Mitochondrial DNA variation of Nigerian domestic helmeted guinea fowl |
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| Authors: | Adeniyi C. Adeola Sheila C. Ommeh Robert W. Murphy Shi‐Fang Wu Min‐Sheng Peng Ya‐Ping Zhang |
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| Affiliation: | 1. China‐Africa Center for Research and Education & State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals & Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China;2. Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China;3. Animal Biotechnology Group, Institute of Biotechnology Research, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya;4. Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada;5. Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio‐Resources & Key Laboratory for Microbial Resources of the Ministry of Education, Yunnan University, Kunming, China |
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| Abstract: | We analyzed genetic diversity of 215 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D‐loop sequences from seven populations of domesticated helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) in Nigeria and compared that with results of samples collected in Kenya (n = 4) and China (n = 22). In total, 241 sequences were assigned to 22 distinct haplotypes. Haplotype diversity in Nigeria was 0.693 ± 0.022. The network grouped most matrilines into two main haplogroups: A and B. There was an absence of a geographic signal, and two haplotypes dominated across all locations with the exception of the Kebbi population in the northwest of the country; AMOVA also confirmed this observation (FST = 0.035). The low genetic diversity may be a result of recent domestication, whereas the lack of maternal genetic structure likely suggests the extensive genetic intermixing within the country. Additionally, the differentiation of the Kebbi population may be due to a certain demographic history and/or artificial selection that shaped its haplotype profile. The current data do not permit us to make further conclusions; therefore, more research evidence from genetics and archaeology is still required. |
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| Keywords: | mtDNA D‐loop genetic diversity
Numida meleagris
Nigeria |
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