Establishing the validity of domestication genes using DNA from ancient chickens.

ABSTRACT: Modern domestic plants and animals are subject to human-driven selection for desired phenotypic traits and behavior. Large-scale genetic studies of modern domestic populations and their wild relatives have revealed not only the genetic mechanisms underlying specific phenotypic traits, but also allowed for the identification of candidate domestication genes. Our understanding of the importance of these genes during the initial stages of the domestication process traditionally rests on the assumption that robust inferences about the past can be made on the basis of modern genetic datasets. A growing body of evidence from ancient DNA studies, however, has revealed that ancient and even historic populations often bear little resemblance to their modern counterparts. Here, we test the temporal

SUBMITTER: Girdland Flink L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4035994 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature