Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
Science. 2022 Apr 29;376(6592):eabk0639. doi: 10.1126/science.abk0639.
Behavioral genetics in dogs has focused on modern breeds, which are isolated subgroups with distinctive physical and, purportedly, behavioral characteristics. We interrogated breed stereotypes by surveying owners of 18,385 purebred and mixed-breed dogs and genotyping 2155 dogs. Most behavioral traits are heritable [heritability () > 25%], and admixture patterns in mixed-breed dogs reveal breed propensities. Breed explains just 9% of behavioral variation in individuals. Genome-wide association analyses identify 11 loci that are significantly associated with behavior, and characteristic breed behaviors exhibit genetic complexity. Behavioral loci are not unusually differentiated in breeds, but breed propensities align, albeit weakly, with ancestral function. We propose that behaviors perceived as characteristic of modern breeds derive from thousands of years of polygenic adaptation that predates breed formation, with modern breeds distinguished primarily by aesthetic traits.
犬类行为遗传学主要集中在现代品种上，这些品种是具有独特身体特征和据称具有独特行为特征的隔离亚群。我们通过调查 18385 只纯种犬和混种犬的主人并对 2155 只犬进行基因分型来探究品种刻板印象。大多数行为特征是可遗传的[遗传力（heritability）()>25%]，而混种犬的混合模式揭示了品种倾向。品种仅能解释个体行为变异的 9%。全基因组关联分析确定了 11 个与行为显著相关的基因座，并且特征性的品种行为表现出遗传复杂性。行为基因座在品种中并没有异常分化，但品种倾向与祖先功能一致，尽管很微弱。我们提出，被认为是现代品种特征的行为源自于几千年前的多基因适应，这种适应早于品种形成，现代品种主要以审美特征区分。
