Population structure of 3907 worldwide pigs and the introgression of Chinese indigenous pigs by European pigs

Abstract

Domestic pigs are major livestock animals in the modern world. Pigs not only provide protein for humans, but also are one of the most suitable animal models in human disease research (Albarella, 2007;Groenen et al., 2012). It is well known that European and Asian domestic pigs originated independently from European and Asian wild boars respectively (Frantz et al., 2015;Larson, 2005). Nearly 10 000 years of adaptation to various environmental conditions and artificial selection coupled with migration and trade have resulted in diverse pig breeds with a wide range of morphological and behavioral characteristics (Amaral et al., 2011).

Unveiling the Genetic Secrets of Chinese Indigenous Pigs from Guizhou Province: Diversity, Evolution and Candidate Genes Affecting Pig Coat Color

“…China has one of the richest genetic resources for local pig breeds worldwide, accounting for approximately one-third of the global breeds [ 1 ]. It has a vast territory and a wide distribution of local pig breeds, forming many excellent pig breeds.…”