Background
Feralization is the understudied cousin of domestication: a process where through the release of domesticated animals into a wild habitat with minimal human intervention new genetics variants are created. These variants may be similar but not identical to the ancestor species.
The Pottoka horse, sometimes also called Basque pony, is an ancient breed native to the Basque region of Spain and France used throughout history as an aid for transportation, smuggling, packing and mine work. The breed is considered endangered by the spanish Pottoka federation. The horses sampled for this study come from one herd of about 15 horses, funded in 2018 by Lucy Rees, can be found in the valley of Anciles close to the small village of Riano, Spain.
Restriction site associated DNA sequencing also called Radseq has been shown to be a low-cost alternative to SNP chip microarray genotyping and has been shown to be a good alternative to assess things like selection, genetic diversity and genetic differentiation. In short, Radseq uses enzymes to cut DNA into manageable chunks. The chunks are multiplied and tagged so that one’s able to individually identify each sample.
Aims
This study aimed to finding signs of feralization in a feral horse population located in Valle de Anciles, Spain to identify possible selective sweeps which could be indicative of recent or ongoing selection processes in this population of feral horses. I also took on a novel approach and aimed to see if FTA-cards could be a viable sampling method for both feces and saliva samples.
CONTACT
Email: Gaia.resmini@gmail.com – Instagram: gaia_resmini