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Introgression and the fate of domesticated genes in a wild mammal population
Author(s) -
Feulner Philine G. D.,
Gratten Jacob,
Kijas James W.,
Visscher Peter M.,
Pemberton Josephine M.,
Slate Jon.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/mec.12378
Subject(s) - domestication , biology , introgression , haplotype , natural selection , evolutionary biology , allele , population , genetics , breed , coat , genetic variation , genotyping , gene pool , selection (genetic algorithm) , zoology , genotype , gene , genetic diversity , ecology , demography , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science
When domesticated species are not reproductively isolated from their wild relatives, the opportunity arises for artificially selected variants to be re‐introduced into the wild. However, the evolutionary consequences of introgression of domesticated genes back into the wild are poorly understood. By combining high‐throughput genotyping with 25 years of long‐term ecological field data, we describe the occurrence and consequences of admixture between a primitive sheep breed, the free‐living S oay sheep of S t K ilda, and more modern breeds. Utilizing data from a 50 K ovine SNP chip, together with forward simulations of demographic scenarios, we show that admixture occurred between Soay sheep and a more modern breed, consistent with historical accounts, approximately 150 years ago. Haplotype‐sharing analyses with other breeds revealed that polymorphisms in coat colour and pattern in S oay sheep arose as a result of introgression of genetic variants favoured by artificial selection. Because the haplotypes carrying the causative mutations are known to be under natural selection in free‐living S oay sheep, the admixture event created an opportunity to observe the outcome of a ‘natural laboratory’ experiment where ancestral and domesticated genes competed with each other. The haplotype carrying the domesticated light coat colour allele was favoured by natural selection, while the haplotype associated with the domesticated self coat pattern allele was associated with decreased survival. Therefore, we demonstrate that introgression of domesticated alleles into wild populations can provide a novel source of variation capable of generating rapid evolutionary changes.