International Journal of Molecular Zoology, 2025, Vol.15, No.2, 69-77 http://animalscipublisher.com/index.php/ijmz 76 Domestic geese are useful samples for studying the domestication process of birds, which can help people understand genetic selection, population structure, as well as the evolution of key characteristics such as growth, reproduction and behavior. Domestic geese have two origins, complex hybridization patterns, and clear selection characteristics, which are particularly useful for understanding the overall mechanism of poultry domestication and breed development. Due to the reduction of habitats, genetic infiltration, and the accelerated development of agriculture, the number of local goose breeds and those on the verge of extinction is rapidly decreasing, and there is an urgent need to formulate a unified global protection approach. Protecting genetic diversity through the conservation of live geese, scientific breeding programs and international cooperation is of great significance for safeguarding the ecological, economic and cultural values of domestic geese for future generations. Acknowledgments We would like to acknowledge Dr. Zhang for his continuous support throughout this study. Additionally, we wish to thank the two anonymous peer reviewers for their valuable input and thoughtful critiques, which have strengthened the manuscript. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Abdel-Kafy E., Ramadan S., Ali W., Youssef S., Shabaan H., El-Deighadi A., and Inoue-Murayama M., 2021, Genetic and phenotypic characterization of domestic geese (Anser anser) in Egypt, Animals, 11: 3106. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113106 Azalou M., Assani A., Kpomasse C., Tona K., Alkoiret I., and Pitala W., 2024, Phenotypic and morphometric characterization of domestic geese raised in northern Benin, Poultry Science, 103: 103563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.103563 Bourgois A., and Duval C., 2023, Geese, economic practices and religion in northern Roman Gaul, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 48: 103903. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103903 Chen L., Cao Y., Li G., Tian Y., Zeng T., Gu T., Xu W., Konoval O., and Lu L., 2023, Population structure and selection signatures of domestication in geese, Biology, 12: 532. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12040532 Eda M., Itahashi Y., Kikuchi H., Sun G., Hsu K., Gakuhari T., Yoneda M., Jiang L., Yang G., and Nakamura S., 2022, Multiple lines of evidence of early goose domestication in a 7,000-y-old rice cultivation village in the lower Yangtze River, China, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119: e2117064119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2117064119 Gao G., Zhang H., Ni J., Zhao X., Zhang K., Wang J., Kong X., and Wang Q., 2023, Insights into genetic diversity and phenotypic variations in domestic geese through comprehensive population and pan-genome analysis, Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, 14: 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-023-00944-y He J., and Li J., 2025, Review of nutritional requirements in chickens: optimizing feed formulation for growth and health, Animal Molecular Breeding, 15(1): 29-38. https://doi.org/10.5376/amb.2025.15.0004 Heikkinen M., Ruokonen M., White T., Alexander M., Gündüz İ., Dobney K., Aspi J., Searle J., and Pyhäjärvi T., 2019, Long-term reciprocal gene flow in wild and domestic geese reveals complex domestication history, G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, 10: 3061-3070. https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.120.400886 Hill N., Bishop M., Trovão N., Ineson K., Schaefer A., Puryear W., Zhou K., Foss A., Clark D., Mackenzie K., Gass J., Borkenhagen L., Hall J., and Runstadler J., 2022, Ecological divergence of wild birds drives avian influenza spillover and global spread, PLoS Pathogens, 18: e1010062. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1010062 Honka J., Heino M., Kvist L., Askeyev I., Shaymuratova D., Askeyev O., Askeyev A., Heikkinen M., Searle J., and Aspi J., 2018, Over a thousand years of evolutionary history of domestic geese from Russian archaeological sites, analysed using ancient DNA, Genes, 9: 367. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes9070367 Jiménez-Martín I., Monreal A., Martín-Vélez V., Navarro-Ramos M., Fox A., Lovas-Kiss Á., and Green A., 2024, High levels of seed dispersal by a declining wintering population of migratory geese, Freshwater Biology, 69(12): 1857-1870. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14347
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