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Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Nine Local Sheep Populations Bred in the Carpathia Area of Central Europe Revealed by Microsatellite Analysis
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Department of Genetics and Breeding of Farm Animals, Institute of Animal Science, 104 00 Prague, Czech Republic
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Department Biology of Reproduction; Institute of Animal Science, 104 00 Prague, Czech Republic
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2025, 15(16), 2400; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15162400
Submission received: 14 July 2025
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Revised: 5 August 2025
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Accepted: 10 August 2025
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Published: 15 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Small Ruminants)
Simple Summary
Local sheep breeds and the degree of genetic diversity are important for the development of conservation based on molecular characterization. In the present study, we evaluated the genetic diversity and population structure of nine sheep breeds: Czech Wallachian sheep (CVA), Sumava sheep (SUM), Improved Wallachian (IVA), Slovak Wallachian (SVA), Świniarka (SWI), Uhruska sheep (UHR), Polish Mountain sheep (POG), Ukraine sheep (UKR), and Tsurcana (TUR) bred in Carpathia region (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Romania) using a set of 13 microsatellite loci. Our results showed two main gene pools. CVA and SWI were assigned to a separate gene pool, and the second pool consisted of IVA, SUM, SVA, POG, UHR, UK, and TUR, with a high level of overlap, indicating that these breeds share a common ancestor and are not clearly differentiated. The selected set of microsatellite loci can further be used for the analysis of genetic diversity.
Abstract
A necessary step towards the development of genetic diversity is the protection of the valuable genetic resources of farm animals that are at risk of extinction. We analyzed 375 individuals of nine local sheep breeds bred in Central Europe (Carpathia area) from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, and Romania using a panel of 13 microsatellite markers to investigate genetic differences and evaluate the genetic structure among and within breeds, thereby improving future breeding and conservation strategies. The mean number of alleles was 8.84, the mean number of effective alleles was 4.76, and the polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.79. Diversity was measured using principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) as well as genetic structure, which revealed two main clusters. The first cluster was the Czech Wallachian sheep (CVA) and the Świniarka (SWI). The second cluster consisted the Improved Wallachian sheep (IVA), the Šumava sheep (SUM), the Slovak Wallachian sheep (SVA), the Polish Mountain sheep (POG), the Uhruska sheep (UHR), the Ukrainian sheep (UKR) and the Tsurcana sheep (TUR). The values of genetic distance and the fixation coefficient indicate sufficient differences between the analyzed breeds (Gst = 0.052 and Fst = 0.063). Negative values of the inbreeding coefficient also confirmed the predominance of outbreeding (Fis = −0.015). The results obtained may be helpful in breeding programs and conservation plans for local sheep breeds, as their genetic resources must be preserved to maintain an adequate level of biodiversity in animal husbandry.
