The heterogeneity of climate and different agro‐ecological conditions in Iran have resulted in development of 27 indigenous sheep breeds. Wild Asiatic mouflon (Ovis orientalis) is believed to be the ancestor of Iranian sheep. Evaluation of genetic diversity and population structure within and among domestic breeds has important implications for animal breeding programs and genetic resources management. Based on 50K SNP genotype data, we studied the genetic diversity of five indigenous Iranian sheep breeds: Afshari (n = 37), Moghani (n = 34), Qezel (n = 35), Zel (n = 46) and Lori‐Bakhtiari (n = 46), and Asiatic mouflon (n = 8) sampled from Iran. Furthermore, genetic diversity and the breed admixture of Iranian sheep were assessed on a larger geographic scale using a reference panel comprising: three indigenous Afghan breeds – Arabi (n = 15), Balouchi (n = 15) and Gadik (n = 15); three indigenous breeds from Turkey and Cyprus – Cyprus Fat Tail (n = 30), Karakas (n = 18) and Norduz (n = 20); and three commercial European breeds – Suffolk (n = 19), Comisana (n = 24) and Engadine Red Sheep (n = 24). The results revealed that the investigated breeds are divided into five genetically distinct clusters according to their geographic origin. Afshari was closest to the local mouflon population and showed signs of mouflon admixture. Qezel was identified as a hybrid sheep breed. Much evidence supported the Afghan breeds being identical. Inbreeding values, which were estimated based on ROHs, were highest for Suffolk (F_ROH = 0.0544) and lowest for Balouchi (F_ROH = 0.0078). In conclusion, analysis of selected breeds from neighboring countries along with Asiatic mouflon gave a deeper insight into the evolutionary history and origin of Iranian sheep with important implications for future breed management.

中文翻译：

---

伊朗土著绵羊相对于选定的外来绵羊品种和野生盘羊的遗传多样性。

伊朗气候的异质性和不同的农业生态条件导致了27种土著绵羊品种的开发。亚洲野生mo（Ovis Orientalis）被认为是伊朗绵羊的祖先。评估国内品种内部和之中的遗传多样性和种群结构对动物育种计划和遗传资源管理具有重要意义。基于50K SNP基因型数据，我们研究了五个伊朗土著绵羊品种的遗传多样性：Afshari（n  = 37），Moghani（n  = 34），Qezel（n  = 35），Zel（n  = 46）和Lori-Bakhtiari （n  = 46）和亚洲Asia子（n = 8）从伊朗采样。此外，使用一个参考小组对伊朗绵羊的遗传多样性和品种混合进行了更大范围的评估，该参考小组包括：三种阿富汗土著品种– Arabi（n  = 15），Balouchi（n  = 15）和Gadik（n  = 15）；来自土耳其和塞浦路斯的三个土著品种-塞浦路斯肥尾（n  = 30），卡拉卡斯（n  = 18）和诺杜兹（n  = 20）；和三个欧洲商业品种-萨福克（n  = 19），科米萨纳（n  = 24）和恩加丁红羊（n = 24）。结果表明，被调查的品种根据其地理起源被分为五个遗传上不同的簇。阿夫沙里（Afshari）最接近当地的mouflon人口，并显示出mouflon掺和迹象。Qezel被确定为杂交绵羊品种。许多证据支持阿富汗的品种相同。根据_ROH估算的近交值，萨福克最高（F _ROH  = 0.0544），而Bal路支省最低（F _ROH  = 0.0078）。总之，对来自邻国的精选品种以及亚洲盘羊的分析提供了对伊朗绵羊进化历史和起源的更深入了解，这对未来的品种管理具有重要意义。