Assessment of genetic relationship between six populations of Welsh Mountain sheep using microsatellite markers

Abstract

This study investigated the genetic relationship between 6 populations of Welsh Mountain sheep: 5 phenotypic breed-types within the Welsh Mountain (WM) sheep breed, which have each been bred in specific geographic areas of Wales, and the Black Welsh Mountain sheep breed. Based on DNA analysis using 8 microsatellite markers, observed heterozygosity levels were similar to those expected in livestock populations subjected to selective breeding (0.530-0.664), and all but one population showed evidence of inbreeding. Using Bayesian cluster and Neighbor-joining analyses, the Black Welsh Mountain sheep were identified as being the outlier group, and the remaining groups could be categorized into five distinct sub-populations, which reflects the geographical separation seen between these populations.

Keywords

• sheep
• interbreed relationship
• population biology
• phylogeography