International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 44-53 http://ecoevopublisher.com/index.php/ijmec 50 of these chickens are often mixed together, which on the one hand shows that there were many routes for the spread of chickens in ancient times, and on the other hand, it also shows that these chickens have been under the pressure of natural and artificial selection for a long time. Sometimes, when facing high temperatures, diseases or other environmental changes, local chickens actually perform more stably than some breeds in breeding farms. Why? In the final analysis, it is the genes that have been left by long-term natural selection that play a role. The diversity and adaptability of these genes, to put it bluntly, is our trump card to deal with the uncertain environment in the future. However, many people have not yet realized its true value. Population genomics research can help us find these "useful genes" and then use them in breeding to make chickens more adaptable to different breeding conditions. But things are not that simple. The data we have is not comprehensive enough, especially for local chickens in remote areas, which have been studied too little. Although some genes have been found, the relationship between them and the actual performance and living environment of chickens is still vague, like a few pieces of a puzzle are missing. In addition, there is another issue that cannot be avoided - ethics and policy. Not everyone can use these genes casually. This involves issues of resource sharing and fair distribution, which are especially sensitive for small farmers. In other words, in addition to scientific research, there must be rules. Now talking about sustainable breeding, food security, and increased income for farmers sounds like big talk, but in the final analysis, it still depends on concrete actions to support it. What's next? Sampling more extensively, recording ecological information more carefully, and advancing breeding programs more responsibly. These are not easy things to do, but if we want to have a proactive role in a future with increasingly problematic agriculture and the environment, we have no choice. Acknowledgments We thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions that greatly improved 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 Bai H., Zhao N., Li X., Ding Y., Guo Q., Chen G., and Chang G., 2024, Whole-genome resequencing identifies candidate genes associated with heat adaptation in chickens, Poultry Science, 103(10): 104139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.104139 PMid:39127007 PMCid:PMC11367107 Banos G., Lindsay V., Desta T., Bettridge J., Sánchez-Molano E., Vallejo-Trujillo A., Matika O., Dessie T., Wigley P., Christley R., Kaiser P., Hanotte O., and Psifidi A., 2020, Integrating genetic and genomic analyses of combined health data across ecotypes to improve disease resistance in indigenous African chickens, Frontiers in Genetics, 11: 543890. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2020.543890 PMid:33193617 PMCid:PMC7581896 Bello S., Lawal R., Adeola A., and Nie Q., 2023, The study of selection signature and its applications on identification of candidate genes using whole genome sequencing data in chicken—a review, Poultry Science, 102(6): 102657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.102657 PMid:37054499 PMCid:PMC10123265 Chen C., Misztal I., Aguilar I., Tsuruta S., Meuwissen T., Aggrey S., Wing T., and Muir W., 2011, Genome-wide marker-assisted selection combining all pedigree phenotypic information with genotypic data in one step: an example using broiler chickens, Journal of Animal Science, 89(1): 23-28. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2010-3071 PMid:20889689 Dementieva N., Shcherbakov Y., Stanishevskaya O., Vakhrameev A., Larkina T., Dysin A., Nikolaeva O., Ryabova A., Azovtseva A., Mitrofanova O., Peglivanyan G., Reinbach N., Griffin D., and Romanov M., 2024, Large-scale genome-wide SNP analysis reveals the rugged (and ragged) landscape of global ancestry, phylogeny, and demographic history in chicken breeds, Journal of Zhejiang University Science B, 25(4): 324-340. https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B2300443 PMid:38584094 PMCid:PMC11009443 Elbeltagy A., Bertolini F., Fleming D., Van Goor A., Ashwell C., Schmidt C., Kugonza D., Lamont S., and Rothschild M., 2019, Natural selection footprints among African chicken breeds and village ecotypes, Frontiers in Genetics, 10: 376. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2019.00376
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