On the origin of cattle: How aurochs became cattle and colonized the world

Ajmone‐Marsan, Paolo; Garcia, José Fernando; Lenstra, Johannes A.

doi:10.1002/evan.20267

Cited by 206 publications

(184 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…The finding of two separate domestication events, one for taurine (Bos taurus) and one for zebu (Bos indicus) cattle [4,5], corresponded with the archaeological record. The exclusive presence of taurine mtDNA in African zebu [4] indicated that zebu was introduced into Africa by male introgression alone and demonstrated the unique contribution of mtDNA analysis to the reconstruction of agricultural history.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Meta-Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Reveals Several Population Bottlenecks during Worldwide Migrations of Cattle

et al. 2014

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Several studies have investigated the differentiation of mitochondrial DNA in Eurasian, African and American cattle as well as archaeological bovine material. A global survey of these studies shows that haplogroup distributions are more stable in time than in space. All major migrations of cattle have shifted the haplogroup distributions considerably with a reduction of the number of haplogroups and/or an expansion of haplotypes that are rare or absent in the ancestral populations. The most extreme case is the almost exclusive colonization of Africa by the T1 haplogroup, which is rare in Southwest Asian cattle. In contrast, ancient samples invariably show continuity with present-day cattle from the same location. These findings indicate strong maternal founder effects followed by limited maternal gene flow when new territories are colonized. However, effects of adaptation to new environments may also play a role.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Meta-Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Reveals Several Population Bottlenecks during Worldwide Migrations of Cattle

et al. 2014

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“…Although intensive artificial selection has shaped cattle during recent centuries, domesticated cattle are derived from large-bodied, sexuallydimorphic aurochs (Bos primigenius) [42][43]. Among beef cattle, several small studies have revealed sex-biased milk production that favors sons [44], favors daughters [45], or no sex-biases [46].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Holsteins Favor Heifers, Not Bulls: Biased Milk Production Programmed during Pregnancy as a Function of Fetal Sex

Hinde

Carpenter

Clay

et al. 2014

Preprint

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Mammalian females pay high energetic costs for reproduction, the greatest of which is imposed by lactation. The synthesis of milk requires, in part, the mobilization of bodily reserves to nourish developing young. Numerous hypotheses have been advanced to predict how mothers will differentially invest in sons and daughters, however few studies have addressed sexbiased milk synthesis. Here we leverage the dairy cow model to investigate such phenomena. Using 2.39 million lactation records from 1.49 million dairy cows, we demonstrate that the sex of the fetus influences the capacity of the mammary gland to synthesize milk during lactation. Cows favor daughters, producing significantly more milk for daughters than for sons across lactation. Using a sub-sample of this dataset (N = 113,750 subjects) we further demonstrate that the effects of fetal sex interact dynamically across parities, whereby the sex of the fetus being gestated can enhance or diminish the production of milk during an established lactation. Moreover the sex of the fetus gestated on the first parity has persistent consequences for milk synthesis on the subsequent parity. Specifically, gestation of a daughter on the first parity increases milk production by ,445 kg over the first two lactations. Our results identify a dramatic and sustained programming of mammary function by offspring in utero. Nutritional and endocrine conditions in utero are known to have pronounced and long-term effects on progeny, but the ways in which the progeny has sustained physiological effects on the dam have received little attention to date.

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“…In addition, since their domestication, they have played a major role in human culture by participating in fighting games, racing and religious ceremonies. Because of the animal's size, the husbandry of cattle requires a more organized management than the keeping of other livestock, which may well have made a major contribution to the growing complexity and stratification of early agricultural societies [1]. As with other domestic species, their dispersal over different continents and adaptation to various environments has led to the development of many types of cattle [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of the animal's size, the husbandry of cattle requires a more organized management than the keeping of other livestock, which may well have made a major contribution to the growing complexity and stratification of early agricultural societies [1]. As with other domestic species, their dispersal over different continents and adaptation to various environments has led to the development of many types of cattle [1]. This wide variety of characteristics evolved over thousands of years, but was accentuated by the development of well defined, specialized and genetically isolated breeds during the last centuries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Breeds of Cattle—Historic and Current Classifications

Felius¹,

et al. 2011

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Classification of cattle breeds contributes to our understanding of the history of cattle and is essential for an effective conservation of genetic diversity. Here we review the various classifications over the last two centuries and compare the most recent classifications with genetic data. The classifications devised during the 19th to the late 20th century were in line with the Linnaean taxonomy and emphasized cranial or horn morphology. Subsequent classifications were based on coat color, geographic origin or molecular markers. Several theories were developed that linked breed characteristics either to a supposed ancestral aurochs subspecies or to a presumed ethnic origin. Most of the older classifications have now been discarded, but have introduced several Latin terms that are still in use. The most consistent classification was proposed in 1995 by Felius and emphasizes the geographic origin of breeds. This is largely in agreement with the breed clusters indicated by a biochemical and molecular genetic analysis, which reflect either groups of breeds with a common geographic origin or single breeds that have expanded by export and/or crossbreeding. We propose that this information is also relevant for managing the genetic diversity of cattle.

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On the origin of cattle: How aurochs became cattle and colonized the world

Cited by 206 publications

References 78 publications

Meta-Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Reveals Several Population Bottlenecks during Worldwide Migrations of Cattle

Meta-Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Reveals Several Population Bottlenecks during Worldwide Migrations of Cattle

Holsteins Favor Heifers, Not Bulls: Biased Milk Production Programmed during Pregnancy as a Function of Fetal Sex

On the Breeds of Cattle—Historic and Current Classifications

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