Search

(1) Background. Merino is a worldwide sheep breed well known for the quality and quantity of its wool. If there is no doubt that it originates from the Mediterranean Basin and that human selection took place in southern Spain, the populations that potentially contributed to the building of this breed are a matter of debate. Here, we tested whether a Moroccan breed settled on the North Atlantic coast, the Beni Ahsen, could be a good candidate, given the thickness and distribution of fleece covering the head and legs. (2). Methods. Using the control region of the mtDNA, 20 Beni Ahsen sequences were considered in a dataset of 643, including Mediterranean Merino and non-Merino breeds. Unfortunately, the Beni Ahsen is an endangered breed because of a lack of interest from the breeders. (3) Results. European Merino-derived breeds are divided into an Iberian and an Italian cluster, more linked to non-Merino breeds of the same country than between Merino themselves. Beni Ahsen breed is strongly linked to the other Moroccan breeds but shows the greatest number of connections with Merino-derived breeds, especially from Iberia. Interestingly, several other Moroccan breeds are also connected to Iberian Merino. more...

The present study aims to investigate the genetic variability of the Blanche de Montagne breed (=Siroua sheep). The genetic variability was assessed by the analysis of a 628 bp fragment in the mtDNA of the control region from 32 unrelated animals. Sequence comparison revealed 44 polymorphic sites, of which 16 were parsimony informative and 28 were singletons. Haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity were 0.970 and 0.013, respectively, indicating a correct level of diversity. A total of 24 haplotypes were distinguished and phylogenetic analysis detected two maternal lineages (haplogroups B and C) with a predominance of haplogroup B. Neutrality tests indicated a demographic expansion of the breed in the past. Network analysis suggested a strong genetic structure of the breed and displayed a low level of inbreeding. more...

The present study aims to investigate the morphological characteristics of the Blanche de Montagne sheep breed, mainly known by its long white fleece. The morphological characterization was performed on a total of 70 unrelated individuals of both sexes, having between 2 and 8 teeth and belonging to 13 farms located in the Ouarzazate region. The body measurements studied were body weight, body length, chest circumference, height at withers, rump height, chest depth, chest width, hip width, head length, head width, ear length, ear width, horn length, cannon circumference, wool length, and tail length. These measurements averaged 28.2±8.10 kg, 65.8±6.25 cm, 73.5±6.71 cm, 59.5±4.39 cm, 59.5±4.72 cm, 27.4±2.90 cm, 19.8±2.70 cm, 21.0±2.14 cm, 19.2±1.57 cm, 11.0±1.01 cm, 9.71±1.02 cm, 5.47±0.53 cm, 43.2±13.8 cm, 7.44±0.77 cm, 10.9±3.56 cm, and 31.8±4.36 cm, respectively. Descriptive statistics presented an overall coefficient of variation less than 15%, showing a homogeneous morphostructure of the breed. Most characters were small in relation with the low productivity of pastures. Moreover, 77.5% of correlation coefficients among the different body measurements were positive and significant, reflecting the strong morphological harmony of the breed, suggesting a long period of adaptation to its environment. The variance analysis showed that sex influenced the measurements, with males having the highest values. Similarly, individuals with 6 or 8 teeth showed higher values than those with 2 or 4 teeth. Through the comparison with other Moroccan breeds, the variation of some morphological traits was found in relation to some climatic parameters (mainly winter temperatures) and feeding supplementation. more...

The arrival of Neolithic culture in North Africa, especially domestic animals has been essentially documented from archaeological records. As the data relative to sheep are scarce, we studied the genetic relationship between Moroccan sheep breeds and Mediterranean ones using the sequencing of 628 bp of the mitochondrial DNA control region in 193 Moroccan individuals, belonging to six breeds, and 652 sequences from other breeds in Europe and Middle East. Through Network analysis and an original phylogenetically derived method, the connection proportions of each Moroccan breed to foreign ones were estimated, highlighting the strong links between Moroccan and Iberian breeds. The first founders of Moroccan sheep population were issued at 79% from Iberia and 21% from a territory between Middle East and Africa. Their calculated expansion times were respectively 7,100 and 8,600 years B.P. This suggests that Neolithization was introduced by a double influence, from Iberia and from another route, maybe Oriental or Sub-Saharan. The consequence of the environmental changes encountered by founders from Iberia was tested using different neutrality tests. There are significant selection signatures at the level of Moroccan and European breeds settled in elevated altitudes, and an erosion of nucleotide diversity in Moroccan breeds living in arid areas. more...