Australian and Pacific contributions to the genetic diversity of Norfolk Island feral chickens.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Norfolk Island has a population of feral chickens which could be the result of domestic stock introduced onto the island by British settlers in 1788. However, there is ongoing debate about their origins because multiple human arrivals to the island may have brought chickens with them. Here we investigate the genetic origins of these feral chickens by sequencing their mitochondrial control region. We infer their phylogenetic relationships using a large dataset of novel sequences from Australian mainland domestic chickens and published sequences from around the world.

Results

Eleven control region haplotypes were found among the Norfolk Island feral and Australian mainland domestic chickens. Six of the Norfolk Island haplotypes fall within haplogroup E, but given th

SUBMITTER: Langford S SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3850513 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature