European and Asian contribution to the genetic diversity of mainland South American chickens

Abstract

Chickens ( Gallus gallus domesticus ) from the Americas have long been recognized as descendants of European chickens, transported by early Europeans since the fifteenth century. However, in recent years, a possible pre-Columbian introduction of chickens to South America by Polynesian seafarers has also been suggested. Here, we characterize the mitochondrial control region genetic diversity of modern chicken populations from South America and compare this to a worldwide dataset in order to investigate the potential maternal genetic origin of modern-day chicken populations in South America. The genetic analysis of newly generated chicken mitochondrial control region sequences from South America showed that the majority of chickens from the continent belong to mitochondrial haplogroup E. The rest belongs to haplogroups A, B and C, albeit at very low levels. Haplogroup D, a ubiquitous mitochondrial lineage in Island Southeast Asia and on Pacific Islands is not observed in continental South America. Modern-day mainland South American chickens are, therefore, closely allied with European and Asian chickens. Furthermore, we find high levels of genetic contributions from South Asian chickens to those in Europe and South America. Our findings demonstrate that modern-day genetic diversity of mainland South American chickens appear to have clear European and Asian contributions, and less so from Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Furthermore, there is also some indication that South Asia has more genetic contribution to European chickens than any other Asian chicken populations.

Genome-wide scan for selective footprints and genes related to cold tolerance in Chantecler chickens

“…Although a pre-Columbian Polynesian introduction of chickens to the Americas has been suggested ( Storey et al, 2007 ), the viewpoint that chickens were introduced to the Americas by European (Portuguese or Spanish) colonizers after 1500 AD has also been recognized ( Herrera et al, 2020 ). The CA chicken was developed in the early 20th century for cold weather with high egg and meat production.…”

Domestic chicken diversity: Origin, distribution, and adaptation

“…However, the evidence is now deemed inconclusive having been based on a single bone, nondiagnostic DNA sequence information, and in the absence of local isotopic standards to assess the relationships between diet and isotopic signatures (Gongora et al 2008). A recent mtDNA analysis involving native chicken from six South American countries did not find any evidence for a maternal genetic relationship between the South American chicken and their counterparts in the Pacific Islands, including Easter Island (Herrera et al 2020). This study rather supports a European or Asian origin for the modern native chicken of the South American continent (Herrera et al 2020).…”

“…A recent mtDNA analysis involving native chicken from six South American countries did not find any evidence for a maternal genetic relationship between the South American chicken and their counterparts in the Pacific Islands, including Easter Island (Herrera et al . 2020). This study rather supports a European or Asian origin for the modern native chicken of the South American continent (Herrera et al .…”

“…This study rather supports a European or Asian origin for the modern native chicken of the South American continent (Herrera et al . 2020). Additional ancient DNA samples may further clarify the issue of the origin of South American chicken.…”

Unveiling new perspective of phylogeography, genetic diversity, and population dynamics of Southeast Asian and Pacific chickens

“…In addition, the favorable seasonal weather patterns and vegetation in the region made it a suitable environment for chicken dispersal 10 , 17 , 18 . Recently, several DNA sources and molecular strategies were used to resolve chicken phylogeny and their genetic expansion from their wild progenitors 11 , 19 – 23 . However, major challenges from the zooarchaeological perspective remain as there are only a few reports of chicken remains in SEA 24 , and prehistoric exploitation has yet to be elucidated 25 .…”