The Wild Species Genome Ancestry of Domestic Chickens 2 3 Authors: 4 Raman Akinyanju Lawal1,2,#, Simon H

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Wild Species Genome Ancestry of Domestic Chickens 2 3 Authors: 4 Raman Akinyanju Lawal1,2,#, Simon H bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/711366; this version posted July 31, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. 1 The wild species genome ancestry of domestic chickens 2 3 Authors: 4 Raman Akinyanju Lawal1,2,#, Simon H. Martin3,4, #, Koen Vanmechelen5, Addie Vereijken6, 5 Pradeepa Silva7, Raed Mahmoud Al-Atiyat8, Riyadh Salah Aljumaah9, Joram M. Mwacharo10, 6 Dong-Dong Wu11,12, Ya-Ping Zhang11,12, Paul M. Hocking13†, Jacqueline Smith13, David 7 Wragg14 & Olivier Hanotte1, 14,15* 8 9 Affiliations: 10 1Cells, Organisms and Molecular Genetics, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, 11 NG7 2RD, Nottingham, United Kingdom 12 2,#The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA 13 3, #Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, Edinburgh, United 14 Kingdom 15 4Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, Cambridge, United Kingdom 16 5Open University of Diversity - Mouth Foundation, Hasselt, Belgium 17 6Hendrix Genetics, Technology and Service B.V., P.O. Box 114, 5830, AC, Boxmeer, The 18 Netherlands 19 7Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 20 8Genetics and Biotechnology, Animal Science Department, Agriculture Faculty, Mutah 21 University, Karak, Jordan 22 9Department of Animal Production, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia 23 10Small Ruminant Genomics, International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas 24 (ICARDA), P.O. Box 5689, ILRI-Ethiopia Campus, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 25 11Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 26 650223 Kunming, China 27 12State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of 28 Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 650223 Kunming, China. 29 13The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, 30 Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK 31 14Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, The Roslin Institute, EH25 9RG, 32 Edinburgh, UK 33 15LiveGene, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P. O. 5689, Addis Ababa, 34 Ethiopia 35 36 †Deceased 37 #Present address 38 *Correspondence: [email protected] and [email protected] 39 Short title: Chicken genome ancestry 40 41 1 bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/711366; this version posted July 31, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. 42 Abstract 43 Hybridization and/or introgression play a key role in the evolutionary history of animal species. 44 It is commonly observed in several orders in wild birds. The domestic chicken Gallus gallus 45 domesticus is the commonest livestock species exploited for the benefit of mankind. The origin 46 of its diversity remains unsettled. Here, we report a genome-wide analyses for signatures of 47 introgression within domestic village chicken. We first established the genome-wide 48 phylogeny and divergence time across the genus Gallus, showing the sister relationships 49 between Grey junglefowl G. sonneratii and Ceylon junglefowl G. lafayettii and that the Green 50 junglefowl is the first diverging lineage within the genus Gallus. Then, by analysing the whole- 51 genome sequences of geographically diverse chicken populations, we reveal extensive 52 bidirectional introgression between Grey junglefowl and domestic chicken and to a much less 53 extent with Ceylon junglefowl. A single case of Green junglefowl G. varius introgression was 54 identified. These introgressed regions include biological functions related to the control of gene 55 expression. Our results show that while the Red junglefowl is the main ancestral species, 56 introgressive hybridization episodes have impacted the genome and contributed to the diversity 57 of domestic chicken, although likely at different level across its geographic range. 58 Keywords: Chicken introgression, genetic diversity, chicken domestication, chicken 59 migration, livestock, divergence time, Gallus species, interspecies hybridization, Galliformes, 60 Speciation, Evolution, ABBA BABA 61 Introduction 62 63 Despite the importance of domestic chicken Gallus gallus domesticus to human societies with 64 more than 65 billion birds raised annually to produce meat by the commercial sector [1] and 65 more than 80 million metric tons of egg produced annually for global human consumption, the 66 origin and history of the genetic diversity of this major domesticate is only partly known. The 67 Red junglefowl is the recognized maternal ancestor of domestic chicken [2, 3], with evidence 68 from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) supporting multiple domestication centres [4] and the 69 likely maternal contribution of several of its subspecies with the exception of G. g. bankiva (a 70 subspecies with a geographic distribution restricted to Java, Bali and Sumatra). 71 72 However, the genus Gallus comprises three others wild species which may have contributed 73 to the genetic background of domestic chicken. In South Asia, the Grey junglefowl G. 74 sonneratii is found in Southwest India and the Ceylon junglefowl G. lafayettii in Sri Lanka. In 75 South-East Asia, the Green junglefowl G. varius is endemic to Java and neighbouring islands 76 [5] (Fig. 1A). Hybridization between the Red and the Grey junglefowls in their sympatric zones 77 on the Indian subcontinent has been documented [5]. In captivity, hybridization between 78 different Gallus species has been reported [6, 7], with Morejohn (1968) successfully producing 79 F1 Red junglefowl x Grey junglefowl fertile hybrids in subsequent backcrossing with both 80 species. Red junglefowl/domestic chicken mtDNA has been found in captive Grey junglefowls 81 [8, 9] and the yellow skin phenotype is likely the result of the introgression of a Grey 82 junglefowl chromosomal fragment into domestic chicken [10]. Captive F1 hybrids between 83 female domestic chicken and male Green junglefowl, prized for their plumage colour and 84 distinct voice, are common in Indonesia where they are known as Bekisar [5]. More generally, 85 inter-species hybridization and introgression is an evolutionary process that plays a major role 86 in the genetic history of species and their adaptation [11]. It may occur in the wild, when 87 species live in sympatry, or in captivity following human intervention. While unravelling how 2 bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/711366; this version posted July 31, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. 88 it happens and detecting its signatures at the genome level is central to our understanding the 89 speciation process, inter-species hybridizations are commonly practiced in agricultural plants 90 and livestock for improving productivity [12] with hybridization also known to occur between 91 domestic and wild species in several taxa [13]. Hybridization and introgression are relatively 92 common in wild birds, including in Galliformes [6, 14-17]. For example, the genetic integrity 93 of the rock partridge Alectoris graeca is being threatened in its natural habitat through 94 hybridization with the introduced red-legged partridge A. rufa [18], and the presence of 95 Japanese quail alleles in the wild migratory common quail Coturnix coturnix reveals 96 hybridization between domestic quail and the wild relative [19]. Additionally, mtDNA and 97 nuclear microsatellite analysis indicate gene flow between Silver Pheasant Lophura 98 nycthemera and Kalij Pheasant L. leucomelanos [20]. Infertile F1 hybrids between the common 99 Pheasant Phasianus colchicus and domestic chicken have also been reported in captivity [21]. 100 101 Here, we report whole genomes analysis of indigenous domestic village chickens from 102 Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lanka, together with domestic breeds from Indonesia and 103 China, European fancy chickens and the four wild junglefowl species to infer the genetic 104 contributions of different Gallus sp. to the domestic chicken genome. Our results show for the 105 first time the presence of introgressed alleles in domestic chicken from the three non-red 106 junglefowls species (Grey, Ceylon and Green). We also observed extensive introgression from 107 domestic chicken/Red junglefowl into Grey junglefowl, some introgression from domestic 108 chicken into Ceylon junglefowl but no introgression from domestic chicken to Green 109 junglefowl. While our findings support the Red junglefowl as the primary ancestor of domestic 110 chicken worldwide, they also indicate that the genome diversity of domestic chicken 111 population was subsequently reshaped and enhanced following introgression from other Gallus 112 species. 113 Results 114 Sampling, genetic structure and diversity 115 We analysed 87 whole genome sequences from domestic chickens (n = 53), Red junglefowls 116 (Red (n = 6) and Javanese red (n = 3)), Grey junglefowl (n = 3), Ceylon junglefowl (n = 8), 117 and Green junglefowl (n = 12)) and common Pheasant (n = 2)). Our dataset was
Recommended publications
  • Keeping Pheasants
    KKKEEEEEEPPPIIINNNGGG PPPHHHEEEAAASSSAAANNNTTTSSS AAASSS AAA HHHOOOBBBBBBYYY Text and photos: Jan Willem Schrijvers Photo above: Siamese Fireback pheasant male(Lophura diardi). ORIGIN AND LIFESTYLE OF THE WILD PHEASANT Pheasants are wild gallinaceous birds all originating in Asia. One exception is the Congo peacock from Africa. (The pheasants also include game fowl and peacocks.) Each species has its own characteristics and life habits. There are species that live in tropical rain forests, but there are species that live in the mountains, on cold plains. This is something to take in account when housing our pheasants (with or without a night coop, with or without heating). Most species live in and around the mountains with a woodland vegetation, where they can find lots of berries, greens and seeds. It is of utmost importance to first consider the habits and living conditions of the species you want to keep. Only with proper housing will these beautiful birds show to their fullest, and reproduce. PHEASANTS IN AVIARIES In the past there were some "pheasant farms" which mainly bred the common pheasant (also known as ring-neck pheasant). The birds on these farms were bred for sport hunting. They were released en masse in the autumn in the fields and other areas to be shot for the sport. Some escaped from the hunters and that is why today we can see wild pheasants roam our fields and woods. These pheasants have also succeeded in reproducing themselves, even though they are not native birds. The birds are also kept for their colourful feathers. Each year I see Prince Carnival walk again with the beautiful feathers of the Reeves's Pheasant at his cocked hat.
    [Show full text]
  • Sage-Grouse Hunting Season
    CHAPTER 11 UPLAND GAME BIRD AND SMALL GAME HUNTING SEASONS Section 1. Authority. This regulation is promulgated by authority of Wyoming Statutes § 23-1-302 and § 23-2-105 (d). Section 2. Hunting Regulations. (a) Bag and Possession Limit. Only one (1) daily bag limit of each species of upland game birds and small game may be taken per day regardless of the number of hunt areas hunted in a single day. When hunting more than one (1) hunt area, a person’s daily and possession limits shall be equal to, but shall not exceed, the largest daily and possession limit prescribed for any one (1) of the specified hunt areas in which the hunting and possession occurs. (b) Evidence of sex and species shall remain naturally attached to the carcass of any upland game bird in the field and during transportation. For pheasant, this shall include the feathered head, feathered wing or foot. For all other upland game bird species, this shall include one fully feathered wing. (c) No person shall possess or use shot other than nontoxic shot for hunting game birds and small game with a shotgun on the Commission’s Table Mountain and Springer wildlife habitat management areas and on all national wildlife refuges open for hunting. (d) Required Clothing. Any person hunting pheasants within the boundaries of any Wyoming Game and Fish Commission Wildlife Habitat Management Area, or on Bureau of Reclamation Withdrawal lands bordering and including Glendo State Park, shall wear in a visible manner at least one (1) outer garment of fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink color which shall include a hat, shirt, jacket, coat, vest or sweater.
    [Show full text]
  • In Cooper's the Leatherstocking Tales
    CONNECTING THE VANISHING FLORA, FAUNA AND ITS RELATION TO THE INDIAN REMOVAL POLICY AS SEEN IN COOPER’S THE LEATHERSTOCKING TALES Ceisy Nita Wuntu [email protected] English Department, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Manado State University, Indonesia Abstract: This study aims at connecting the vanishing flora, fauna and its Relation to the Indian removal policy in Cooper’s The Leatherstocking Tales. This research applies an American Studies’ interdisciplinary principle supplemented by the myth and symbol theory proposed by Henry Nash Smith. Smith claimed the importance of imaginative works in revealing American culture. He declared that the historical, anthropological and cultural, sociological, and ecological data as covered in this research can be equipped by data from imaginative works. Hence, in this research, those data are presented integratedly in their context of past and present. In this research, in order to highlight environmental matters in Cooper’s The Leatherstocking Tales, the analysis covers the data above that are integrated with the data revealed in The Leatherstocking Tales as a whole by employing the concept of ecocriticism. The spirit of the immigrants to have a better life in the new world, stimulated by its rich, lush and beautiful circumstances, in fact, is not an aim of a sustainable life. The desire to improve their life is not enough without using and treating its environment wisely as well as facing it with the environmental conservation paradigm. The spirit of doing the exploitation is a consequence of western humanism value. The reason of coming to America to avoid the population density as well as the competition of life cannot be attained when the immigrants experience the same population density and harsh competition as in their old world and when the beautiful nature disappears, the forests become cities, the tranquility becomes noisy and crowded, and the people experience the uncomfortable life that many kinds of conflict can follow.
