Genetic Characterization and Alternative Preservation Ways of Locally Adapted Sheep Breeds: Cases of Private and Public Sheep Sectors in Tunisia and Italy.

Non-commercialized sheep breeds known as local or native breeds are well adapted to their environmental constraints and constitute precious genetic resources that need prioritization for genetic diversity characterization and preservation. The aim of the present study was to assess the genetic diversity level and the related preservation decisions of very old and traditional native Mediterranean sheep breeds from Tunisia and Italy using 17 microsatellite markers. In total, 975 sheep were sampled from five Tunisian, one Center Italian, and four Venetian native breeds.

Historical Westward Migration Phases of Inferred from the Population Structure and the Phylogeography of Occidental Mediterranean Native Sheep Breeds.

In this study, the genetic relationship and the population structure of western Mediterranean basin native sheep breeds are investigated, analyzing Maghrebian, Central Italian, and Venetian sheep with a highly informative microsatellite markers panel. The phylogeographical analysis, between breeds' differentiation level (Wright's fixation index), gene flow, ancestral relatedness measured by molecular coancestry, genetic distances, divergence times estimates and structure analyses, were revealed based on the assessment of 975 genotyped animals. The results unveiled the past introduction and migration history of sheep in the occidental Mediterranean basin since the early Neolithic.

Genetic Variability and Population Structure of the Tunisian Sicilo-Sarde Dairy Sheep Breed Inferred from Microsatellites Analysis.

This study analyzed the genetic variability, inbreeding and population structure of the Tunisian-North African dairy sheep breed, the Sicilo-Sarde (SS), created by crossing the Sarda and Comisana dairy breeds. The level of variability in the SS, considered as an endangered breed after a dramatic decrease, was assessed using 17 microsatellite markers by analyzing the two breed populations sampled from their respective cradles: SS of Beja (SS, = 27) and SS of Mateur (SS, = 25). High levels of genetic diversity in SS were revealed, with a total of 212 alleles, a high mean number of alleles (12.

Contribution of microsatellites markers in the clarification of the origin, genetic risk factors, and implications for conservation of Tunisian native sheep breeds.

The genetic diversity and genetic relationship of the two main groups of African sheep, thin-tailed and fat-tailed sheep, represented by the indigenous Tunisian sheep breeds "Barbarine" (BAR, fat-tailed) and "Queue Fine de l'Ouest" (QFO, thin-tailed) were investigated. The genotypes of 110 animals belonging to these two breeds and their crossbreed (CRO) were assessed using 17 microsatellite markers. The results showed high levels of genetic diversity and a total of 256 alleles were identified in the whole population.