The present study focused on the variations of morphological and cerebellar histological structures of five strains of adult male Columba livia domestica (n = 5) and their genetic polymorphism using RAPD-PCR technique to differentiate between them and find the best strains that can adapt to different circumstances. In each strain, the beak length and the eye diameter were measured in relation to the head length. Specimens of the cerebellum were fixed and processed for histological investigations. The thickness of the cerebellar cortex layers and the numbers of Purkinje cells was determined. For genetic polymorphism, 20 RAPD primers were used to determine the genetic diversity between the studied strains. Balady strain could express the best adaptation if subjected to feed restrictions; however, its low Purkinje cells number may reveal its low cognitive ability compared to the other studied strains. Primers OPA- 1, OPA-3, and OPA-6 are the best used primers to differentiate between the studied strains. The highest similarity coefficient was detected between Halaby and Gamey strains, while, Balady strain was completely separated and independent. In conclusion, in addition to the morphological and histological variations between studied strains, the RAPD markers are recommended as a valuable tool to verify the genetic polymorphism of Columba livia domestica strains.
Key words: cerebellar histology, genetic diversity, pigeons, random amplified polymorphic DNA.
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