    [Show full text]
  • A Molecular Phylogeny of the Pheasants and Partridges Suggests That These Lineages Are Not Monophyletic R
    Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution Vol. 11, No. 1, February, pp. 38–54, 1999 Article ID mpev.1998.0562, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on A Molecular Phylogeny of the Pheasants and Partridges Suggests That These Lineages Are Not Monophyletic R. T. Kimball,* E. L. Braun,*,† P. W. Zwartjes,* T. M. Crowe,‡,§ and J. D. Ligon* *Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131; †National Center for Genome Resources, 1800 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505; ‡Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Capetown, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa; and §Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024-5192 Received October 8, 1997; revised June 2, 1998 World partridges are smaller and widely distributed in Cytochrome b and D-loop nucleotide sequences were Asia, Africa, and Europe. Most partridge species are used to study patterns of molecular evolution and monochromatic and primarily dull colored. None exhib- phylogenetic relationships between the pheasants and its the extreme or highly specialized ornamentation the partridges, which are thought to form two closely characteristic of the pheasants. related monophyletic galliform lineages. Our analyses Although the order Galliformes is well defined, taxo- used 34 complete cytochrome b and 22 partial D-loop nomic relationships are less clear within the group sequences from the hypervariable domain I of the (Verheyen, 1956), due to the low variability in anatomi- D-loop, representing 20 pheasant species (15 genera) and 12 partridge species (5 genera). We performed cal and osteological traits (Blanchard, 1857, cited in parsimony, maximum likelihood, and distance analy- Verheyen, 1956; Lowe, 1938; Delacour, 1977).
    [Show full text]
  • CITES Cop16 Prop. 15 IUCN-TRAFFIC Analysis (PDF
    Ref. CoP16 Prop. 15 Deletion of Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii from Appendix II Proponent: Switzerland, as Depositary Government, at the Request of the Animals Committee (prepared by New Zealand) Summary: The Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii is endemic to India and inhabits subtropical and tropical moist forests, bamboo thickets, open woodlands and dry deciduous shrubland. The species has a wide range, estimated at around 1 million km2. It is believed to be affected by habitat loss and by some illegal hunting for its meat for domestic consumption. Good populations are likely now to be mainly confined to protected areas. The overall population is believed likely to be declining, though not at a rate fast enough to merit classifying the species as threatened. It was assessed as of Least Concern in 2012 by BirdLife International. Gallus sonneratii was one of several species of Galliform included in Appendix II in 1975 owing to concerns about the international trade in their feathers – the males possess long neck hackles (elongated feathers) with very distinctive patterning, which are in demand for making fishing flies. In the period 2000–2010, nearly 240 000 G. sonneratii feathers were recorded in the CITES trade database as in international trade; 99% of these were reported as coming from captive- bred birds and virtually all exported from non-range States. Over half were exported from the UK to the USA in 2001. Very little trade in feathers has been reported since 2004. There is a small amount of trade in live, captive-bred birds. The species is reported to be easy to keep in captivity.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation Genetics and Management of the Chukar Partridge Alectoris Chukar in Cyprus and the Middle East PANICOS PANAYIDES, MONICA GUERRINI & FILIPPO BARBANERA
