Evolutionary relationships of Red Jungle Fowl and chicken breeds

Abstract

Published results were reassessed and original data are provided regarding the origin and relatedness of four postulated chicken breed lineages, egg-type, game, meat-type and Bantam, to each other and to the basic ancestral species of jungle fowls, Gallus gallus. A system approach was employed concerning the planning of the experiments. One element of the system approach is the choice of the breeds to be compared with G. gallus. These breeds were supposed to represent major evolutionary branches of chickens. Four experiments on genetic relationships were conducted using different estimation criteria including morphological discrete characters, body measurements, biochemical markers, and the activity of serum esterase-1. The greatest similarity was found between G. gallus and the egg-type breeds of Mediterranean roots and/or true Bantams. This fact might testify that the indicated chicken groups occupied earlier stages in the evolution from the wild progenitor to the present biodiversity of chickens in the world.

Application of Whole-Genome Prediction Methods for Genome-Wide Association Studies: A Bayesian Approach

“…Further, in the present study, six more windows that explain >0.1% of the genetic variance were identified, but these windows were not found to explain >0.1% of the variance with probability 0.9 in the brown line. These differences are not surprising as white and brown egg layers are two very distinct breeds (Moiseyeva et al 2003).…”

Morphological diversity of integumentary traits in fowl domestication: Insights from disparity analysis and embryonic development

“…20,21 Remarkably, we found that the red junglefowl is grouping in the European cluster close to Leghorns and bantam breeds, in concordance with previous works based on morphological and genetic data. 17,18 Other interesting findings are the grouping of Araucana with AOSB and other Asiatic breeds, supporting the Polynesian origin hypothesis, 93 and the position of Cornish close to the "game" breeds far away from English breeds. Perhaps exposing its origin, which is mainly the cross of Aseel and Malay with other British game breeds (see Figure 1).…”

“…Some investigations have found non "genetic distance" between breeds and red junglefowl using microsatellite markers 17 and others, by morphological and genetic evaluation, have surmised that egg-type breeds (mainly European breeds) would be the closest relative to red junglefowl. 18,19 Genetic analyses and historical records do suggest that the current breeds were established to a large extent by a "second wave" import of chickens from Asia to Europe in the 19th century; therefore, a breed framework nowadays would be the result of continuous hybridizations among European and Asiatic breeds. 20,21 Moreover, the records of some breeds are kept as proprietary information by commercial companies, and interbreeding/crossbreeding experiments are uncommon.…”

“…Past studies that have attempted to resolve the ancestral relationships of domesticated fowl also included non-integumentary characters in their morphological analyses. 18,42 These characters included flightiness, weight, stance, body measurements, beetle brow (prominent forehead projecting over the eyes), and the position of the occipital foramen. Expanding our traitbreed matrix to include non-integumentary characters is another strategy that might be useful for subsequent diversity analysis of chicken breeds.…”

Genetic structure in Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) populations: Strong spatial patterns in the wild ancestors of domestic chickens in a core distribution range

“…Most, if not all, recent genetic studies involving junglefowl, however, sample birds from captive colonies (e.g., Berthouly et al., 2009; Eriksson et al., 2008; Fumihito et al., 1994; Gering, Johnsson, Willis, Getty, & Wright, 2015; Mekchay et al., 2014; Moiseyeva, Romanov, Nikiforov, Sevastyanova, & Semyenova, 2003; Romanov & Weigend, 2001; Rubin et al., 2010; Tadano et al., 2008; Worley et al., 2010) or from vaguely described geographic localities (e.g., Akaboot, Duangjinda, Phasuk, Kaenchan, & Chinchiyanond, 2012; Granevitze et al., 2007; Liu et al., 2006; Miao et al., 2013; Nishibori et al., 2005; Okumura et al., 2006; Ulfah et al., 2016). Even the female Red Junglefowl individual used for the Gallus gallus reference sequence (International Chicken Genome Sequencing Consortium, 2004) is traceable to the San Diego Zoo, itself believed to be introgressed with White Leghorn alleles (M. E. Delany, University of California, Davis, CA, personal communication).…”