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The feralization of domestic chicken makes the conservation and management of red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) more complicated and challenging. We collected two Sulawesi feral chickens, located east of the Wallace Line, for whole-genome sequencing and de novo genome assembly. Phylogenetic and f4-statistics analyses indicated that the Sulawesi feralized domestic chickens (G. g. domesticus) received gene flow from G. g. gallus. We integrated ~45× ultra-long Oxford Nanopore Technology reads and ~28× PacBio HiFi reads to generate a de novo genome assembly of a female Sulawesi feral chicken (GGsula) with a contig N50 of 19.88 Mbp. We characterized structural variations in GGsula, and found some were related to nervous system. Our study provides the first genome assembly of feral chickens, which is a unique genomic resource to explore the process of chicken domestication and feralization., (© 2024 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.)

Red jungle fowl is one of the endemic animals in the island of Timor which has a decline in population. This study aimed to determine the histological structure and distribution of neutral carbohydrates in the esophagus and proventriculus of red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus). The main samples used in this study were three samples esophageal tissue and proventriculus. Chickens were killed by cervical dislocation to collection esophageal and proventricular organs those fixed in 10% formalin. The histolomorphology structures were identified by using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and neutral carbohydrate distribution was identified by using Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) staining. The results showed that esophageal histolomorphology structure consisted of four layers, namely tunica mucosal, tunica submucosal, tunica muscularis and tunica adventitia. Proventricular histolomorphology structure consisted of four layers, namely tunica mucosal, tunica submucosal, tunica muscularis and tunica serous. Neutral carbohydrate distribution were found in the esophageal glands showed strong positive reaction while epithelial lamina and loose connective tissue in the lamina propria showed weak positive reaction and proventriculus showed strong positive reactions in cells lining the epithelium and cavity of simple tubular glandular.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of feeding the same diet to different breeds of chickens and at different ages on fatty acid (FA) composition of the breast and thigh muscles. A total of 150 chickens comprising 50 each of red jungle fowl (RJ) and village chicken (VC), the slow-growing birds, and the commercial broiler (CB), fast-growing birds, were used for this study. Ten chickens from each breed were serially euthanized at days 1, 10, 20, 56, and 120 post hatch, and pectoralis major and bicep femoris were harvested to represent the breast and thigh muscles respectively. It was revealed that the breast muscle concentrations of saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are significantly different (p<0.05) among the breeds. Also, the FA composition of breast and thigh muscles among RJ, VC, and CB at various ages studied varied significantly (p<0.05) but without a definite pattern. The composition of MUFA was lower, but that of PUFA was higher in the RJ and VC than in the CB breast muscles. Within the breeds, the composition of total MUFA decreased, while that of PUFA increased with age. The total MUFA and PUFA showed no significant difference (p>0.05) between the breast and thigh muscles at different ages evaluated. This study suggests that slow-growing birds (RJ and VC) might be better sources of desirable FA than the fast-growing birds, CB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated telomeric array organization of diverse chicken genotypes utilizing in vivo and in vitro cells having phenotypes with different proliferation potencies. Our experimental objective was to characterize the extent and nature of array variation present to explore the hypothesis that mega-telomeres are a universal and fixed feature of chicken genotypes. Four different genotypes were studied including normal (UCD 001, USDA-ADOL Line 0), immortalized (DF-1), and transformed (DT40) cells. Both cytogenetic and molecular approaches were utilized to develop an integrated view of telomeric array organization. It was determined that significant variation exists within and among chicken genotypes for chromosome-specific telomeric array organization and total genomic-telomeric sequence content. Although there was variation for mega-telomere number and distribution, two mega-telomere loci were in common among chicken genetic lines (GGA 9 and GGA W). The DF-1 cell line was discovered to maintain a complex derivative karyotype involving chromosome fusions in the homozygous and heterozygous condition. Also, the DF-1 cell line was found to contain the greatest amount of telomeric sequence per genome (17%) as compared to UCD 001 (5%) and DT40 (1.2%). The chicken is an excellent model for studying unique and universal features of vertebrate telomere biology, and characterization of the telomere length variation among genotypes will be useful in the exploration of mechanisms controlling telomere length maintenance in different cell types having unique phenotypes.

Keel bone damage (KBD) is a highly prevalent problem in commercial egg production. KBD consists of two different conditions affecting the keel: Keel bone deviation and keel bone fractures (KBF). Deviations are linked to pressure on the keel, e.g., from perching. The causative factors for KBF are not clear; however, selection for efficient egg production has been suggested as a major contributing factor. An important step to shed light on the role of selective breeding as an underlying cause of KBF in modern laying hens is to evaluate the keel bones of the ancestor, the red jungle fowl. To the authors’ knowledge, this has never previously been published. The aim of this study was therefore to describe the prevalence of KBD in a study group of red jungle hens and roosters housed in an aviary system. The present study examined 29 red jungle fowls 112 weeks of age post-mortem; 12 hens and 17 roosters. Keel bones were evaluated by external palpation for deviations and fractures. Palpation was followed by autopsy. No fractures were detected in the 17 roosters; one had a very slight deviation. Of the 12 red jungle hens in this pilot study, one had a single fracture and 10 hens had a very slight deviation.

Aim: The red jungle fowl is generally considered as one of the endangered Asian wild Galleopheasants due to manmade encroachment of their habitats, coupled with the effect of disease and disease causing organisms like ticks and tickborne infections. This study aimed to determine the tick fauna of the red jungle fowl and their predilection sites based on developmental stages. Materials and Methods: A total of 33 jungle fowls were sampled for this study from Bangi area of Selangor State, Peninsular Malaysian. The birds were captured using a locally made trap made-up of loops and bites. Ticks present on their bodies were detached using fine forceps and identified morphologically under a dissecting microscope. Results: 91% of the jungle fowls were infested with ticks, all of which belongs to the species Haemaphysalis wellingtoni. The ear region appeared to be the most common predilection site (63%) for all the developmental stages in which the larval stages are solely restricted to that region. Nymphal and adult stages were distributed on the comb, wattle, and facial region in addition to the ear region. Conclusion: This study was the first in its kind and showed a high prevalence of tick infestation among jungle fowls. H. wellingtoni was known to be a vector in transmission of many tick-borne pathogens. Therefore, there is the need for further investigation to identify the various pathogens associated with this tick.

Genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships among 76 birds belonging to Indian Red Jungle Fowl (RJF) and three domestic chicken breeds viz. one Indian native sport breed, Aseel (AS) and two global high yielding breeds of egg type, White Leghorn (WL) and meat type, Red Cornish (RC) were evaluated using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers. A total of 318 scorable dominant AFLP bands in the range of 50-500 bp using 20 EcoRI/TaqI primer combinations were detected across populations. The mean number of polymorphic bands across all four populations was 15.5 per primer combination. Species-specific bands were also found in all populations except WL. Nei’s gene diversity was measured between RJF and domestic chickens and it was significantly higher in RJF population (0.309) as compared to the domestic chicken populations of AS (0.129), WL (0.067) and RC (0.066). RJF showed maximum genetic distance with RC (0.221) and minimum with AS (0.177) population. The divergence between RJF and domestic chicken was observed by constructing an UPGMA dendrogram. RJF was present in one cluster and whereas the three domestic chickens were tightly clustered in another group. This clustering pattern was also confirmed by principal component analysis (PCA). The estimate of genetic identities (GI) and genetic distances (GD) using Nei (1972) also suggest comparatively more closeness of RJF with AS (an Indian native chicken breed) than those of commercial breeds WL and RC. These results support the earlier understanding that chicken was first domesticated for game purpose rather than as food.

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) protect the germ line by targeting transposable elements (TEs) through the base-pair complementarity. We do not know how piRNAs co-evolve with TEs in chickens. Here we reported that all active TEs in the chicken germ line are targeted by piRNAs, and as TEs lose their activity, the corresponding piRNAs erode away. We observed de novo piRNA birth as host responds to a recent retroviral invasion. Avian leukosis virus (ALV) has endogenized prior to chicken domestication, remains infectious, and threatens poultry industry. Domestic fowl produce piRNAs targeting ALV from one ALV provirus that was known to render its host ALV resistant. This proviral locus does not produce piRNAs in undomesticated wild chickens. Our findings uncover rapid piRNA evolution reflecting contemporary TE activity, identify a new piRNA acquisition modality by activating a pre-existing genomic locus, and extend piRNA defense roles to include the period when endogenous retroviruses are still infectious.

1. The skulls and postcranial skeletons of the red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) were compared osteometrically between the populations from North and South Vietnam, North and Central Laos and Southeast Bangladesh. The populations include the three subspecies ofG. g. spadiceus,G. g. gallusandG. g. murghiand were sampled to reveal the geographical morphological variations among populations inG. gallus. 2. The morphometric characteristics of subspeciesmurghicould be clearly distinguished from those of the other subspecies using a canonical discriminant analysis. However, the size and shape of the skull of thegalluspopulation from South Vietnam were not statistically different from that of the subspeciesspadiceusfrom North Laos. The canonical discriminant scores also clearly indicated that there were morphological similarities in the skulls of the populations from North Laos and South Vietnam. 3. From the results, therefore, it is concluded that red jungle fowls do not exhibit high levels of osteometric variation between geographical localities at least within the Indochinese Peninsula. 4. This contrasts with previous studies which have described these subspecies as having various external morphological differences and have argued that zoogeographical barriers exist between the north and south areas of the Indochinese Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Great variations in the size, shape, color, feather structure and behavior are observed among fowl breeds. Because many types of domestic fowls have been bred for various purposes, they are ideal to assess the relationship between brain morphology and avian biology. However, little is known about changes in brain shape that may have occurred during fowl domestication. We analyzed the brains of red jungle fowl and domestic fowl to clarify differences in the brain shape between these breeds, as well as the shape changes associated with size enlargement using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics. Principal component and multivariate regression analyses showed that ventrodorsal bending, anteroposterior elongation and width reduction were significantly correlated with brain size. According to the size-dependent analysis, the red jungle fowl brain has an intermediate shape between the brain of young broilers and that of large domestic fowl and adult broilers. After the size effect is removed, geometric morphometric analyses show that the brain of red jungle fowl is different from that of domestic fowl, with large round cerebral hemispheres. Significant correlations exist between the skull length and brain volume among fowl, while the brain volume relative to the skull length is distinctly larger in red jungle fowl compared with domestic fowl. The distinct brain shape and increased relative brain size of red jungle fowl may be driven by the presence of large, rounded cerebral hemispheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transposable elements (TEs) are nearly ubiquitous among eukaryotic genomes, but TE contents vary dramatically among phylogenetic lineages. Several mechanisms have been proposed as drivers of TE dynamics in genomes, including the fixation/loss of a particular TE insertion by selection or drift as well as structural changes in the genome due to mutation (e.g., recombination). In particular, recombination can have a significant and directional effect on the genomic TE landscape. For example, ectopic recombination removes internal regions of long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) as well as one long terminal repeat (LTR), resulting in a solo LTR. In this study, we focus on the intra-species dynamics of LTR-RTs and solo LTRs in bird genomes. The distribution of LTR-RTs and solo LTRs in birds is intriguing because avian recombination rates vary widely within a given genome. We used published linkage maps and whole genome assemblies to study the relationship between recombination rates and LTR-removal events in the chicken and zebra finch. We hypothesized that regions with low recombination rates would harbor more full-length LTR-RTs (and fewer solo LTRs) than regions with high recombination rates. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the ratio of full-length LTR-RTs and solo LTRs across chromosomes, across non-overlapping megabase windows, and across physical features (i.e., centromeres and telomeres). The chicken data statistically supported the hypothesis that recombination rates are inversely correlated with the ratio of full-length to solo LTRs at both the chromosome level and in 1-Mb non-overlapping windows. We also found that the ratio of full-length to solo LTRs near chicken telomeres was significantly lower than those ratios near centromeres. Our results suggest a potential role of ectopic recombination in shaping the chicken LTR-RT genomic landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In a project on the biodiversity of chickens funded by the European Commission (EC), eight laboratories collaborated to assess the genetic variation within and between 52 populations from a wide range of chicken types. Twenty-two di-nucleotide microsatellite markers were used to genotype DNA pools of 50 birds from each population. The polymorphism measures for the average, the least polymorphic population (inbred C line) and the most polymorphic population (Gallus gallus spadiceus) were, respectively, as follows: number of alleles per locus, per population: 3.5, 1.3 and 5.2; average gene diversity across markers: 0.47, 0.05 and 0.64; and proportion of polymorphic markers: 0.91, 0.25 and 1.0. These were in good agreement with the breeding history of the populations. For instance, unselected populations were found to be more polymorphic than selected breeds such as layers. Thus DNA pools are effective in the preliminary assessment of genetic variation of populations and markers. Mean genetic distance indicates the extent to which a given population shares its genetic diversity with that of the whole tested gene pool and is a useful criterion for conservation of diversity. The distribution of population-specific (private) alleles and the amount of genetic variation shared among populations supports the hypothesis that the red jungle fowl is the main progenitor of the domesticated chicken.

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.

The meat characteristics of Red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus Spadiceus) and Malaysian Domestic chicken (Gallus gallus Domesticus), which are known as slow growing birds, were studied. Results were compared with those of the commercial broilers (ROSS) which are fast growing birds. The objective of the study is to determine the meat characteristics (pH, muscle fibre diameter and collagen content) of the breeds and the correlation to their meat quality. For this purpose, a total of 90 chickens (30 chickens for each breed) were used in this study. The chickens in each group were sacrificed at 20, 56 and 120 days posthatching. Findings indicated that collagen content, pH, cooking loss and shear force values in Red jungle fowl and Malaysian Domestic chicken were significantly higher (P<0.05) than the commercial broilers. The smaller muscle fibre diameters and lower glycogen reserved contributed to higher pH. Meanwhile, the collagen content showed significantly (P<0.05) positive correlation to shear force and more prominent factors than the size of muscle fibre that determines tenderness of the meat. The commercial broilers' meat is much tender than that of the Malaysia Domestic chicken and Red jungle fowl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to assess the genetic diversity, population structure, and relatedness in Indian red jungle fowl (RJF,Gallus gallus murgi) from northern India and three domestic chicken populations (gallus gallus domesticus), maintained at the institute farms, namely White Leghorn (WL), Aseel (AS) and Red Cornish (RC) using 25 microsatellite markers. All the markers were polymorphic, the number of alleles at each locus ranged from five (MCW0111) to forty-three (LEI0212) with an average number of 19 alleles per locus. Across all loci, the mean expected heterozygosity and polymorphic information content were 0.883 and 0.872, respectively. Population-specific alleles were found in each population. A UPGMA dendrogram based on shared allele distances clearly revealed two major clusters among the four populations; cluster I had genotypes from RJF and WL whereas cluster II had AS and RC genotypes. Furthermore, the estimation of population structure was performed to understand how genetic variation is partitioned within and among populations. The maximum ▵K value was observed for K = 4 with four identified clusters. Furthermore, factorial analysis clearly showed four clustering; each cluster represented the four types of population used in the study. These results clearly, demonstrate the potential of microsatellite markers in elucidating the genetic diversity, relationships, and population structure analysis in RJF and domestic