SUPR
The genetics of feralization in chicken
Dnr:

NAISS 2024/22-677

Type:

NAISS Small Compute

Principal Investigator:

Willian Silva

Affiliation:

Linköpings universitet

Start Date:

2024-05-13

End Date:

2025-06-01

Primary Classification:

10615: Evolutionary Biology

Webpage:

Allocation

Abstract

Domestication and feralization leave their mark on animal genomes. During domestication, humans unknowingly selected for traits like docility and reduced aggression through breeding. Feralization, where domesticated animals return to the wild, is less understood genetically. Some traits might revert through relaxed selection, but others tied to morphology or behavior may require more time or genetic changes to return to a truly wild state. Feral populations offer a unique chance to study how genomes respond to these opposing forces. I will analyse sequencing data from populations of domestic and feralized chicken to look for genomic regions linked to feral phenotypes and infer the evolutionary processes playing a role in feralization.