Origins and diversity of Greenland’s Qimmit revealed with genomes of ancient and modern sled dogs

作者：Tatiana R. Feuerborn, Martin Appelt, Katia Bougiouri, Lutz Bachmann, Ida Broman Nielsen, Reuben M. Buckley, Carsten Egevang, Paloma F. Díaz-Maroto, Shyam Gopalakrishnan, Anne Birgitte Gotfredsen, Kristian Murphy Gregersen, B. Grønnow, Manumina Lund Jensen, Christian Koch Madsen, Ulunnguaq Markussen, Åslaug Midtdal, Anne Lisbeth Schmidt, Aitor Serres Armero, Emma Vitale, Øystein Wiig, Guojie Zhang, Love Dalén, Laurent Frantz, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Morten Meldgaard, Elaine A. Ostrander, Mikkel‐Holger S. Sinding, Anders J. Hansen · 发表于：Science · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1126/science.adu1990 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Wildlife Ecology and Conservation、Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research、Human-Animal Interaction Studies

The Qimmeq (Greenland sled dog) has worked continuously with the Inuit in Greenland for more than 800 years. However, they now face drastic population declines caused by climate change, urbanization, and competition from snowmobiles. This study sequenced 92 modern and ancient genomes to investigate how centuries of isolation shaped the regional Qimmeq populations and the impact of European contact. We found distinct regional populations and evidence for two migrations of dogs into Greenland with the Inuit from Canada. Furthermore, we found that there is minimal European ancestry in present day Qimmit and limited recent inbreeding despite low heterozygosity. These insights are critical for conservation efforts aimed at preserving the Qimmit amid environmental changes and cultural transitions.