摘要：SummaryDomesticated animals have been culturally and economically important throughout history. Many of their ancestral lineages are extinct or genetically endangered following hybridization with domesticated relatives. Consequently, they have been understudied compared to the ancestral lineages of domestic plants. The domestic pigeonColumba livia, which was pivotal in Darwin’s studies, has maintained outsized cultural significance. Its role as a model organism spans the fields of behavior, genetics, and evolution. Domestic pigeons have hybridized with their progenitor, the Rock Dove, rendering the latter of dubious genetic status. Here, we use genomic and morphological data from the putative Rock Doves of the British Isles to identify relictual undomesticated populations. We reveal that Outer Hebridean Rock Doves have experienced minimal levels of introgression. Our results outline the contemporary status of these wild pigeons, highlighting the role of hybridization in the homogenization of genetic lineages.Graphical abstractDisplay OmittedHighlights•The Rock Dove is the wild ancestor of today’s domestic and feral pigeons•The status of the Rock Dove was unclear owing to gene flow from its domestic relatives•We used genetic and morphological data to identify Rock Doves in the British Isles•Outer Hebridean populations experience the least gene flow with domestic pigeonsBiological sciences; Genomics; Evolutionary biology
