The clear phylogeographical structure of European goats
probably reflects the style of husbandry. In contrast to the
situation of sheep and cattle and with the exception of the
widespread use of Swiss dairy animals, goats are of more
limited economic importance, and breeding has remained
largely a local affair.
In the Econogene dataset, Western Europe was only
partially represented. Comparison with Asian and African
breeds will probably define additional clusters of breeds. We
conclude that further molecular analyses of autosomal and
Y-chromosomal diversity of goats offer excellent perspectives
to retrieve the history of their domestication and
subsequent migrations.