Recent Perspectives on Genetic Characterization and Preservation of Local Sheep Breeds

Dear Colleagues,

The domestic sheep (Ovis aries) is the most important source of meat in many countries. Besides a few breeds largely developed for prolificacy or special use, including meat, milk and wool production, there are many local breeds well adapted to the ecological constraints of their environment. These breeds hold precious genetic resources that can be determinant in the face of global changes. Unfortunately, the present and future of many of these breeds are problematic, as production concerns are more often considered than resistance to local constraints.

It is important to (i) estimate the genetic diversity of these breeds, which conditions the further improvement in their characteristics and adaptation to the environment, and to (ii) describe their relationship with neighbouring breeds to highlight their specificity. These two aspects depend on the history of the lineages, comprising displacements of well-localized local breeds to other territories, and reproduction management by crossings between appropriate breeds. Thus, it is a challenge to decipher the events that led to c. 900 sheep breeds from a single population, domesticated in a region comprising Turkey and Iran, around 8000 years BC.

This Special Issue of Animals aims to collect recent research from specialists in the field on the genetics of local sheep breeds, in terms of original genotypes adapted to harsh environments, connections between populations, and possible selection to improve characteristics. 

Prof. Dr. Daniel Pierre Petit
Dr. Asmae Kandoussi
Guest Editors

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