Phenotype

Sociology

Neuroscience

Population

Evolutionary biology

Biology

Zoology

Gene

Demography

Phenotypic trait

Domestication

Adaptation (eye)

Genome

Artificial intelligence

Plumage

Computer science

Genetics

Selection (genetic algorithm)

Locus (genetics)

GigaScience

Background The genetic basis of animal domestication remains poorly understood, and systems with substantial phenotypic differences between wild and domestic populations are useful for elucidating the genetic basis of adaptation to new environments as well as the genetic basis of rapid phenotypic change. Here, we sequenced the whole genome of 78 individual ducks, from two wild and seven domesticated populations, with an average sequencing depth of 6.42X per individual. Results Our population and demographic analyses indicate a complex history of domestication, with early selection for separate meat and egg lineages. Genomic comparison of wild to domesticated populations suggests that genes that affect brain and neuronal development have undergone strong positive selection during domestication. Our FST analysis also indicates that the duck white plumage is the result of selection at the melanogenesis-associated transcription factor locus. Conclusions Our results advance the understanding of animal domestication and selection for complex phenotypic traits.

Whole-genome resequencing reveals signatures of selection and timing of duck domestication