    Conservation genetics and management of the Chukar Partridge Alectoris chukar in Cyprus and the Middle East PANICOS PANAYIDES, MONICA GUERRINI & FILIPPO BARBANERA The Chukar Partridge Alectoris chukar (Phasianidae) is a popular game bird whose range extends from the Balkans to eastern Asia. The Chukar is threatened by human-mediated hybridization either with congeneric species (Red-Legged A. rufa and Rock A. graeca Partridges) from Europe or exotic conspecifics (from eastern Asia), mainly through introductions. We investigated Chukar populations of the Middle East (Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Armenia, Georgia, Iran and Turkmenistan: n = 89 specimens) in order to obtain useful genetic information for the management of this species. We sequenced the entire mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Control Region using Mediterranean (Greece: n = 27) and eastern Asian (China: n = 18) populations as intraspecific outgroups. The Cypriot Chukars (wild and farmed birds) showed high diversity and only native genotypes; signatures of both demographic and spatial expansion were found. Our dataset suggests that Cyprus holds the most ancient A. chukar haplotype of the Middle East. We found A. rufa mtDNA lineage in Lebanese Chukars as well as A. chukar haplotypes of Chinese origin in Greek and Turkish Chukars. Given the very real risk of genetic pollution, we conclude that present management of game species such as the Chukar cannot avoid anymore the use of molecular tools. We recommend that Chukars must not be translocated from elsewhere to Cyprus. INTRODUCTION The distribution range of the most widespread species of Alectoris partridge, the Chukar (A. chukar, Phasianidae, Plate 1), is claimed to extend from the Balkans to eastern Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • Wild Turkey Education Guide
    Table of Contents Section 1: Eastern Wild Turkey Ecology 1. Eastern Wild Turkey Quick Facts………………………………………………...pg 2 2. Eastern Wild Turkey Fact Sheet………………………………………………….pg 4 3. Wild Turkey Lifecycle……………………………………………………………..pg 8 4. Eastern Wild Turkey Adaptations ………………………………………………pg 9 Section 2: Eastern Wild Turkey Management 1. Wild Turkey Management Timeline…………………….……………………….pg 18 2. History of Wild Turkey Management …………………...…..…………………..pg 19 3. Modern Wild Turkey Management in Maryland………...……………………..pg 22 4. Managing Wild Turkeys Today ……………………………………………….....pg 25 Section 3: Activity Lesson Plans 1. Activity: Growing Up WILD: Tasty Turkeys (Grades K-2)……………..….…..pg 33 2. Activity: Calling All Turkeys (Grades K-5)………………………………..…….pg 37 3. Activity: Fit for a Turkey (Grades 3-5)…………………………………………...pg 40 4. Activity: Project WILD adaptation: Too Many Turkeys (Grades K-5)…..…….pg 43 5. Activity: Project WILD: Quick, Frozen Critters (Grades 5-8).……………….…pg 47 6. Activity: Project WILD: Turkey Trouble (Grades 9-12………………….……....pg 51 7. Activity: Project WILD: Let’s Talk Turkey (Grades 9-12)..……………..………pg 58 Section 4: Additional Activities: 1. Wild Turkey Ecology Word Find………………………………………….…….pg 66 2. Wild Turkey Management Word Find………………………………………….pg 68 3. Turkey Coloring Sheet ..………………………………………………………….pg 70 4. Turkey Coloring Sheet ..………………………………………………………….pg 71 5. Turkey Color-by-Letter……………………………………..…………………….pg 72 6. Five Little Turkeys Song Sheet……. ………………………………………….…pg 73 7. Thankful Turkey…………………..…………………………………………….....pg 74 8. Graph-a-Turkey………………………………….…………………………….…..pg 75 9. Turkey Trouble Maze…………………………………………………………..….pg 76 10. What Animals Made These Tracks………………………………………….……pg 78 11. Drinking Straw Turkey Call Craft……………………………………….….……pg 80 Section 5: Wild Turkey PowerPoint Slide Notes The facilities and services of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are available to all without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin or physical or mental disability.
    [Show full text]
  • Yellow-Throated Bulbul Pycnonotus Xantholaemus Feeding on the Aril Of
    Correspondence 59 Arboreal feeding of Grey Junglefowl appears to be a novel behaviour as earlier studies on its foraging ecology did not document this behaviour (Gokula & Vijayan 2000; Gokula 2001; Karthikeyan 2007; Somasundaram & Vijayan 2008; Subramanian et al. 2008; Ramesh & Sathyanarayana 2009; Nirmala 2016; Pankaj, 2017; McGowan & Kirwan, 2020). This also adds Macaranga peltata to the known food plants consumed by Grey Junglefowl in the wild. Acknowledgement Seshadri K. S. I thank the Assistant Wildlife Warden, Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary and Wildlife Warden, Idukki Wildlife Division for support. References 75. A Yellow-throated Bulbul feeding on the aril of an Acacia auriculiformis. Ali, S., & Ripley, S. D., 1983. Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan together with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Compact ed. Delhi: Oxford University Press. Pp. i–xlii, 1 l., pp. 1–737, 56 ll. The YTB is endemic to parts of southern India and has a Gokula, V., & Vijayan, L., 2000. Foraging pattern of birds during the breeding season disjunct distribution despite being known from nearly 100 in thorn forest of Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, south India. Tropical localities (Jha & Vasudevan 2020). It is a habitat specialist, Ecology 41: 195–208. Gokula, V., 2001. Foraging patterns of birds in the thorn [forests?] of Mudumalai found in scrub forests in rocky, boulder-strewn landscapes and Wildlife Sanctuary, southern India. Journal of South Asian Natural History 5: is currently listed as a vulnerable species (BirdLife International 143–153. 2021). The YTB is known to consume a higher proportion of Karthikeyan, M., 2007. Avifauna and their habitat utilization in three different habitats fleshy berries compared to insects (Subramanya et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Genetic Characterization of Tanzanian Indigenous Chickens in Relation to the Worldwide Spectrum of Chicken Diversity
    Charles Moses Lyimo (Autor) Genetic Characterization of Tanzanian Indigenous Chickens in Relation to the Worldwide Spectrum of Chicken Diversity https://cuvillier.de/de/shop/publications/6939 Copyright: Cuvillier Verlag, Inhaberin Annette Jentzsch-Cuvillier, Nonnenstieg 8, 37075 Göttingen, Germany Telefon: +49 (0)551 54724-0, E-Mail: [email protected], Website: https://cuvillier.de Chapter 1 CHAPTER ONE 1.0 General introduction 1 Dieses Werk ist copyrightgeschützt und darf in keiner Form vervielfältigt werden noch an Dritte weitergegeben werden. Es gilt nur für den persönlichen Gebrauch. Chapter 1 1.1. The United Republic of Tanzania The United Republic of Tanzania is located in the Eastern coast of Africa just south of the equator between longitude 29° and 41° East, Latitude 1° and 12° South. It also incorporates several offshore islands, including Unguja (Zanzibar), Pemba, and Mafia. The country's eastern border is formed by the Indian Ocean coastline of approximately 1,400 km long. It has land borders with Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo to the west; and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. Tanzania is the world’s 31st largest country with a total area of 947,300 km2 including 885,800 km2 of the land surfaces and 61,500 km2 of inland water bodies. It has a territorial sea limit of 22 km (12 nautical miles). Tanzania has a population of 45 million people with the annual growth rate of 2.7 % (NBS, 2013). There are over 120 ethnic groups, each with its own language or dialect. Swahili is the common and officially spoken language in all of Tanzania.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of Food and Feeding Habits of Blue Peafowl, Pavo Cristatus Linnaeus, 1758 in District Kurukshetra, Haryana (India)
    International Journal of Research Studies in Biosciences (IJRSB) Volume 2, Issue 6, July 2014, PP 11-16 ISSN 2349-0357 (Print) & ISSN 2349-0365 (Online) www.arcjournals.org A Study of Food and Feeding Habits of Blue Peafowl, Pavo Cristatus Linnaeus, 1758 in District Kurukshetra, Haryana (India) Girish Chopra, Tarsem Kumar Department of Zoology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra-136119 (INDIA) [email protected] Summary: Present study was conducted to determine the food and feeding habits of blue peafowl in three study sites, namely, Saraswati plantation wildlife sanctuary (SPWS), Bir Sonti Reserve Forest (BSRF), and Jhrouli Kalan village (JKAL). Point count method (Blondel et al., 1981) was followed during periodic fortnightly visits to all the three selected study sites. The peafowls were observed to feed on flowers, fruits, leaves of 11, 8 and 8 plant species respectively. These were sighted to feed on Brassica compestris (flowers, leaves), Trifolium alexandarium (flowers, leaves), Triticum aestivum (flowers, leaves, fruits), Oryza sativa (flowers, leaves, fruits), Chenopodium album (flowers, leaves, fruits), Parthenium histerophoresus (flowers, leaves), Pisum sativum (flowers, leaves, fruits), Cicer arientum (flowers, leaves, fruits), Pyrus pyrifolia (flowers, fruits), Ficus benghalensis (flowers, fruits), Ficus rumphii (flowers, fruits). They were also observed feeding on insects in all three study sites and on remains of the snake bodies at the BSRF and JKAL study site. The findings revealed that the Indian peafowl, on one hand, functions as a predator of agricultural pests but, on the other hand, is itself a pest on agricultural crops. Keywords: Blue peafowl, Food, Feeding Habits, Herbs, Shrubs, Trees. 1. INTRODUCTION Birds are warm-blooded, bipedal, oviparous vertebrates characterized by bony beak, pneumatic bones, feathers and wings.
