Mitochondrial Genomes of Korean Native Black Goats Reveal Shared Phylogeographic Patterns and Demographic History

Abstract

Simple Summary This study explores the phylogenetic relationships among Korean native black goats, whose genetic resources are being preserved by the National Institute of Animal Science through the collection of purebred specimens. We analyzed the complete mitochondrial genomes of 282 native goats and 82 reference populations. The native population exhibits a haplotype diversity of 0.659 and includes 39 distinct haplotypes. Neighbor-joining tree and median-joining network analyses established that these goats form a unique clade (A') within Haplogroup A, suggesting a shared ancestry with diverse goat populations from around the world.Abstract This study explores the phylogeny of Korean native black goats through analysis of their complete mitochondrial DNA. The National Institute of Animal Science has gathered genetic material on purebred goats from isolated regions such as Tongyeong, Dangjin, and Jangsu, and is actively breeding them on a national level. These populations, however, are small and exhibit high inbreeding rates, highlighting the urgent need to preserve genetic diversity. The haplotype diversity within this native group is 0.659, with 39 haplotypes identified. By contrast, including international breeds in the analysis increases the overall haplotype diversity to 0.925 with 203 haplotypes identified, highlighting the limited genetic diversity among native black goats. For phylogenetic assessment, a neighbor-joining tree and median-joining network were constructed using identified haplogroups (A, B, C, D, G, and F) from prior studies. The results pinpoint the native black goats as closely related to, but distinct from, Haplogroup A with a bootstrap value of 98, establishing them as a separate clade (A'). This supports the notion of a shared ancestry with various global populations. This research provides essential data on the origins and evolutionary history of Korean native black goats, supporting conservation and breeding efforts aimed at enhancing genetic diversity.