+ gun dogs)
└── ... (8 total FCI groups + miscellaneous/non-FCI breeds)

Cattle (Bos taurus) Example:

VBO_CATTLE_ROOT
├── VBO_DAIRY (Dairy Breeds)
│   ├── VBO_HOLSTEIN (Holstein-Friesian)
│   ├── VBO_JERSEY (Jersey)
│   ├── VBO_GUERNSEY (Guernsey)
│   └── VBO_BROWN_SWISS (Brown Swiss)
├── VBO_BEEF (Beef Breeds)
│   ├── VBO_ANGUS (Angus)
│   ├── VBO_HEREFORD (Hereford)
│   ├── VBO_CHAROLAIS (Charolais)
│   └── ...
└── VBO_DUAL_PURPOSE (Dairy/Beef Breeds)
    ├── VBO_SIMMENTAL (Simmental)
    └── ...

VBO Breed ID Format

Standard Format: VBO_XXXXXX (6-character code or full name reference)

Examples:

• VBO_0000147 = Labrador Retriever (canine)
• VBO_0000456 = Collie (canine)
• VBO_0000123 = Siamese (feline)
• VBO_0001000 = Holstein (bovine)
• VBO_0002156 = Thoroughbred (equine)

Nomenclature Standards:

• Preferred name = FCI standard (for FCI-recognized breeds)
• Synonyms = regional variants, historical names, abbreviated forms
• Example: "Rough Collie" (preferred) ≈ "Lassie type" (historical) ≈ "Collie long-coat" (variant)

Accessing VBO

Web Interface (OBO Foundry/BioPortal):