chicken populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships among 76 birds belonging to Indian Red Jungle Fowl (RJF) and three domestic chicken breeds viz. one Indian native sport breed, Aseel (AS) and two global high yielding breeds of egg type, White Leghorn (WL) and meat type, Red Cornish (RC) were evaluated using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers. A total of 318 scorable dominant AFLP bands in the range of 50-500 bp using 20 EcoRl/Taql primer combinations were detected across populations. The mean number of polymorphic bands across all four populations was 15.5 per primer combination. Species-specific bands were also found in all populations except WL. Nei's gene diversity was measured between RJF and domestic chickens and it was significantly higher in RJF population (0.309) as compared to the domestic chicken populations of AS (0.129), WL (0.067) and RC (0.066). RJF showed maximum genetic distance with RC (0.221) and minimum with AS (0.177) population. The divergence between RJF and domestic chicken was observed by constructing an UPGMA dendrogram. RJF was present in one cluster and whereas the three domestic chickens were tightly clustered in another group. This clustering pattern was also confirmed by principal component analysis (PCA). The estimate of genetic identities (GI) and genetic distances (GD) using Nei (1972) also suggest comparatively more closeness of RJF with AS (an Indian native chicken breed) than those of commercial breeds WL and RC. These results support the earlier understanding that chicken was first domesticated for game purpose rather than as food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the semen quality of 3 chicken breeds: the red jungle fowl, domestic chicken, and bantam chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). A total of 27 cocks, including 9 cocks each of red jungle fowl, domestic chicken, and bantam chicken, were used in this study. Semen was collected once a week by dorso-abdominal massage method. The semen was evaluated for volume, concentration, motility, live/dead ratio, and percentage abnormalities. There were no significant differences in the semen volume and general motility among the 3 breeds. However, the semen concentration was significantly different between the red jungle fowl (4.44 x 109 sperm/mL) and bantam chicken breeds (1.83 x 109). The percentage of forward motility in the red jungle fowl was significantly higher than that of the domestic chicken and bantam chicken, while the percentage of spermatozoa with rotating motility was significantly higher in the bantam chicken and domestic chicken. It was concluded that the semen concentration, individual motility, and total abnormalities were significantly different among bantam chicken, domestic chicken, and red jungle fowl and the semen volume and concentration was highest in the red jungle fowl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was undertaken with the aim to determine the carcass composition of three breeds of chicken and their correlation with growth performance. For this purpose, fifty Red Jungle Fowl (Gallus gallus Spadiceus), fifty Malaysian indigenous chickens (Gallus gallus Domesticus) and fifty broiler chickens (ROSS) were used in this study. The chickens in each group were sacrificed at 1, 10, 20, 56, and 120 days post-hatching. The results showed that there were significant differences in the parameters measured between the high performance breed (commercial broilers), and the lower performance breeds (Red Jungle Fowl and Malaysian Indigenous chickens), although they were reared under the same environment and received the same feed, management and other facilities. Meanwhile, relative whole carcass weight, bone and fat weights in the commercial broiler were the highest compared to indigenous chickens and red jungle fowl at (p<0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic animals have been modified by selecting individuals exhibiting desirable traits and culling the others. To investigate the alterations introduced by domestication and selective breeding in heat stress response, 2 experiments were conducted using Red Jungle Fowl (RJF), village fowl (VF), and commercial broilers (GB). In experiment 1, RIJF, VF, and GB of a common chronological age (30 d old) were exposed to 36 ± 1°G for 3 h. In experiment 2, RJF, VF, and GB of common BW (930 ± 15 g) were subjected to similar procedures as in experiment 1. Heat treatment significantly increased body temperature, heterophil:lymphocyte ratio, and plasma corticosterone concentration in GB but not in VF and RJF. In both experiments and irrespective of stage of heat treatment, RJF showed lower heterophil:lymphocyte ratio, higher plasma corticosterone concentration, and higher heat shock protein 70 expression than VF and CB. It can be concluded that selective breeding for phenotypic traits in the domestication process has resulted in alterations in the physiology of GB and concomitantly the ability to withstand high ambient temperature compared with RJF and VF. In other words, domestication and selective breeding are leading to individuals that are more susceptible to stress rather than resistant. It is also apparent that genetic differences in body size and age per se may not determine breed or strain variations in response to heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoperiodism is an adaptation mechanism that enables animals to predict seasonal changes in the environment. Japanese quail is the best model organism for studying photoperiodism. Although the recent availability of chicken genome sequences has permitted the expansion from single gene to genome-wide transcriptional analysis in this organism, the photoperiodic response of the domestic chicken is less robust than that of the quail. