Genomic Insights into the Demographic History and Local Adaptation of Wild Boars Across Eurasia
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Wild boars exhibit genetic and phenotypic diversity shaped by migrations and local adaptations. Its expansion across Eurasia, especially in central Asia, remains underexplored. Here, we present newly sequenced whole-genome data of 47 wild boars from Eastern Asia, Central Asia, and Europe, combined with 49 existing genomes, creating a comprehensive dataset of 96 individuals. Our analyses show that Asian wild boars and Southeast Asian Suids split ∼3.6 Mya, with Central Asian and Southern Chinese ancestors diverging ∼1.8 Mya. The split between Central Asian and European-Near East ancestors occurred ∼0.9 Mya, followed by a European-Near East divergence ∼0.6 Mya. We identify signatures of local adaptation in Central Asian populations, including two positively selected variants in LPIN1 , associated with cold adaptation, and a missense mutation in ALPK2 , linked to meat traits. These findings provide insights into wild boar dispersal and adaptation, and shed light on domestic pigs breeding.
