Cattle domestication in the Near East was followed by hybridization with aurochs bulls in Europe

Domesticated cattle were one of the cornerstones of European Neolithisation and are thought to have been introduced to Europe from areas of aurochs domestication in the Near East. This is consistent with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data, where a clear separation exists between modern European cattle a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2005-11, Vol.272 (1579), p.2345-2350
Main Authors: Gotherstrom, A, Anderung, C, Hellborg, L, Elburg, R, Smith, C, Bradley, D.G, Ellegren, H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ancient Dna
animal breeding
Animal domestication
Animals
Animals, Domestic - genetics
Animals, Domestic - physiology
Biologi
Biology
Bones
Breeding - history
Cattle
Cattle - genetics
Cattle - physiology
Cattle/genetics/physiology
Cell and molecular biology
Cell- och molekylärbiologi
DNA
DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics
domestic animals
Domestication
Europe
Evolution, Molecular
Evolutionary genetics
Genetic hybridization
Genetic Variation
Genetics
Genetik
Haplotypes
Haplotypes - genetics
History, Ancient
hybridization
Hybridization, Genetic
Male
Middle East
Mitochondrial DNA
NATURAL SCIENCES
NATURVETENSKAP
oxen
paternal effect
Phylogeny
Variation (Genetics)
wild animals
Wild Ox
Y Chromosome
Y Chromosome - genetics
Zebu
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Summary:Domesticated cattle were one of the cornerstones of European Neolithisation and are thought to have been introduced to Europe from areas of aurochs domestication in the Near East. This is consistent with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data, where a clear separation exists between modern European cattle and ancient specimens of British aurochsen. However, we show that Y chromosome haplotypes of north European cattle breeds are more similar to haplotypes from ancient specimens of European aurochsen, than to contemporary cattle breeds from southern Europe and the Near East. There is a sharp north-south gradient across Europe among modern cattle breeds in the frequencies of two distinct Y chromosome haplotypes; the northern haplotype is found in 20 out of 21 European aurochsen or early domestic cattle dated 9500-1000 BC. This indicates that local hybridization with male aurochsen has left a paternal imprint on the genetic composition of modern central and north European breeds. Surreptitious mating between aurochs bulls and domestic cows may have been hard to avoid, or may have occurred intentionally to improve the breeding stock. Rather than originating from a few geographical areas only, as indicated by mtDNA, our data suggest that the origin of domestic cattle may be far more complex than previously thought.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2005.3243