Abstract
The village and street dogs represent a unique model of canine populations. In the absence of selective breeding and veterinary care, they are subject mostly to natural selection. Their analyses contribute to understanding general mechanisms governing the genetic diversity, evolution and adaptation. In this study, we analyzed the genetic diversity and population structure of African village dogs living in villages in three different geographical areas in Northern Kenya. Data obtained for neutral microsatellite molecular markers were compared with those computed for potentially non-neutral markers of candidate immunity-related genes. The neutral genetic diversity was similar to other comparable village dog populations studied so far. The overall genetic diversity in microsatellites was higher than the diversity of European pure breeds, but it was similar to the range of diversity observed in a group composed of many European breeds, indicating that the African population has maintained a large proportion of the genetic diversity of the canine species as a whole. Microsatellite marker diversity indicated that the entire population is subdivided into three genetically distinct, although closely related subpopulations. This genetical partitioning corresponded to their geographical separation and the observed gene flow well correlated with the communication patterns among the three localities. In contrast to neutral microsatellites, the genetic diversity in immunity-related candidate SNP markers was similar across all three subpopulations and to the European group. It seems that the genetic structure of this particular population of Kenyan village dogs is mostly determined by geographical and anthropogenic factors influencing the gene flow between various subpopulations rather than by biological factors, such as genetic contribution of original migrating populations and/or the pathogen-mediated selection. On the other hand, the study of oldest surviving dogs suggested a biological mechanism, i.e. a possible advantage of the overal heterozygosity marked by the the microsatellite loci analyzed.
Highlights
IntroductionMolecular genetic data showed that the grey wolf (Canis lupus) was the ancestor of all current dog breeds and that the domestication process probably occurred in multiple locations in Asia [2,3,4,5,6,7]
The dog was the first domesticated mammal [1]
Genetic diversity of African village dogs biological mechanism, i.e. a possible advantage of the overal heterozygosity marked by the the microsatellite loci analyzed
Summary
Molecular genetic data showed that the grey wolf (Canis lupus) was the ancestor of all current dog breeds and that the domestication process probably occurred in multiple locations in Asia [2,3,4,5,6,7]. Specific populations referred as ‘‘village dogs” emerged worldwide, living as human commensals. These village dogs were not subject to the same degree of selective breeding and veterinary care as modern dog breeds. They developed geographically characteristic genetic differentiation [14]. Modern village dogs seem to be complex mixtures of several non-native breeds and/or mixtures of both non-native breeds and indigenous village dogs [15,16,17]
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