Mitochondrial DNA variation of domestic sheep (Ovis aries) in Kenya

Summary The history of domestic sheep (Ovis aries) in Africa remains largely unknown. After being first introduced from the Near East, sheep gradually spread through the African continent with pastoral societies. The eastern part of Africa was important either for the first diffusion of sheep southw...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animal genetics 2016-06, Vol.47 (3), p.377-381
Main Authors: Resende, Adriana, Gonçalves, Joana, Muigai, Anne W. T., Pereira, Filipe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African pastoralism
Animals
Breeding
control region
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics
East Africa
Genetic Variation
Genetics, Population
Haplotypes
Kenya
Mitochondrial DNA
mtDNA
Network
Ovis aries
Phylogeography
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Sheep
sheep domestication
Sheep, Domestic - genetics
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Summary:Summary The history of domestic sheep (Ovis aries) in Africa remains largely unknown. After being first introduced from the Near East, sheep gradually spread through the African continent with pastoral societies. The eastern part of Africa was important either for the first diffusion of sheep southward or for putative secondary introductions from the Arabian Peninsula or southern Asia. We analysed mitochondrial DNA control region sequences of 91 domestic sheep from Kenya and found a high diversity of matrilines from the widespread haplogroup B, whereas only a single individual from haplogroup A was detected. Our phylogeography analyses of more than 500 available mitochondrial DNA sequences also identified ancestral haplotypes that were probably first introduced in Africa and are now widely distributed. Moreover, we found no evidence of an admixture between East and West African sheep. The presence of shared haplotypes in eastern and ancient southern African sheep suggests the possible southward movement of sheep along the eastern part of Africa. Finally, we found no evidence of an extensive introduction of sheep from southern Asia into Africa via the Indian Ocean trade. The overall findings on the phylogeography of East African domestic sheep set the grounds for understanding the origin and subsequent movements of sheep in Africa. The richness of maternal lineages in Kenyan breeds is of prime importance for future conservation and breeding programmes.
ISSN:0268-9146
1365-2052
DOI:10.1111/age.12412