Unraveling the population genetic structure and identifying candidate genes for dorsal plumage color in Liangshan Yanying chickens.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of Liangshan Yanying chickens and to explore the genetic basis of dorsal plumage color changes from day-old to 12 weeks of age, thereby supporting conservation and breeding strategies. A total of 11,859,518 SNPs were obtained after quality control. The average observed heterozygosity (Ho = 0.280) was lower than the expected heterozygosity (He = 0.312). The minor allele frequency (MAF) ranged predominantly between 0.10 and 0.20 (27.3 %). The LD decay analysis showed a maximum R² of 0.27. Identity-by-state (IBS) distances suggested low kinship among individuals. A total of 1,726 ROH segments were identified, resulting in a low average inbreeding coefficient (FROH) of 0.0125, indicating moderate genetic

SUBMITTER: Yu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12756010 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature