Genetic Diversity and Evolution of Yunnan Chicken Breeds of China

Abstract

Chickens are the first type of bird that was domesticated and spread widely in the world to cover the growing demand for animal protein from meat and eggs, and it was cultivated from a wild ancestor known Red junglefowl (Gallus gallus). Yunnan Province is considered the most diverse in culture and biology among all the provinces of China. There are a total of more than 24 chicken breeds in Yunnan Province. These chickens are characterized by good quality of their meat and eggs, a good immune system against diseases, and the ability to adapt to various environmental and administrative conditions. Yunnan Province is one of the centers of domestication and evolutionary of chickens in the world. There are many studies that have been conducted to evaluate and study the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationship within and among chicken breeds in Yunnan Province and their relationship with wild chicken species and other chicken breeds using phenotypic markers, protein polymorphisms, SNPs marker, microsatellite marker, and mitochondrial DNA marker. However, there is no review that summarizes these studies, and most of these studies were authored in the Chinese language. Therefore, we have reviewed all studies that have been conducted on Yunnan chicken breeds diversity in Yunnan Province.