A comprehensive analysis of the genetic diversity and environmental adaptability in worldwide Merino and Merino-derived sheep breeds.
Simone CeccobelliVincenzo LandiGabriele SenczukSalvatore MastrangeloMaria Teresa SardinaSlim Ben-JemaaChristian PersichilliTaki KarsliValentin-Adrian BâlteanuMaría Agustina RaschiaMario Andrés PoliGabriel CiappesoniFarai Catherine MuchadeyiEdgar Farai DzombaNokuthula Winfred KuneneGesine LühkenTatiana Evgenievna DeniskovaArsen Vladimirovich DotsevNatalia Anatolievna ZinovievaAttila ZsolnaiIstván AntonSzilvia KuszaNuno CarolinoFátima Santos-SilvaAldona KawęckaMarcin ŚwiątekRoman NiżnikowskiMarija ŠpeharGabriel AnayaAntonio GraneroTiago PerloiroPedro CardosoSilverio GrandeBeatriz López de Los SantosCoralie Danchin-BurgeMarina PasquiniAmparo Martínez MartínezJuan Vicente Delgado BermejoEmiliano LasagnaElena CianiFrancesca Maria SartiFabio PillaPublished in: Genetics, selection, evolution : GSE (2023)
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive dataset that includes most of the Merino and Merino-derived sheep breeds raised in different regions of the world. The results provide an in-depth picture of the genetic makeup of the current Merino and Merino-derived breeds, highlighting the possible selection pressures associated with the combined effect of anthropic and environmental factors. The study underlines the importance of Merino genetic types as invaluable resources of possible adaptive diversity in the context of the occurring climate changes.