3.5 | Maternal origin of Huaibei grey donkey
The molecular studies of the donkey mitochondrial sequence have
apparently defined two distinct matriarchal (Clade Ⅰ and Ⅱ lineages)
related to domestication. Comparison of the 60 reference mtDNA D-loop
sequences (Table 5) and the HGD populations sequences of 418 bp were
made to determine the relationships among the haplotypes and population
structure of Huaibei grey donkey; the median joining network was
constructed for the identified haplotypes. There are two distinct
lineages (Clade Ⅰ and Clade Ⅱ)
as shown in the median joining
network, and most of the HGDs were classified into Clade Ⅰ (31
individuals [51.67%] and 4 haplotypes), whereas Clade Ⅱ included 29
individuals (48.33%) comprising 7 haplotypes (Figure 5).
To further clarify the origin of HGDs, we used mtDNA sequence
comparisons with the Nubian wild ass (E. africanus africanus ),
the Somali wild ass (E. africanus somaliensis ), Asian wild ass
(E. hemionus ) , European and Chinese domestic donkeys. HGDs was
clearly clustered within the Somali wild ass (E. africanus
somaliensis ) sequences. They were clustered apart from the European and
Chinese domestic donkey clade, as indicated in the phylogenetic tree,
therefore these results indicate that Africa was the most probable
location for donkey domestication (Figure 6).