July
3, 2018 by Bob Yirka, Phys.org report
A
team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China has conducted
a genetic study of the silkworm in hopes of better understanding its long
historical ties to humans. In their paper published in the journal Nature
Ecology & Evolution, the group describes their study and what they found.
There
are many varieties of silkworms,
but only one makes silk that is mass-producible: Bombyx mori. Because of that
unique characteristic, B. mori has a very long history of domestication by
humans. Most scientists in the field suggest that the relationship began
approximately 5000 years ago, and that it likely started in China. In this new
effort, the researchers sought to trace the origins of the silkworm to its
first domestication to learn more about its history over the past several
thousand years.
The
genetic study consisted of collecting silkworm samples representing 137 strains.
Those samples included strains that were locally bred and even some
representing recently improved strains. The team also collected samples
of strains that have
not been domesticated. They then sequenced the DNA of all the samples and
compared them to one another. The group was able to use the DNA data to
construct geographic maps that showed the history of the silkworm as it spread
between geographic areas.
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