412. Genetic diversity of the Cameroon Blackbelly sheep, an indigenous sheep from West Africa

Abstract

While genomic tools have been applied to address various questions in livestock of European origin, primarily from temperate and boreal ecological zones, less is known about African breeds, many of which are from tropical regions. Our study focused on indigenous Blackbelly sheep from Cameroon, most of which has a tropical climate. We found that Cameroon Blackbelly sheep are genetically distinct from other African sheep populations and are associated with a single ancestry. Genes found in genomic regions of low diversity suggest biological functions that may be under strong selection, including immune function, pigmentation and fertility. Genomic diversity information from indigenous tropical livestock is a valuable source of information to understand environmental adaptation of animals to local conditions and will also inform the development of new and existing genotyping platforms.