Creole goat morphological diversity partially mirrors district-level variation in the seasonally dry forest of Piura in Peru.

ABSTRACT: Livestock systems in marginal ecosystems such as seasonally dry forests (SDFs) face increasing sustainability challenges, yet the role of morphology in mediating animal adaptation to local environmental and management conditions remains underexplored. In the Piura region of northern Peru-home to the country's most extensive SDF and its leading hub of goat production-Creole goats represent a diverse and under-characterized resource shaped by natural and human selection. Despite Creole goats' relevance, little is known about the spatial structure of their phenotypic variation or how it may signal emerging regional morphotypes. Addressing this gap, we conducted a comprehensive morphometric analysis of 617 female Creole goats across three distinct districts within Piura's SDF. Using linear bod

SUBMITTER: Haro-Reyes JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12755774 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature