Genetic endangerment of wild Red Junglefowl *Gallus gallus*?
Issue Date
1998Author
Peterson, A. Townsend
Brisbin, I. Lehr, Jr
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
Rights
Bird Conservation International (1998), 8:387-394 Cambridge University Press
Copyright © Birdlife International 1998
doi:10.1017/S0959270900002148
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Domestic chickens were derived from the wild Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus. A
survey of 745 museum specimens of Red Junglefowl suggests that most wild
populations have been contaminated genetically by introgression of genes from
domestic or feral chickens. A male eclipse plumage, which appears to be an
indicator of pure wild genotypes, was found in populations in the western and
central portions of the species's range, but not in the easternmost populations.
Eclipse plumages probably disappeared from extreme south-eastern Asia and
the Philippines prior to the advent of intensive scientific collecting (about i860)
and have not been observed in Malaysia and neighbouring countries since the
1920s. Populations exhibiting eclipse plumages were found in north-eastern India
as late as the 1960s, but the dense human populations there make their continuing
genetic integrity uncertain. These data suggest that surveys of wild and captive
populations should be undertaken to assess the genetic integrity of this species.
A re-evaluation of the conservation status of Red Junglefowl might then
follow.
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Citation
Peterson, A. T., and I. L. Brisbin, Jr. 1998. Genetic endangerment of wild Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus? Bird Conservation International 8:387-394. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0959270900002148
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