Abstract
In this study we genotyped 14 microsatellites to assess genetic diversity, population stratification and demographic dynamics using Egyptian local goats (Zaraibi, Baladi, Saidi and Barki) and the Shami (Damascus) goat from the Middle East and West Asia close to the geographic center of goat domestication. We observed high levels of allelic and genetic diversity that was partitioned into six gene pools. Cluster analyses separated Zaraibi and Shami, which were identified with independent gene pools of potential ancestral backgrounds. The analyses provided further evidence for extensive sharing of genetic variation, revealing, varying levels of admixture among the study populations. This finding was supported by AMOVA analysis, which indicated that the proportion of genetic variation due to differences among populations was 7.06%. Our results most likely indicate that multiple waves of introduction of diverse gene pools and recent flock intermixing has created and maintained a unique set of caprine biodiversity in Eastern North Africa emphasizing the importance of the region as one of the hotbeds of African animal biodiversity. Key words: Admixture, Bayesian clustering, bottleneck, expansion, Egypt.
Highlights
The goat (Capra hircus) was the first livestock species to be domesticated for purposes of human consumption
The average allelic and genetic diversity found in our work exceeds that reported for a caprine gene pool from the geographic center of goat domestication in Iran and Pakistan (Di et al, 2011; Vahidi et al, 2014)
Pereira et al (2009) reported high maternal and paternal (Y-chromosome) genetic diversity among goat populations from Northern Africa. These results suggest that northern Africa most likely witnessed the introduction of a diverse gene pool of goats from Southwest Asia which created a large caprine biodiversity in the region which still exists today
Summary
The goat (Capra hircus) was the first livestock species to be domesticated for purposes of human consumption. Archaeological evidence points to two possible centers of goat domestication; one in the Euphrates valley in southeastern Anatolia dating around 10,500 years before present (YBP) (Peters et al, 2005) and the other in the Zagros mountains dating to 9,900 to 9,500 YBP (Zeder and Hesse, 2000; Zeder et al, 2006). The occurrence of this phenomenon, close to the geographic center(s) of the first known ancient civilizations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus valley etc) ensured a direct and tight connection between goats and most aspects of human socio-cultural. There are more than 300 breeds of goats found in diverse agroecologies (Luikart et al, 2006) where they are a critical component of the agro-biodiversity
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