Darwin can make mistakes about the wild origin of chickens

Charles Darwin thinks that the chicken is native to a red jungle chicken, but Uppsala University's research shows that the chicken's wild origin is much more complex.

The researchers systematically genetically engineered the majority of chickens to have yellow legs and were surprised to discover that they were inherited from a close relative, the gray forest chicken. The work is published on the online edition of Genetics.

Jonas Eriksson, a doctoral student at Uppsala University, said: 'Our research shows that although most of the genes in domestic chickens come from red jungle chickens, they are at least from other species. , including the gray forest chicken. '

It is very likely that gray forest chickens hybridize with the ancestors of home chickens. The yellow-colored gene is present on billions of chickens around the world. Darwin's study of domesticated animals is the key to his evolutionary theory, and he also explains the wild origin of domesticated animals.

Greger Larson, a researcher at Uppsala University and Durham University in the UK, said: "The interesting thing here is that Darwin thinks that dogs have more than one wild ancestral species, but domestic chickens have only one ancestor, forest chickens. Red is now completely opposite.

Yellow leg color may be due to diet : If the diet is more carotene, chicken legs will be darker yellow. The gene group of scientists has determined to create an enzyme that breaks down carotene and releases vitamin A. This gene does not work in skin cells but is very active in other tissues in chicken feet. gold. Consequently, the carotene is retained in the skin in this type of chicken. This is called modifying gene variation because the genetic sequence of the gene remains the same, but the regulatory process is altered.

Professor Leif Anderson, who runs the project, said: 'Our research is an example of the importance of regulatory gene mutations in evolution. We just don't understand why people enjoy this feature. Perhaps bright yellow chickens are said to be healthier and reproduce better than other chickens, or are merely people interested in their distinctive appearance. '

Scientists believe that the same gene group can play an important role in explaining the pink color of flamingos, the yellow color of many bird predators and the red color of salmon meat. These characteristics are all made up of carotene. This gene can also affect human skin to a certain extent.