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Mixed Ancestry And Admixture In Kauai's Feral Chickens: Invasion Of Domestic Genes Into Ancient Red Junglefowl Reservoirs, Eben Gering, M. Johnsson, P. Willis, T. Getty, D. Wright

Biology Faculty Articles

A major goal of invasion genetics is to determine how establishment histories shape non‐native organisms' genotypes and phenotypes. While domesticated species commonly escape cultivation to invade feral habitats, few studies have examined how this process shapes feral gene pools and traits. We collected genomic and phenotypic data from feral chickens (Gallus gallus) on the Hawaiian island of Kauai to (i) ascertain their origins and (ii) measure standing variation in feral genomes, morphology and behaviour. Mitochondrial phylogenies (D‐loop & whole Mt genome) revealed two divergent clades within our samples. The rare clade also contains sequences from Red Junglefowl (the …