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the photoperiodic response of the red jungle fowl ( Gallus gallus), a predecessor of the domestic chicken, to test whether this animal could be developed as an ideal model for studying the molecular mechanisms of seasonal reproduction. When red jungle fowls were transferred from short-day- to long-day conditions, gonadal development and an increase in plasma LH concentration were observed. Furthermore, rapid induction of thyrotropin beta subunit, a master regulator of photoperiodism, was observed at 16 h after dawn on the first long day. In addition, the long-day condition induced the expression of type 2 deiodinase, the key output gene of photoperiodism. These results were consistent with the results obtained in quail and suggest that the red jungle fowl could be an ideal model animal for the genome-wide transcriptional analysis of photoperiodism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on a study that examined the level of genetic variation available in the red jungle fowls (RJF) kept in captivity in three different locations of Himachal Pradesh in India on the basis of 25 microsatellite markers. It investigates the morphology and the records maintained at various aviaries. It estimates the heterozygosity, gene diversity and the polymorphic information content using POPGENE software. It explores the morphological differences between RJF and domestic chicken.

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among 568 individuals of two red jungle fowl subspecies ( Gallus gallus spadiceus in China and Gallus gallus gallus in Thailand) and 14 Chinese domestic chicken breeds were evaluated with 29 microstaellite loci, the genetic variability within population and genetic differentiation among population were estimated, and then genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships were analyzed among red jungle fowls and Chinese domestic fowls. A total of 286 alleles were detected in 16 population with 29 microsatellite markers and the average number of the alleles observed in 29 microsatellite loci was 9.86±6.36. The overall expected heterozygosity of all population was 0.6708±0.0251, and the number of population deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium per locus ranged from 0 to 7. In the whole population, the average of genetic differentiation among population, measured as FST value, was 16.7% ( P<0.001), and all loci contributed significantly ( P<0.001) to this differentiation. It can also be seen that the deficit of heterozygotes was very high (0.015) ( P<0.01). Reynolds’ distance values varied between 0.036 (Xiaoshan chicken-Luyuan chicken pair) and 0.330 ( G. gallus gallus-Gushi chicken pair). The Nm value ranged from 0.533 (between G. gallus gallus and Gushi chicken) to 5.833 (between Xiaoshan chicken and Luyuan chicken). An unrooted consensus tree was constructed using the neighbour-joining method and the Reynolds’ genetic distance. The heavy-body sized chicken breeds, Luyuan chicken, Xiaoshan chicken, Beijing Fatty chicken, Henan Game chicken, Huainan Partridge and Langshan chicken formed one branch, and it had a close genetic relationship between Xiaoshan chicken-Luyuan chicken pair and Chahua chicken-Tibetan chicken pair. Chahua chicken and Tibetan chicken had closer genetic relationship with these two subspecies of red jungle fowl than other domestic chicken breeds. G. gallus spadiceus showed closer phylogenetic relationship with Chinese domestic chicken breeds than G. gallus gallus. All 29 microstaellite loci in this study showed high levels of polymorphism and significant genetic differentiation was observed among two subspecies of red jungle fowl and 14 Chinese domestic chicken breeds. The evolutional dendrogram is as follows: evolutional breeds→primitive breeds (Chahua chicken and Tibetan)→red jungle fowl in China ( G. gallus spadiceus)→red jungle fowl in Thailand ( G. gallus gallus). The results supported the theory that the domestic fowls might originate from different subspecies of red jungle fowl and Chinese domestic fowls had independent origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ex situ conservation of threatened species may lead to behavioural adaptation, which can affect success of reintroduction attempts. In previous studies, we