Abstract
In an extensive survey of the genetic diversity in Portuguese dogs, we have examined an 887-bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 8 Portuguese, 1 Spanish, and 2 North African native dog breeds, including village dogs from Portugal and Tunisia. Forty-nine haplotypes were found in the 164 individuals analyzed, with private haplotypes being found in several breeds. For example, the Castro Laboreiro Watchdog, a rare breed from a small and isolated region in Portugal, was monomorphic for mtDNA and possessed a new haplotype, which may be provisionally considered a breed-specific marker. Phylogenetic analyses recapitulated 4 major clades identified in other studies, but new haplotypes, grouping within a clade that was previously thought as geographically restricted, were detected in Portugal and Morocco. Portuguese village dogs showed no genetic differentiation from nonnative dogs or from local breeds of the areas in which the village dogs were sampled. Although Iberian and North African dog breeds possessed breed-specific mtDNA haplotypes, no significant geographic structure could be detected among them. There is no evidence for introgression of North African haplotypes in Iberian dogs, contrary to previous results for other domestic animals.
Highlights
It is well established that the ancestor of the dog, Canis familiaris, is the gray wolf Canis lupus
In an extensive survey of the genetic diversity in Portuguese dogs, we have examined an 887-bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA from 8 Portuguese, 1 Spanish, and 2 North African native dog breeds, including village dogs from Portugal and Tunisia
Genetic differentiation was especially apparent due to the number of private haplotypes found in several breeds
Summary
It is well established that the ancestor of the dog, Canis familiaris, is the gray wolf Canis lupus. There are 10 working native dog breeds, recognized by the Portuguese Kennel Club, that as a group demonstrate remarkable phenotypic diversity. Seven of these dog breeds are recognized by the Federation Cynologique Internationale. Pires et al Mitochondrial DNA of Portuguese Domestic Dogs livestock, shepherds, and their various livestock guarding dog breeds [Martın and others 1994]), which has not occurred in Portugal since the 1990s (Silva 2000) and in Spain since the 1950s (Coppinger R and Coppinger L 2002), is likely to have facilitated gene flow among livestock guarding dog populations and breeds when they were brought into contact during these seasonal migrations. Almost all breeds show a common pattern, concerning the evolution of their numbers, of an increase in the number of registries in the Portuguese Kennel Club by the end of the 1970s (Gomes 2003)
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