Microsatellite-based bottleneck analysis and migration events among four native Turkish goat breeds

Abstract

Molecular data analyzed by accurate statistical approaches not only have the potential to investigate demographic events faced in the past, e.g., migration, but they also offer significant hints such as bottleneck effects to take suitable measures for sustainable breeding in farm animals. In this study, the genetic bottleneck and migration events among four native Turkish goat populations, i.e., Hair, Honamlı, Kabakulak, and Norduz, were assessed using 367 multi-allelic data belonging to 28 microsatellite loci. The null hypothesis was not rejected for the Wilcoxon sign rank test in the infinite allele model, two-phase model, and stepwise mutation model, while a normal L-shaped distribution of allele frequencies was observed in terms of mode-shift indicators in four native Turkish goat populations. Both the Wilcoxon sign rank test and the mode-shift indicator demonstrated that Anatolian goat populations have had a lack of recent genetic bottlenecks and have maintained their effective population sizes over the generations. Moreover, the 95 % confidence interval confirmed that the effective population sizes of Hair, Honamlı, and Kabakulak may reach infinity, while the highest effective population size for Norduz was estimated at 794.5, when the lowest allele frequency was considered to be 0.01. Up to four migration events revealed a significant migration from Norduz to Hair and Kabakulak populations. In contrast, no migration from other populations to Norduz was observed, most probably due to its geographic isolation. The bottleneck results may serve as a guide for future management practices, whereas further studies, especially on a whole-genome basis, are needed to confirm migration events among Anatolian goat breeds.