Landscape genetics of sheep in Brazil using SNP markers

Abstract The aim of this study was to explore spatial patterns of genetic structure in sheep breeds sampled in Brazil using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in order to evaluate whether or not the genetic and geographic distances are interrelated in this species. Samples genotyped using the 50KSheepSNPChip (Illumina) included 215 animals from eight different sheep breeds. All collection sites were georeferenced and data analyzed to determine geographic patterns from genetic data. To evaluate the correlation between genetic and geographic distances Mantel tests, Allelic Aggregation Index Analyses (AAIA), and spatial autocorrelation were performed. Genetic Landscape Shape procedure and Monmonier´s Algorithm were used to generate graphical visualization of the genetic distances across the landscape. The observed correlation observed between genetic and geographical distances was 0.552 (P