Ancient and Modern DNA for Diversity and Domestication of Animals

Dear Colleagues,

The domestication of animals led to a major shift in human subsistence strategies, from hunting of wild animals and gathering of wild plants in nature, to a sedentary agricultural lifestyle, which eventually resulted in the development of complex societies. During domestication, the phenotype and genotype of various animal species, such as dogs, pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, and horses, have been substantially altered, allowing them to adapt to the human niche. Over the past millennia, farmers have managed their livestock in a sustainable way; however, over the last two centuries, selective pressures have increased to produce hundreds of well-defined breeds with desirable traits, leading to the loss of highly valuable farm animal genetic resources. The maintenance of genomic diversity is vital for selection and genetic improvement strategies, adaptation to environmental changes and pathogens, and population conservation. Therefore, comparative genomic studies on ancient and modern specimens are particularly important to reconstruct the process by which animals entered domestic relationships with humans and were subjected to novel selection pressures. With such genomic information, we can recognize and restore marginal and rare breeds and improve the genetic diversity in industrial breeds. The main goal of this Special Issue is to cover studies investigating past and present genomic diversities and biological consequences of domestication, particularly, but not only, in major farmed species and companion animals.

Dr. Elmira Mohandesan
Guest Editor

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• animal domestication
• ancient DNA
• livestock
• genetic diversity
• feral populations
• selection
• adaptation