Abstract
In this study we assess the maternal genetic diversity and origin of indigenous village chickens from Chad complementing previous phenotypic and biometric measurements studies. We analysed a 387 bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop region of 181 village chickens from three populations of western Chad (Lake Chad/Hadjer Lamis), central Chad (Guera) and south-west Chad (Pala) and at different poultry markets in N'Djamena. Twenty-five polymorphic sites and 20 haplotypes are identified. Phylogenetic and network analyses group all chicken into a single mtDNA haplogroup D. Comparison with reference sequences shows that this haplogroup is the commonest one observed in chicken and it supports the Indian subcontinent as the maternal center of origin for the village chicken in Chad. Little genetic variation was found within and between populations which is in agreement with a recent and a maternal founding effect for the chicken in the country.
Highlights
The domestic chicken is one of the most common and widespread domestic animals species with an estimated population in 2010 of more than 1.6 billion in Africa [1]
Many authors think that the main maternal ancestor of village chicken is the red jungle fowl Gallus gallus ssp. which was domesticated in South and South-East Asia at least since 5400 BC [3]
To address the possible Asian origin of Chad village chicken, 9 Asian reference haplotypes were included in the analyses including the chicken mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) reference downloaded from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) (GenBank accession number AB098668)
Summary
The domestic chicken is one of the most common and widespread domestic animals species with an estimated population in 2010 of more than 1.6 billion in Africa [1]. It is the most abundant species of domestic bird in the world [2]. The earliest evidence of chicken on the African continent is from Egypt and it dates from around 2000 BC. In West Africa the earliest evidences are from Mali circa in AD 450 - 850, while archeological evidences show the presence of chicken in Chad in post-1700 AD [7]
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