Abstract. The Karayaka is the most populous sheep breed in the
Black Sea region of Turkey. In the present study, we investigated the intra-
and inter-population genetic relationships among indigenous Karayaka
sheep subpopulations. Nine microsatellites were genotyped for 64 individuals from Samsun, Ordu, Giresun and Tokat provinces. The average number of alleles (Na), allelic richness (Ar), observed heterozygosity (Ho), expected heterozygosity (He), polymorphism information content (PIC) and inbreeding
coefficient (FIS) for all subpopulations were estimated as Na=16.44, Ar=9.887, Ho=0.303, He=0.886, PIC=0.866 and FIS=0.630, respectively. The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.171 (Giresun) to 0.376 (Ordu) and 0.757 (Samsun) to 0.845 (Ordu), respectively. It was determined that a 10.5 % of total genetic variation (FIT=66.9 %) in Karayaka sheep corresponded to genetic differences
among subpopulations (FST), whereas 63.0 % was explained by genetic
difference among individuals (FIS). This study gives the first evidence
about genetic relationships of Karayaka subpopulations. The results show
that Karayaka sheep subpopulations are genetically different from each
other. These findings revealed that the Karayaka breed has discrete
subpopulations and should be taken into consideration when preparing
conservation programs and future breeding strategies.