Evidence for early domestic yak, taurine cattle, and their hybrids on the Tibetan Plateau.

ABSTRACT: Domestic yak, cattle, and their hybrids are fundamental to herder survival at high altitudes on the Tibetan Plateau. However, little is known about their history. Bos remains are uncommon in this region, and ancient domestic yak have not been securely identified. To identify Bos taxa and investigate their initial management, we conducted zooarchaeological analyses of 193 Bos specimens and sequenced five nuclear genomes from recently excavated assemblages at Bangga. Morphological data indicated that more cattle than yak were present. Ancient mitochondrial DNA and nuclear genome sequences identified taurine cattle and provided evidence for domestic yak and yak-cattle hybridization ~2500 years ago. Reliance on diverse Bos species and their hybrid has increased catt

SUBMITTER: Chen N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10848728 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature