Evolution of domestic geese. Centres of domestication and dispersion = Эволюция домашних гусей. Центры доместикации, породообразования и распространения

Basing on genetic, phenetic, phylogenetic and historical analysis, a new concept of six centres (West-European, Chinese, Euro-Asiatic, Egyptian, North-American and Australian) of domestication, breed formation and dispersion of domestic geese are proposed. The West-European centre located initially in the territories of modern Germany, France and Italy includes the breeds derived entirely from the western greylag goose (Anser anser anser). The Chinese centre embraces only the China and African geese which came from the swan goose (A. cygnoides) with some influences of A. anser and presumably bar-headed goose (A. indicus), lesser white-fronted goose (A. erythropus) and mute swan (Cygnus olor). The Euro-Asiatic centre, one of the greatest smelting furnaces in the evolution of domestic geese, is formed by the complicated crossings of birds originated from the West-European and Chinese centres with the influences of the wild western and eastern (A. a. rubrirostris) greylag geese, their mixed population as well as white-fronted goose (A. albifrons) and perhaps lesser white-fronted goose and bean goose (A. fabalis). At present Egyptian centre includes only one domesticated species of the Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegypticus), known as an ornamental bird. In North America the Eastern Canada goose (Branta canadensis canadensis) was semi-domesticated. Using birds imported from the West-European and Chinese centres also developed the native goose breeds. In Australia the domestication of the endemic Cape Barren goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) was of a particularly local importanc