title: Ancient DNA from Nubian and Somali wild ass provides insights into donkey ancestry and domestication.
abstract: Genetic data from extant donkeys (Equus asinus) have revealed two distinct mitochondrial DNA haplogroups, suggestive of two separate domestication events in northeast Africa about 5000 years ago. Without distinct phylogeographic structure in domestic donkey haplogroups and with little information on the genetic makeup of the ancestral African wild ass, however, it has been difficult to identify wild ancestors and geographical origins for the domestic mitochondrial clades. Our analysis of ancient archaeological and historic museum samples provides the first genetic information on the historic Nubian wild ass (Equus africanus africanus), Somali wild ass (Equus africanus somaliensis) and ancient donkey. The results demonstrate that the Nubian wild ass was an ancestor of the first donkey haplogroup. In contrast, the Somali wild ass has considerable mitochondrial divergence from the Nubian wild ass and domestic donkeys. These findings resolve the long-standing issue of the role of the Nubian wild ass in the domestication of the donkey, but raise new questions regarding the second ancestor for the donkey. Our results illustrate the complexity of animal domestication, and have conservation implications for critically endangered Nubian and Somali wild ass.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, PO Box 103610, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
authors.forename: Birgitta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Fiona B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Shanyuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Sónia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rosenbom
authors.forename: Patricia D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Moehlman
authors.forename: Noreen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tuross
authors.forename: Richard C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Sabin
authors.forename: Joris
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barich
authors.forename: Hagos
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yohannes
authors.forename: Fanuel
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kebede
authors.forename: Redae
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Teclai
authors.forename: Albano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beja-Pereira
authors.forename: Connie J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Mulligan
mesh_terms: D000352:Africa, Northern; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D003710:Demography; D056727:Endangered Species; D018397:Equidae / Q000235:genetics*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial