Ancient DNA Laboratory, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Feb 16;107(7):2807-12. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0909724107. Epub 2010 Feb 1.
Although the cultural and nutritive importance of the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) to precontact Native Americans and contemporary people worldwide is clear, little is known about the domestication of this bird compared to other domesticates. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of 149 turkey bones and 29 coprolites from 38 archaeological sites (200 BC-AD 1800) reveals a unique domesticated breed in the precontact Southwestern United States. Phylogeographic analyses indicate that this domestic breed originated from outside the region, but rules out the South Mexican domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo) as a progenitor. A strong genetic bottleneck within the Southwest turkeys also reflects intensive human selection and breeding. This study points to at least two occurrences of turkey domestication in precontact North America and illuminates the intensity and sophistication of New World animal breeding practices.
尽管火鸡（Meleagris gallopavo）对于史前的美洲原住民和全世界的当代人来说具有文化和营养上的重要性，但与其他驯化动物相比，人们对这种鸟类的驯化过程知之甚少。对 149 块火鸡骨骼和 29 块粪化石（公元前 200 年至公元 1800 年）的线粒体 DNA 分析显示，在史前的美国西南部存在一种独特的家养品种。系统地理学分析表明，这种家养品种起源于该地区以外，但排除了南墨西哥家养火鸡（Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo）作为其祖先。西南地区火鸡内部存在强烈的遗传瓶颈，这也反映了人类的强烈选择和繁殖。本研究表明，在史前的北美至少发生了两次火鸡的驯化事件，揭示了新世界动物养殖实践的强度和复杂性。
