Turkey Farmers - Genetics

Exploring Turkeys

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Introduction

Learning Outcomes

Through the lens of both nutrition and genetics, this activity will explore: What exactly IS a turkey?

What is a Turkey?

Turkey Genetics

Educators

What is a Turkey?

Phenotype

Turkeys are unique in many physical ways. These are ways we can observe – the way it looks and acts. These traits that are observable make up an animal’s phenotype. Click on the image to learn more about the phenotype of turkeys.

What is a Turkey?

Nutrition

Turkeys are also unique when it comes to the composition of their meat. Click here to learn more about the nutrition of turkey.

Learn More Here!

Turkey Nutrition Facts

Turkey Biology

From a biological perspective, turkeys are a unique species. A species is defined as a group of organisms that together can breed and produce fertile offspring. How do we name the different species?

Taxonomy

Domain

Kingdom

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Finish

How are living things categorized? The way we name, group, and classify organisms is called taxonomy. Taxonomy can be based on genetics, morphology, and phenotype. Researchers who work to classify organisms also consider geographic and ecological factors. A taxonomic name uses a ranking system to organize different organisms into groups. Click on the rankings to learn more!

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

Why is this important?

Sub-species Breed

Learn more here!

Taxonomic Names

Based on their ranking, every species will have a unique name consisting of its Genus then Species. This name is called binomial nomenclature. The domesticated turkey’s name is: Meleagris gallopavo domesticus. Turkeys are part of the meleagris genus. There are only two species in that genus that still exist, the turkey (both wild and domestic) and the ocellated turkey found in Mexico. Compare that to chickens, which are named Gallus gallus domesticus. They are part of the Gallus genus. They are the direct descendants of "jungle-fowl", ground dwelling birds that live in tropical climates. Some researchers call the two genera ‘sisters’ that came from a common ancestor. Both chickens and turkeys belong to the same family, the Phasianidae. Scientists think that turkeys and chickens diverged from their common ancestor between 25 and 40 million years ago.

breed/sub-species

Species

Genus

breed/sub-species

Species

Genus

Turkey's Phylogenetic Tree

Click on the phylogenetic tree to learn more!

Ontario Wild Turkeys

Wild turkeys in North America are Meleagris gallopavo. There are six sub-species. One of them is the sub-species found in Ontario, called the Eastern Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo silvestris. The different varieties of domesticated turkeys are called Meleagris gallopavo domesticus. They are considered a breed of turkey, and not a sub-species.

What is the difference between a breed and a sub-species?

Domesticated Turkeys

How did we end up with the common domesticated turkey breeds today? Arificial selection of wild turkeys. Click on the map to learn more.

We can read this history in modern turkeys' DNA!

For Educators

Worksheet

Curriculum Connections

SURVEY

Learning Outcomes

Sources

Gallus lafayettii

Sri Lankan Junglefowl

This is Sri Lanka's National Bird! Sri Lankan Junglefowl and red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) diverged from their common ancestor about 2.8 million years ago. The Sri Lankan Junglefowl is more closely realted to the grey junglefowl Gallus sonneratii. These two only diverged 1.8 million years ago.

Size

An adult turkey can weigh anywhere from 8 to 25 kilograms (18 to 55 pounds).

SOURCES: Canales Vergara, Amado Manuel et al. “Tracing Worldwide Turkey Genetic Diversity Using D-loop Sequence Mitochondrial DNA Analysis.” Animals: an open access journal from MDPI vol. 9,11 897. 1 Nov. 2019, doi:10.3390/ani9110897 Guan Xiaojing et al. “The mitochondrial genome sequence and molecular phylogeny of the turkey, Meleagris gallopavo.” Animal genetics vol. 40,2 (2009): 134-41. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2052.2008.01810.x. Guan, Xiaojing et al. “Mitochondrial DNA-Based Analyses of Relatedness Among Turkeys, Meleagris gallopavo.” Biochemical genetics vol. 53,1-3 (2015): 29-41. doi:10.1007/s10528-015-9668-y Padilla-Jacobo, Gabriela et al. “Evolutionary history of Mexican domesticated and wild Meleagris gallopavo.” Genetics, selection, evolution: GSE vol. 50,1 19. 17 Apr. 2018, doi:10.1186/s12711-018-0388-8

TurkeY Nutritional Content

Turkey meat tends to be slightly lower in fat, calories, sodium, and cholesterol, compared to other animal proteins. It also has high.... Protein Content: In general, turkey breast meat tends to be slightly higher in protein content compared to other animal proteins. It is also considered a complete protein, because it delivers all 8 essential amino acids that your body needs! Vitamins and Minerals: Turkey is a good source of essential vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium, and B vitamins, especially vitamin B12.

Beak

Turkeys typically have large, broad beaks - but the size and shape can vary.

Gallus gallus

Red Junglefowl or modern chicken

Gallus gallus is a ground-dwelling bird found across much of Southeast and parts of South Asia. The red junglefowl was the primary species to give rise to today's many breeds of domesticated chicken, called Gallus Gallus Domesticus.

Kingdom

After domain, organisms are grouped into kingdoms based on similarities in their cell structure, nutrition, and reproduction. The number of kingdoms can vary, but commonly recognized kingdoms include:

• Animalia (animals)
• Plantae (plants)
• Fungi (fungi)
• Protista (protists)
• Monera (single-celled organisms)

All turkeys, wild and domesticated, alive today descend from birds that originated in central Mexico.

Plumage

Turkeys come in a variety of plumage colors and patterns. A turkey's most distintictive feature is the wide, fanned tail found on males.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this activity, students will.... Remember:

• Be able to define the terms: Phenotype, Morphology, Taxonomy, species, Mitochondrial genome, Haplotype, Allele, Breed, Sub-species, Allopatric
• Identify binomial nomenclature

Understand:

• Explain the reason for taxonomic rankings
• Explain each level of taxonomic rank
• Read the basics of Phylogenetic trees
• Explain how DNA and evolution are mutually dependent fields of study
• Explain the difference between sub-species and breed
• Explain some ways that artificial selection and evolution are related but distinct genetic processes

Apply:

• Apply taxonomic rank to an animal of their choice

Analyze:

• Connect history to the study of evolution and genetics
• Connect human influence to the current state of the natural world

A wave of settlers from England in the 17th century brought turkeys with them back to North America. Remember, these turkeys came from the ones that Spanish settlers had originally taken from central America and Mexico. And just like that, the reintroduced birds hybridized with the American eastern wild turkey, and resulted in the ancestors to the modern turkeys used in Agriculture in North America today.

Genus

Plural: Genera

Families are divided into genera, which are groups of closely related species that share a common ancestor. Genera are typically more closely related than organisms grouped into the same family. For example, within the family Felidae, the genus Panthera includes lions, tigers, and leopards.

Genera group together species that have very recent common ancestors. For example, within the genus Panthera, which includes lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars, these big cats share a common ancestor more recently than with other members of the cat family.

Numida meleagris

Helmeted Guineafowl

Native to South-Saharan Africa. During European colonisation of North America, the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) was confused with this species. There are nine subspecies.

Gallus varius

Green Junglefowl

Most common in Indonesia, this species' males have green plumage. Some research suggests it is the most distantly related and the first to diverge at least 4 million years ago among the four species of the junglefowl.

Meleagris gallopavo

Turkey

When Spanish settlers came to South and Central America in the 15th century, they brought domesticated turkeys back with them to Europe.

Researchers believe that the species had spread to cover a wide range before 200AD, leading to different genetic subgroups in the overall turkey population.

Turkey History in its DNA

A 2019 study comparing the DNA of different turkey populations around the world found that domesticated turkeys in Mexico remain the most genetically diverse, both in terms of haplotype and nucleotide diversity, because those populations did not experience the bottleneck that the population taken to Europe did. When compared to other livestock, turkeys tend to have low nucleotide diversity. This could come from rapid population growth from only a small group of individuals isolated from other members of the species. Researchers suggest that the low nucleotide diversite could come from the isolated group that Spanish settlers brought back from what is now Mexico to Europe! In the USA, there is a large divergence in haplotypes compared to other populations. Researchers suggest that this comes from the re-introduction of turkeys from Europe to North American populations in the 17th century. Based on genetic testing, some researchers found that just two haplotypes are the main founder maternal lines of all domesticated turkeys! Haplotype = a group of alleles on a single stretch of DNA that are usually inherited together as a unit. Allele = a specific DNA sequence at a specific location.

Order

Classes are divided into orders, which group together related families. Orders typically share similar characteristics and evolutionary histories. For example, within the class Mammalia, the order Carnivora includes carnivorous mammals like cats and dogs.

Curriculum Connections

Biology, Grade 11:B. Diversity of Living Things

• B1. analyse the effects of various human activities on the diversity of living things;
• B2. investigate, through laboratory and/or field activities or through simulations, the principles of scientific classification, using appropriate sampling and classification techniques;
• B3. demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of living organisms in terms of the principles of taxonomy and phylogeny

C. Evolution

• C1. analyse the economic and environmental advantages and disadvantages of an artificial selection technology, and evaluate the impact of environmental changes on natural selection and endangered species;
• C2. investigate evolutionary processes, and analyse scientific evidence that supports the theory of evolution;
• C3. demonstrate an understanding of the theory of evolution, the evidence that supports it, and some of the mechanisms by which it occurs.

D. Genetic Processes

• D2.1 Use appropriate terminology related to genetic processes
• D3.2 explain the concepts of DNA, genes, chromosomes, alleles,
• D3.3 explain the concepts of genotype, phenotype

Biology, Grade 12: D. Molecular Genetics

• D2.1 use appropriate terminology related to molecular genetics,
• D3. demonstrate an understanding of concepts related to molecular genetics, and how genetic modification is applied in industry and agriculture.

F. Population Dynamics

• F2. investigate the characteristics of population growth, and use models to calculate the growth of populations within an ecosystem;
• F3. demonstrate an understanding of concepts related to population growth, and explain the factors that affect the growth of various populations of species.

Here is the phylogenetic tree showing even more of the Turkey’s evolutionary history! Can you find the turkey?

Species

This is the most specific taxonomic rank, where organisms share the most recent common ancestor. A species is a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring in nature. Species are often defined based on shared characteristics and genetic similarity. For example, all domestic cats belong to the species Felis catus and share a very recent common ancestor.

Gallus sonneratii

Gray Junglefowl

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this activity, students will.... Remember:

• Be able to define the terms: Phenotype, Morphology, Taxonomy, Species, Mitochondrial genome, Haplotype, Allele, Breed, Sub-species, Allopatric
• Identify binomial nomenclature

Understand:

• Explain the reason for taxonomic rankings
• Explain each level of taxonomic rank
• Read the basics of Phylogenetic trees
• Explain how DNA and evolution are mutually dependent fields of study
• Explain the difference between sub-species and breed
• Explain some ways that artificial selection and evolution are related but distinct genetic processes

Apply:

• Apply taxonomic rank to an animal of their choice

Analyze:

• Connect history to the study of evolution and genetics
• Connect human influence to the current state of the natural world

Phylum

(Plural phyla) Each kingdom is further divided into phyla. Phyla group organisms with similar body plans and structural characteristics. For example, within the animal kingdom, the phylum Chordata includes organisms with a spinal cord. All vertebrates (animals with backbones, phylum cordata) share a common ancestor.

There is archeological evidence of turkey domestication in Guatemala as early as 700 AD, meaning that the species had spread, and had been domesticated by humans, by that time. But the exact date of domestication is hard to determine.

Alectura lathami

Australian Brushturkey

Despite having 'turkey' in it's common name, this bird is not closely related to the North American Turkey.

Family

Orders are subdivided into families, which consist of groups of genera (singular: genus) that share more specific similarities. For example, within the order Carnivora, the family Felidae includes cats, while the family Ursidae includes Bears. Families contain organisms that are even more closely related. Within the family Felidae (cats), species like lions, tigers, and domestic cats share a common ancestor more recently than with other carnivores.

By the 17th century, turkeys had gained widespread popularity and spread on farms all over Europe, Africa, and many countries of the Middle East as an alternative to pork.

Domain

This is the highest taxonomic rank – or the broadest classification of life. It is based on cellular structure and molecular differences.

There are currently three recognized domains:

• Archaea: single celled organisms without a nucleus that often live in extreme environments
• Bacteria: single celled organisms without a nucleus
• Eukarya: organisms whose cells have a nucleus

Within each domain, organisms share more recent common ancestors. For example, within the Eukarya domain, plants and animals have a common ancestor, but it's more recent than the common ancestor they share with bacteria.

In North and South America, Turkey populations continued to flourish both wild and domesticated. For domesticated turkeys, there were two allopatric populations. Allopatric = separated geographically Allopatric Speciation = when a new species emerges because biological populations of the same species became geographically isolated/separated. The two groups begin to adapt to different environments, and become so genetically, morphologically, and phenotypically distinct that they become separate species. Allopatric speciation did not happen to the turkey – the two populations remained the same species even though they were isolated.

Crest or Wattle

Turkeys have crests or wattles on their heads.

Taxonomy and Common Ancestors

These taxonomic rankings provide a way to organize the diversity of life on Earth, allowing scientists to classify and study organisms systematically. As you move down the ranks, you get closer to specific groups of organisms with more recent common ancestors. Understanding taxonomic ranks in terms of common ancestors helps us see how different organisms are related to each other and how they've evolved over time.

Class

Phyla are further subdivided into classes based on additional similarities in anatomy, morphology, and embryology. For instance, within the class Mammalia (mammals), organisms share characteristics such as hair and mammary glands.

Breed vs Sub-species

While the species is still technically the smallest official taxonomic classification, we also know that many species have many different subgroups with distinct genetic, phenotypic, and morphological traits. The difference between a breed and a sub species is that a sub-species arises in nature. A breed is a result of artificial selection – or human intervention in the reproduction of a species.

Sub-species = a population of a species that has distinct morphology from other populations of the species. In nature, sub-species often develop because of one group becoming isolated from other populations.Breed = a group of domesticated animals within a species who have undergone a process of artificial selection to have specific traits.

Species without sub-species or breeds are called monotypic. All the populations in monotypic species exhibit the same genetic, phenotypic, and morphological traits.

Legs and Feet

Turkeys have thick, strong legs and large feet necessary to support their relatively heavier body weight when compared to other birds.

Shape

Head and Neck: Turkeys have a long slender necks and prominent heads. Their heads have a distinct fleshy protuberance called a "snood" hanging over their beak.

Turkey DNA Facts

A 2008 study analyzing the DNA of 57 different bird species in North America found an 83% similarity between the chicken and domesticated turkey’s mitochondrial genome. Mitochondrial genome = DNA Found in the mitochondria of every cell in an organism. This DNA is inherited directly from the organism’s mother. Since it only comes from one parent, it is useful for tracing direct genetic lineage.

The same study found that in the turkey mitochondrial genome sequence, the most frequent nucleotide in the heavy strand was adenine. In chickens, the most frequent nucleotide was cytosine. In the human mitochondrial genome, the most frequent nucleotide in the heavy strand is guanine!Heavy strand = The strand of DNA that has more of the larger and heavier purines (adenine and guanine) in its sequence, compared to the smaller and lighter pyrimidines (cytosine and thymine).

Read the study here