Sequencing of Japanese native chickens
Chickens were domesticated over 4,000 years ago and are now the most popular poultry species in the world. In Japan, chickens are believed to have been first introduced around 2,000 years ago. Today, approximately 45 chicken breeds can be found in Japan and they have unique and diverse phenotypic characteristics. However, their origin and history largely remain unexplored. This study aims to conduct population genomic analyses to elucidate the trajectory of their domestication from Asia into Japan, by integrating them with the published genomes to compile a total of 123 geographically comprehensive samples.