A new genomic study of the modern herding dogs in Southern America revealed that their species are the closest living relative of the ancient sheepdogs in the United Kingdom.
The subjects, particularly the modern-age Patagonian sheepdogs, were found to have traces of genetic ancestry with the now-extinct individuals of the herding dogs during the Victorian era. The study said that the link is not just a mere ancestry, but holds evidence of actual, strong genetic ties between the groups.
The research was made possible through the efforts of scholars from the Universidad Austral de Chile and the US National Institutes of Health.
Southern Herding Dogs and European Migration
According to history, the ancient European settlers started colonizing target territories along with working dogs. Biological studies today show empirical evidence of the genetics related to these extinct dog breeds in modern varieties.
The Patagonian sheepdog is among the breeds that are suspected to hold clues to the early Europe dog lineage. ScienceDaily reports that the specified breed is commonly found in South America, especially in Argentina and Chile.
According to records, the dog breed was introduced to the southern regions in the 1800s by European colonists. However, there are no formal clues that were established about the ancestry of the modern Patagonian sheepdogs, making their origin and relationship with other herding breeds still a mystery.
In the latest study, experts analyzed over 150 genomes of Patagonian sheepdogs from Argentina and Chile, more than 170 recognized domestic breeds, and a couple of wild dog species in order to construct a phylogenetic tree.
Results showed that the Patagonian sheepdogs are closely related to Australian kelpies and the Border collies. Moreover, all of these groups share a common ancestor with modern-day herding groups that were exclusively found 150 years ago in the UK.
Forbes reported that, among the sheepdogs, experts found a distinct population between the north and south of the Patagonia region that were separated due to ice fields. The northern Patagonians were closer to the breed of Border collies, while the southern population is similar to the Australian kelpie.
European Colonization Brought Closest Relative of Ancient UK Hearding Dogs to South America
The emergence of their populations matches the timelines of the European colonization of the southern regions. In history, the Scottish groups who came far from the Falkland Islands reached southern Chile by 1877. They soon scattered and overlapped with Argentina's Aysen region.
The authors conclude that, through the historical events and the series of genetic examinations, the modern Patagonian sheepdogs are much more likely the closest representatives of the founding sheepdogs, which are the ancestors of today's herding breeds in the UK, and most probably behave and contain similar physiology.
Universidad Austral de Chile's veterinary science specialist and lead author of the study Natasha Barrios explained that their team being able to identify the relationship between the modern herding breed and the ancient dog population opens a broader understanding not just about the dog lineage, but also of the early human migration activities between Europe and Southern America.
The study was published in the journal PLOS Genetics, titled "Patagonian sheepdog: Genomic analyses trace the footprints of extinct UK herding dogs to South America."
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