Artificial barriers for gene flow between the different subpopulations should be recognized, their necessity evaluated critically and perhaps abolished in order to maintain genetic diversity within a breed. Conclusionsīesides geographical differentiation caused by founder effect and lack of gene flow, selection on champion looks or restricted pedigrees is a strong driver of population fragmentation. The subpopulation differentiation was strongest in show dog lineages. Using a genome-wide SNP array, we detected genetic differentiation to subpopulations in six breeds, Belgian Shepherd, English Greyhound, Finnish Lapphund, Italian Greyhound, Labrador Retriever and Shetland Sheepdog, either due to geographical isolation or as a result of differential breeding strategies. As genetic differentiation due to population fragmentation results in increased rates of inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity, detecting and alleviating the reasons of population fragmentation can provide effective tools for the maintenance of healthy dog breeds. Discrete breed ideals are not restricted to delimiting dog breeds from another, but also are key drivers of subpopulation differentiation.
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