Background: Genetic diversity of sheep in Jordan was investigated using
microsatellite markers (MS). Six ovine and bovine MS located on
chromosomes 2 and 6 of sheep genome were genotyped on 294 individual
from ten geographical regions. Results: The number of alleles per locus
(A), the expected heterozygosity (He) and observed heterozygosity (Ho)
were measured. Overall A, He and Ho were 12.67, 0.820 and 0.684,
respectively. On the other hand, genetic distances undoubtedly revealed
the expected degree of differentiation among the studied populations.
The finding showed closeness of three populations fromsouth (Maan,
Showbak and Tafeilah) to each other. Populations from themiddle regions
of Jordan (Karak, Madaba, Amman, AzZarqa and Mafraq) were found to be
in one cluster. Only two populations of the middle region were an
exception: AlSalt and Dead Sea. Finally, sheep populations from Irbid
were located in separated cluster. It was clear that the studied
predefined populations were subdivided from four populations and would
be most probably accounted as ancestral populations. These results
indicate that number of population is less than the predefined
population as ten based on geographical sampling areas. Conclusions:
The possible inference might be that geographical location, genetic
migration, similar selection forces, and common ancestor account for
population admixture and subdivision of Awassi sheep breed in Jordan.
Finally, the present study sheds new light on themolecular and
population genetics of Awassi sheep fromdifferent regions of Jordan and
to utilize the possible findings for future management of genetic
conservation under conditions of climate changes and crossbreeding
policy