    [Show full text]
  • Rapanui Fowl
    BREED FOCUS: RAPANUI FOWL By Christine Heinrichs and Kermit Blackwood (USA) All photos not individually credited are by either Michelle Tullis, Jeremy Yashar-Johnson, Martin Blendulf or Tamiym Lehoux Above: A View of the Monuments of Easter Island, Rapa Nui. Oil on panel, by William Hodges, 1870. On Easter Sunday, April 5, 1722, Dutch sea captain Jacob Roggeveen landed his ship the Tienhoven on an island the inhabitants, the Rapanui, called Te Pito o Te Henua, The Center of the World. Captain Roggeveen renamed it Easter Island. Right: Captain Jacob Roggeveen. By the time the Dutch arrived, Easter Island’s population was in decline. There were probably no more than about 2,000-3,000 people living on the island. Maximum population estimates of previous eras range from 4,000- 15,000. Theories differ as to the cause of their demise. Barbara A. West writes in the Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania, “… the Rapanui experienced a tremendous upheaval in their social system brought about by a change in their island's ecology...” Jared Diamond (an American biogeographer) drew attention to the connection between ecological overexploitation and the downfall of society. In Easter Island we are describing a situation where wholesale ecological exploitation destroyed a civilization. They’d cut down every last trees making it impossible to so build seaworthy boats to sail away. As in other Polynesian cultures, the Rapanui people knew cannibalism. By the 18th century, the population of Easter Island were coping with staying warm from Antarctic winds in winter without sufficient clothing. Terry Hunt and Caro Lipo’s studies suggest that humans made permanent settlements on Easter Island around 1200 AD, and that the population never exceeded around 3,000 people.
    [Show full text]
  • Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus Pictus
    Young Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus What is the history of my relationship to man? The Golden Pheasant is commonly found in zoos and aviaries, but often as impure specimens that have the similar Lady Amherst's Pheasant in their lineage. Habitat / Climate Where am I from? dark young conifer forests The Golden Pheasant or "Chinese Pheasant",is a parrot like Map with sparse undergrowth gamebird of the order Galliformes. It is native to forests in mountainous areas of western China but feral populations have been established in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Other family members: Caspian snowcock Who are my relatives? Gray partridge Silver Pheasant, Little chachalaca, Yellow- knobbed curassow and Western capercaillie the Turkey Breeding Potential How am I born? We lay 8-12 eggs at a time and will then incubate these for around 22-23 days. Clutch size 8 to 12 eggs When we hatch we are able to walk and look for food with in hours. By a few weeks we will loose our down and have our feathers in. How long does it take me to grow up and how long do I live Once we have gotten our feathers we will keep getting bigger. By 3 months we will be full Breeding Season grown, we might add a few pounds after that but wont get larger. We can live up to 6 years. J F M A M J J A S O N D A E A P A U U U E C O E N B R R Y N L G P T V C What kind of family life do I have? We are extremely territorial.
    [Show full text]