Genetic analyses reveal independent domestication origins of Eurasian reindeer

Røed, Knut; Flagstad, Øystein; Nieminen, Mauri; Holand, Øystein; Dwyer, Mark J.; Røv, Nils; Vilà, Carles

doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.0332

Cited by 103 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(47 reference statements)

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“…Of the seven different subspecies of Rangifer tarandus (Banfield 1961), the Eurasian tundra reindeer (R t. tarandus) is by far the most common ancestor of the domesticated reindeer (Roed et al 2008). The domestication of reindeer has mainly included breeding for characteristics that make the animals easier to gather and handle, characteristics that also has importance for their reaction towards disturbances.…”

Section: Behavioural Traits Breeding and Domestication Of Reindeermentioning

confidence: 99%

Do human activity and infrastructure disturb domesticated reindeer? The need for the reindeer’s perspective

Skarin

Åhman

2014

Polar Biol

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In recent decades, human-Rangifer (reindeer and caribou) interactions have increasingly been studied from a scientific perspective. Many of the studies have examined Norwegian wild reindeer or caribou in North America. It is often questioned whether results from these studies can be applied to reindeer in managed herds, as these animals have been exposed to domestication and are also more used to humans. In order to examine the domesticated reindeer's reactions to various disturbance sources, we reviewed 18 studies of the effects of human activity and infrastructure on 12 populations of domesticated reindeer and compared these to studies on wild reindeer and caribou; based on this, we discuss the effects of domestication and tameness on reindeer responses to anthropogenic disturbance. We also consider the relevance of spatial and temporal scales and data collection methods when evaluating the results of these studies. The reviewed studies showed that domesticated reindeer exhibit avoidance behaviours up to 12 km away from infrastructure and sites of human activity and that the area they avoid may shift between seasons and years. Despite a long domestication process, reindeer within Sami reindeer-herding systems exhibit similar patterns of large-scale avoidance of anthropogenic disturbance as wild Rangifer, although the strength of their response may sometimes differ. This is not surprising since current Sami reindeer husbandry represents an extensive form of pastoralism, and the reindeer are not particularly tame. To obtain a true picture of how reindeer use their ranges, it is of fundamental importance to study the response pattern at a spatial and temporal scale that is relevant to the reindeer, whether domesticated or wild.

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Section: Behavioural Traits Breeding and Domestication Of Reindeermentioning

confidence: 99%

Do human activity and infrastructure disturb domesticated reindeer? The need for the reindeer’s perspective

Skarin

Åhman

2014

Polar Biol

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“…Unlike in Setesdal, the wild reindeer in Rondane are not considered to have originated from domestic stocks (Røed et al 2008), but rather are descendants of the original wild populations, and hunting and trapping are considered to have been a part of the local culture in the Rondane region throughout human history (Skogland 1986, Jordhøy 2008c. With strong roots in history, wild reindeer conservation was a key objective in the designation of Rondane as Norway's first national park in 1962 (Bråtå 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of wild reindeer as a flagship species in new management models in Norway

Kaltenborn¹,

Andersen²,

Gundersen³

2014

Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift - Norwegian Journal of Geography

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Wild reindeer are under pressure from human development projects throughout their habitat.Norway is currently making a significant move to establish a new management model based on national reindeer regions and regional management plans. A focus on wild reindeer as a flagship species allows the species to be included as a broad conservation objective in complex land-use plans. The authors surveyed a representative sample of residents in the Rondane and Setesdal regions to examine their perceptions of the current status of reindeer and how management relates to other social and development issues. Local actors and institutions, including hunters, were perceived as more responsible and suited to make decisions about reindeer population sizes and management objectives than non-local actors.There was little local consensus on the role of human impacts on wild reindeer, and residents rated local knowledge higher than scientific knowledge for management purposes. Rondane residents attached more importance to reindeer than Setesdal residents, but the latter saw reindeer as more threatened by human development. New management approaches will need to take a social-ecological perspective and recognize that the inclusion of reindeer can enhance broader conservation goals at regional, national, and international levels, but may also escalate local social conflicts.

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“…Recent genetic studies indicate multiple independent domestication events in extant Rangifer populations in northern Europe [123], and standard zooarchaeological techniques may therefore not be able to readily detect incipient or small-scale reindeer herd management. Reindeer hunting and reindeer herding have much in common from an ecological perspective [124].…”

Section: Archaeological Signatures Of Human Niche Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptation and niche construction in human prehistory: a case study from the southern Scandinavian Late Glacial

Riede

2011

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The niche construction model postulates that human bio-social evolution is composed of three inheritance domains, genetic, cultural and ecological, linked by feedback selection. This paper argues that many kinds of archaeological data can serve as proxies for human niche construction processes, and presents a method for investigating specific niche construction hypotheses. To illustrate this method, the repeated emergence of specialized reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) hunting/herding economies during the Late Palaeolithic (ca 14.7-11.5 kyr BP) in southern Scandinavia is analysed from a niche construction/triple-inheritance perspective. This economic relationship resulted in the eventual domestication of Rangifer. The hypothesis of whether domestication was achieved as early as the Late Palaeolithic, and whether this required the use of domesticated dogs (Canis familiaris) as hunting, herding or transport aids, is tested via a comparative analysis using material culture-based phylogenies and ecological datasets in relation to demographic/genetic proxies. Only weak evidence for sustained niche construction behaviours by prehistoric hunter-gatherer in southern Scandinavia is found, but this study nonetheless provides interesting insights into the likely processes of dog and reindeer domestication, and into processes of adaptation in Late Glacial foragers.

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Genetic analyses reveal independent domestication origins of Eurasian reindeer

Cited by 103 publications

References 37 publications

Do human activity and infrastructure disturb domesticated reindeer? The need for the reindeer’s perspective

Do human activity and infrastructure disturb domesticated reindeer? The need for the reindeer’s perspective

The role of wild reindeer as a flagship species in new management models in Norway

Adaptation and niche construction in human prehistory: a case study from the southern Scandinavian Late Glacial

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