Biology subjects

Dharmayanthi, A. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Dharmayanthi, A. B..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Diffuse phenotypic structure in native chickens across Java and Wallacea is consistent with human-mediated connectivity and decentralised selection

Objective: This study aimed to investigate morphometric and plumage-colour variation among native chickens from Wallacea and Java, Indonesia, and to evaluate the contributions of geographic and production-system factors to phenotypic diversity. Methods: Native chickens were sampled from 259 households across eight provinces in Indonesia. Household-level information on production systems and farmer selection practices was collected through structured surveys. Morphometric traits and HSV-derived plumage-colour variables were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA), permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), and hierarchical variance partitioning to assess phenotypic variation across locations, provinces, and islands. Results: Substantial phenotypic variation was observed among sampled populations, with significant province- and island-level differences detected for several morphometric traits. However, extensive overlap among locations was evident in both morphometric and plumage-colour space, indicating diffuse rather than discrete structuring. Within-location variation accounted for the largest proportion of total phenotypic variance across most traits, consistent with decentralised smallholder management and continued human-mediated exchange. Conclusion: Geographic fragmentation and agroecological heterogeneity alone appear insufficient to generate strongly differentiated phenotypic groups when connectivity among populations is maintained. Whether this phenotypic connectivity corresponds to contemporary gene flow, retained ancestral variation, or convergent environmental responses remains to be tested using genomic data.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Population structure and domestication history of the Javan banteng (Bos javanicus javanicus)

The domestication of the banteng in Southeast Asia is one of the Worlds least known livestock domestications, yet a vital component of the agricultural system in Indonesia and surrounding countries. Here we generated the first reference genome of the banteng and used it to analyze a set of 78 resequenced wild and domesticated bantengs, including 19 newly generated whole-genome sequenced samples of which three are historical samples. We found low heterozygosity and significant differentiation, the latter primarily driven by recent genetic drift and inbreeding in two populations, and clearly attributable to anthropogenically driven founder events or ex-situ breeding. Population structure when excluding these two populations was limited, and we found that the evolutionary divergence between wild and domestic banteng is moderate (FST = 0.14), relatively young (10,356 years), and with post-divergence gene flow. We found only weak signals of a domestication bottleneck between [~]6100-2900 years ago, and genetic diversity is on average higher in domestic than in wild banteng. Despite the soft domestication history, we found 56 candidate genes under selection during domestication, with the leptin receptor gene (LEPR) of particular interest due to the robust selection signal across methods, and its known association to metabolism, obesity and energy homeostasis. Finally, genetic load estimation revealed that Bali cattle in Australia have high realized load, while Bali cattle from Bali have high masked load. These findings provide the first genomic insights into an understudied bovine that is Critically Endangered in its wild form, and agriculturally important in its domesticated form.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Identification of variation in Fibromelanosis region on chromosome 20 for determining the purity of Indonesian Cemani chicken

Ayam Cemani is a local Indonesian chicken with heavy pigmentation in plumage colour, skin, eyes, and inner body organs. This trait with dermal hyperpigmentation is identical to Fibromelanosis (Fm) mutation in a Silkie chicken. The causal mutation of the Fm trait is due to an inverted duplication and junction of two genomic regions involving the Endothelin3 (EDN3) gene on chromosome 20. There are two duplication boundaries; one is specific to the Fm allele, the other is common for both Fm and fm+ allele. Determining birds that are homozygous or heterozygous at this locus is useful for unifying the Fm trait of Cemani populations. This study develops a method for determining the presence or absence of Fm mutation by PCR amplification using the inverted sequences specific to the Fm allele. Further, it develops the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method in regions common to the Fm and wild-type fm+ allele. We aim to establish a simple method for detecting homozygous (Fm/Fm) and heterozygous (Fm/fm+) individuals with Fm mutation and to clarify the degree of fixation of the Fm trait in the Ayam Cemani populations and the association between the phenotype and genotype. The result showed that mostly, the phenotype for Cemani with Fm/ fm+ genotype is reddish black in their comb; meanwhile, the Cemani with (Fm/Fm) genotype showed heavy black pigmentation. Our study concluded that using the PCR-RFLP method. We can discriminate between Fm homozygous and heterozygous birds in the Cemani population. Thus, this briefly genotyping method effectively maintains and protects the pure line of Cemani chicken.

genetics↗