Molecular Genetic Assessment Aids in Clarifying Phylogenetic Status of Iranian Kerman Wild Sheep
Two species of wild sheep inhabit Iran: Asiatic mouflon (<i>Ovis gmelini</i>) and urial (<i>O. vignei</i>). Phylogenetic relationships between populations distributed in this country are complex and still remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify, by genetic assessment, the...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Arsen V. Dotsev Mohammad Hossein Moradi Tatiana E. Deniskova Ali Esmailizadeh Neckruz F. Bakoev Olga A. Koshkina Darren K. Griffin Michael N. Romanov Natalia A. Zinovieva |
| author_facet | Arsen V. Dotsev Mohammad Hossein Moradi Tatiana E. Deniskova Ali Esmailizadeh Neckruz F. Bakoev Olga A. Koshkina Darren K. Griffin Michael N. Romanov Natalia A. Zinovieva |
| author_sort | Arsen V. Dotsev |
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| description | Two species of wild sheep inhabit Iran: Asiatic mouflon (<i>Ovis gmelini</i>) and urial (<i>O. vignei</i>). Phylogenetic relationships between populations distributed in this country are complex and still remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify, by genetic assessment, the phylogenetic status of Kerman wild sheep, considered to be a hybrid of the two species. For this purpose, we created a dataset that included specimens of <i>O. gmelini</i>, <i>O. vignei</i>, and Kerman sheep. We applied genome-wide SNP genotyping technology to analyze population structure and genetic diversity of these groups. Using Neighbor-Net and PCA plots, it was demonstrated that Kerman sheep were differentiated from other groups and occupy an intermediate position between <i>O. gmelini</i> and <i>O. vignei</i>. Using Admixture analysis, two ancestral components were identified in this population; however, admixed ancestry was not confirmed by f3 statistics. Genetic diversity in Kerman wild sheep was significantly higher than in any group of <i>O. vignei,</i> but lower than in <i>O. gmelini.</i> Additionally, we examined complete mitochondrial genomes and it was demonstrated that the matrilineal ancestor of Kerman sheep belonged to <i>O. vignei</i>. Our results lead to the conclusion that Kerman wild sheep can be recognized as a separate subspecies of <i>O. vignei</i>. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-3292c8c462ff4683a21f1493ef2983fe2025-01-24T13:18:13ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-01-0115223810.3390/ani15020238Molecular Genetic Assessment Aids in Clarifying Phylogenetic Status of Iranian Kerman Wild SheepArsen V. Dotsev0Mohammad Hossein Moradi1Tatiana E. Deniskova2Ali Esmailizadeh3Neckruz F. Bakoev4Olga A. Koshkina5Darren K. Griffin6Michael N. Romanov7Natalia A. Zinovieva8L. K. Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk 142132, Moscow Oblast, RussiaDepartment of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Arak University, Arak 38156-8-8349, IranL. K. Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk 142132, Moscow Oblast, RussiaDepartment of Animal Science, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman 76169-1-4111, IranL. K. Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk 142132, Moscow Oblast, RussiaL. K. Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk 142132, Moscow Oblast, RussiaSchool of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, Kent, UKL. K. Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk 142132, Moscow Oblast, RussiaL. K. Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk 142132, Moscow Oblast, RussiaTwo species of wild sheep inhabit Iran: Asiatic mouflon (<i>Ovis gmelini</i>) and urial (<i>O. vignei</i>). Phylogenetic relationships between populations distributed in this country are complex and still remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify, by genetic assessment, the phylogenetic status of Kerman wild sheep, considered to be a hybrid of the two species. For this purpose, we created a dataset that included specimens of <i>O. gmelini</i>, <i>O. vignei</i>, and Kerman sheep. We applied genome-wide SNP genotyping technology to analyze population structure and genetic diversity of these groups. Using Neighbor-Net and PCA plots, it was demonstrated that Kerman sheep were differentiated from other groups and occupy an intermediate position between <i>O. gmelini</i> and <i>O. vignei</i>. Using Admixture analysis, two ancestral components were identified in this population; however, admixed ancestry was not confirmed by f3 statistics. Genetic diversity in Kerman wild sheep was significantly higher than in any group of <i>O. vignei,</i> but lower than in <i>O. gmelini.</i> Additionally, we examined complete mitochondrial genomes and it was demonstrated that the matrilineal ancestor of Kerman sheep belonged to <i>O. vignei</i>. Our results lead to the conclusion that Kerman wild sheep can be recognized as a separate subspecies of <i>O. vignei</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/238Kerman wild sheepAsiatic mouflon (<i>Ovis gmelini</i>)urial (<i>Ovis vignei</i>)population structuregenetic diversitySNPs |
| spellingShingle | Arsen V. Dotsev Mohammad Hossein Moradi Tatiana E. Deniskova Ali Esmailizadeh Neckruz F. Bakoev Olga A. Koshkina Darren K. Griffin Michael N. Romanov Natalia A. Zinovieva Molecular Genetic Assessment Aids in Clarifying Phylogenetic Status of Iranian Kerman Wild Sheep Animals Kerman wild sheep Asiatic mouflon (<i>Ovis gmelini</i>) urial (<i>Ovis vignei</i>) population structure genetic diversity SNPs |
| title | Molecular Genetic Assessment Aids in Clarifying Phylogenetic Status of Iranian Kerman Wild Sheep |
| title_full | Molecular Genetic Assessment Aids in Clarifying Phylogenetic Status of Iranian Kerman Wild Sheep |
| title_fullStr | Molecular Genetic Assessment Aids in Clarifying Phylogenetic Status of Iranian Kerman Wild Sheep |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular Genetic Assessment Aids in Clarifying Phylogenetic Status of Iranian Kerman Wild Sheep |
| title_short | Molecular Genetic Assessment Aids in Clarifying Phylogenetic Status of Iranian Kerman Wild Sheep |
| title_sort | molecular genetic assessment aids in clarifying phylogenetic status of iranian kerman wild sheep |
| topic | Kerman wild sheep Asiatic mouflon (<i>Ovis gmelini</i>) urial (<i>Ovis vignei</i>) population structure genetic diversity SNPs |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/238 |
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