Genetic diversity and population structure of muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) from Nigeria

Abstract

The domestic Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) provide unique genetic resources patterned by both tropical environmental conditions and human activities, the evaluation of their genetic diversity and population structure will shade light on the mechanism of their remarkable adaptive capacities. We therefore analyzed the variation in mtDNA cytochrome b and nuclear DNA CYP2U1 sequences of 378 Nigerian Muscovy ducks (comprising of 287 de novo and 91 downloaded) plus 80 published sequences of Muscovy ducks from India. The results showed high haplotype diversity (0.800 ± 0.023) among Nigerian Muscovy duck populations with 91 distinct haplotypes for the nuclear DNA CYP2U1 gene but low (0.266 ± 0.033) for cytochrome b with 31 haplotypes. The median-joining networks of both markers grouped Nigerian Muscovy ducks into two; the first group consisting of only Nigerian Muscovy duck populations, and the second group Nigerian with Indian populations. Neutrality test results indicated that Nigerian populations experienced recent population expansion and/or genetic hitchhiking. A geographic signal was absent in line with previously studied poultry species in Nigeria. The most prominent haplotype dominated across all regions in Nigeria, which may be due to extensive genetic intermixing except for the Indian population (FST = 0.02550, P = 0.01075). This indicated low genetic differentiation between and within Nigerian Muscovy duck as revealed by the suitability of the nuclear DNA CYP2U1 gene.

Population structure and evolutionary history of the greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus) from the Guinean Forests of West Africa

“…Hence, only the approximate locations were used, assuming that the animals sampled at a market were hunted from a location close to the market. We followed the procedure used in a Muscovy duck study (Adeola et al, 2022). For each state or country, we obtained the longitude and latitude of the central location.…”

Characterisation and approaches to the conservation of the Nigerian local duck population: A Review

“…The study of genetic diversity within and between populations is a precondition for the sustainable utilisation of domestic species. Comprehensive genomic data with high precision have been produced for most animals using molecular genetics as compared to data obtained from pedigree relationships and trait phenotypes (Adeola et al, 2022). Various researchers have studied the morphology, physiology, biochemistry, and phenotype of the NLDs (Kadurumba et al, 2021;Okeudo et al, 2003;Oguntunji and Ayorinde 2015a;Ewuola et al, 2020) although these methods are less expensive and each parameter is easier to determine, they still do not provide accurateness and precision for selective breeding and commercial selection.…”

“…Consequently, detailed data on the genetic diversity and structure of NLDs are vital to its characterisation, management, and further improvement (Adeola et al, 2022). Within the framework of their particular production systems, these indigenous ducks, if improved, will compete favourably with improved duck breeds and perform better in terms of productivity and disease tolerance/resistance.…”