Mitochondrial DNA analysis shows a Near Eastern Neolithic origin for domestic cattle and no indication of domestication of European aurochs.
The extinct aurochs (Bos primigenius primigenius) was a large type of cattle that ranged over almost the whole Eurasian continent. The aurochs is the wild progenitor of modern cattle, but it is unclear whether European aurochs contributed to this process. To provide new insights into the demographic history of aurochs and domestic cattle, we have generated high-confidence mitochondrial DNA sequences from 59 archaeological skeletal finds, which were attributed to wild European cattle populations based on their chronological date and/or morphology. All pre-Neolithic aurochs belonged to the previously designated P haplogroup, indicating that this represents the Late Glacial Central European signature. We also report one new and highly divergent haplotype in a Neolithic aurochs sample from Germany, which points to greater variability during the Pleistocene. Furthermore, the Neolithic and Bronze Age samples that were classified with confidence as European aurochs using morphological criteria all carry P haplotype mitochondrial DNA, suggesting continuity of Late Glacial and Early Holocene aurochs populations in Europe. Bayesian analysis indicates that recent population growth gives a significantly better fit to our data than a constant-sized population, an observation consistent with a postglacial expansion scenario, possibly from a single European refugial population. Previous work has shown that most ancient and modern European domestic cattle carry haplotypes previously designated T. This, in combination with our new finding of a T haplotype in a very Early Neolithic site in Syria, lends persuasive support to a scenario whereby gracile Near Eastern domestic populations, carrying predominantly T haplotypes, replaced P haplotype-carrying robust autochthonous aurochs populations in Europe, from the Early Neolithic onward. During the period of coexistence, it appears that domestic cattle were kept separate from wild aurochs and introgression was extremely rare.
Edwards
Ceiridwen J
CJ
Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Bollongino
Ruth
R
Scheu
Amelie
A
Chamberlain
Andrew
A
Tresset
Anne
A
Vigne
Jean-Denis
JD
Baird
Jillian F
JF
Larson
Greger
G
Ho
Simon Y W
SY
Heupink
Tim H
TH
Shapiro
Beth
B
Freeman
Abigail R
AR
Thomas
Mark G
MG
Arbogast
Rose-Marie
RM
Arndt
Betty
B
Bartosiewicz
László
L
Benecke
Norbert
N
Budja
Mihael
M
Chaix
Louis
L
Choyke
Alice M
AM
Coqueugniot
Eric
E
Döhle
Hans-Jürgen
HJ
Göldner
Holger
H
Hartz
Sönke
S
Helmer
Daniel
D
Herzig
Barabara
B
Hongo
Hitomi
H
Mashkour
Marjan
M
Ozdogan
Mehmet
M
Pucher
Erich
E
Roth
Georg
G
Schade-Lindig
Sabine
S
Schmölcke
Ulrich
U
Schulting
Rick J
RJ
Stephan
Elisabeth
E
Uerpmann
Hans-Peter
HP
Vörös
István
I
Voytek
Barbara
B
Bradley
Daniel G
DG
Burger
Joachim
J
D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D002417:Cattle / Q000235:genetics*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D005060:Europe; D006239:Haplotypes; D049690:History, Ancient; D008877:Middle East; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial