中国地方绵羊品种资源丰富,部分品种具有繁殖力高、毛皮品质好、多角、多乳头、大尾脂、抗逆性强等独特性状,这些遗传资源引起了学者们对其进行深入研究的兴趣,但目前仍然存在绵羊起源问题的争议,缺乏对我国绵羊的遗传多样性进行全面系统研究等问题。本文综述了绵羊起源、品种分化等方面的研究进展,并从父系、母系、常染色体分子标记等不同层面介绍了中国绵羊遗传多样性的研究概况,为中国绵羊遗传资源的保护和利用、绵羊新品种(系)的培育以及我国绵羊产业良性发展提供参考。

China has a rich resource of native sheep breeds, some of which possess specific traits such as prolificacy, excellent lamb pelts, multiple horns, fat tails and strong stress resistance. All these have been the focus of research. However, there is still a controversy about the origin of sheep breeds and a lack of comprehensive and systematic studies on genetic diversity of Chinese native sheep. In this review, we summarize recent research advances on the origin, evolution and genetic diversity of Chinese native sheep breeds based on paternal, maternal, and autosomal markers. This review will provide useful information for the conservation and utilization of sheep genetic resources, breeding of new sheep breeds and the sustainable development of Chinese sheep industry.