investigated the effects of captivity on the behaviour of red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) and found that captive populations differed behaviourally as well as genetically. The aim of the present study was to compare the behaviour of two of the previously studied populations, raised under identical conditions. Eggs were collected from birds at Copenhagen zoo (Cop) and Götala research station (Got) and were incubated and hatched together. Twenty-eight birds (16 Got and 12 Cop) were reared together and tested in eight different behavioural tests, measuring different aspects of fear-related behaviours as well as exploratory and social behaviours. The study revealed several differences in fear-related behaviours between the populations but none in exploratory or social behaviours. In general, one of the populations (Cop) showed more intense fear behaviours than the other (Got), which instead were less fearful in their behaviours. This indicates that breeding animals in captivity may lead to behavioural modifications, which can affect the outcome of reintroductions. The results further suggest that fear-related behaviours are dependent on the genetic background of the animals while social behaviours may be more influenced by the social environment. Since fear-related behaviours, such as predator avoidance and fear of humans, are essential for a life in the wild, these aspects are crucial for the breeding of animals in captivity for conservation purposes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Domestic chickens have long been important to human societies for food, religion, entertainment, and decorative uses, yet the origins and phylogeography of chickens through Eurasia remain uncertain. Here, we assessed their origins and phylogeographic history by analyzing the mitochondrial DNA hypervariable segment I (HVS-I) for 834 domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) across Eurasia as well as 66 wild red jungle fowls (Gallus gallus) from Southeast Asia and China. Phylogenetic analyses revealed nine highly divergent mtDNA clades (A–I) in which seven clades contained both the red jungle fowls and domestic chickens. There was no breed-specific clade in the chickens. The clades A, B, and E are distributed ubiquitously in Eurasia, while the other clades were restricted to South and Southeast Asia. Clade C was mainly distributed in Japan and Southeast China, while clades F and G were exclusive to Yunnan, China. The geographic distribution of clade D was closely related to the distribution of the pastime of cock fighting. Statistical tests detect population expansion within each subclade. These distinct distribution patterns and expansion signatures suggest that different clades may originate from different regions, such as Yunnan, South and Southwest China and/or surrounding areas (i.e., Vietnam, Burma, and Thailand), and the Indian subcontinent, respectively, which support the theory of multiple origins in South and Southeast Asia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The availability of the draft sequence of the chicken genome will undoubtedly propel an already important vertebrate research model, the domestic chicken, to a new level. This review describes aspects of chicken natural history and cross-disciplinary biological value. The diversity of extant genetic variants available to researchers is reviewed along with institutional stock locations for North America. An overview of the problem of lack of long-term stability for these resources is presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Reproduction and survival are influenced by parasites, and recently,the ability of the immune system to fight infection has been included in life history theory. A condition dependent immune response predicts tradeoffs within the immune system and condition dependent tradeoffs with other life history traits. Female red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) parasitized with an intestinal nematode (Ascaridia galli) had ahigher concentration of eosinophils than controls, and parasitized and control females responded differently to injections of phytohemagglutinin (PHA). PHA injections stimulated an increase in granulocytes in parasitized females relative to controls. Although parasitized females had greater circulating levels of the white blood cells that areinvolved in the cutaneous hypersensitivity response, control femalesexhibited greater swelling of the wing web six hours after injection. A. galli seemed to slow the cellular immune response to injections of PHA, suggesting a tradeoff within the cellular component of the immune system. Parasitized and control females differed in the relationship between immunoglobulin G (IgG) and the strength of the cutaneoushypersensitivity response. The decrease in cutaneous hypersensitivity with increasing IgG in parasitized vs control females suggests a condition dependent tradeoff between the cellular and humoral components of the immune system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]