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Phenotypic and morphometric differentiation of indigenous chickens from Kenya and other tropical countries augments perspectives for genetic resource improvement and conservation
- Source :
- Poultry Science
- Publication Year :
- 2019
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2019.
-
Abstract
- Indigenous chickens at the Swahili coast and other traditional migratory corridors in Kenya represent important populations that are inconclusively characterized. Using a comprehensive dataset of Kenyan indigenous chickens and additional mined data of chickens from 8 African and 5 Asian countries, we performed univariate and multivariate assessments to uncover the underlying phenotypic and morphometric variability. Kenyan indigenous chickens expressed differentiation of several qualitative and quantitative traits, both among different counties in the Swahili coast, and among coastal, western, and northern migratory corridors. There was a substantial population stratification of these chickens, particularly distinctive clustering of chickens from Marsabit, Lamu, and Kilifi counties. The pooled dataset further clarified a closer phenotypic and morphometric proximity of chickens within different geographical regions. We additionally revealed a preponderance of bantam and rumpless traits to hot and humid locales, and feathered shanks to cooler regions. Currently, most chicken breeding programs in developing countries rely on phenotypic and morphometric properties. Hence, the high chicken diversity and population stratification observed in our study, possibly shaped by natural and artificial selective pressures, reveal opportunities for complementary phenotypic and genotypic assessments to identify resources for effective breed improvement and conservation strategies of indigenous chickens in the tropics.
- Subjects :
- Male
Kenya
animal structures
chicken
Quantitative trait locus
Biology
Population stratification
Indigenous
03 medical and health sciences
parasitic diseases
Animals
indigenous
030304 developmental biology
Swahili
Tropical Climate
0303 health sciences
Ecology
0402 animal and dairy science
Tropics
Genetics and Genomics
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
General Medicine
040201 dairy & animal science
Phenotype
Breed
language.human_language
Editor's Choice
phenotypic
embryonic structures
language
morphometric
Female
Animal Science and Zoology
Chickens
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00325791
- Volume :
- 98
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Poultry Science
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....576413ca85f87d2499cfc18e2320c1bf