How we look: European wild mouflon and feral domestic sheep hybrids.

ABSTRACT: Hybridization between wild animals and feral individuals from closely related domestic species can occur when they share the same habitat. Such events are generally regarded as a threat to the genetic integrity and survival of established wild populations. The aim of this study is to confirm a hybridization between European mouflon and feral sheep on the Adriatic island Dugi Otok, where a group of individuals phenotypically indicative of a possible introgression was photographed. Using an ovine medium-density SNP array genotypes, we provided genetic evidence of recent gene admixture between the two species. The ADMIXTURE analysis suggests that two hybrid individuals had 82.2% and 94.1% of their ancestry attributable to feral sheep, respectively, with the rest of the mouflon in origin. NEWH

SUBMITTER: Sprem N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11255987 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature