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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

A Method of Trigonometric Modelling of Seasonal Variation Demonstrated with Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Data
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A Method of Trigonometric Modelling of Seasonal Variation Demonstrated with Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Data

Published on: December 9, 2015

Correlating Bayesian date estimates with climatic events and domestication using a bovine case study.

Simon Y W Ho1, Greger Larson, Ceiridwen J Edwards

  • 1Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. simon.ho@anu.edu.au

Biology Letters
|April 23, 2008
PubMed
Summary

New research uses ancient DNA to date cattle evolution, revealing domestication-associated population expansions occurred less than 12,000 years ago. This clarifies bovine evolutionary history and aids in distinguishing ancient population changes.

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Last Updated: Jul 5, 2026

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Published on: December 9, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Paleogenetics
  • Zoology

Background:

  • The Bovini tribe, including cattle, holds significant commercial and cultural importance.
  • Accurate evolutionary timescales are crucial for understanding population dynamics, such as post-glacial expansions versus domestication events.
  • Previous estimates of bovine divergence times were limited by a scarcity of reliable calibration points.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish a more precise evolutionary time scale for the Bovini tribe.
  • To differentiate between ancient population expansions related to glaciation and those linked to domestication.
  • To refine estimates of divergence times within bovine species.

Main Methods:

  • Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of 481 mitochondrial D-loop sequences.
  • Incorporation of 228 radiocarbon-dated ancient DNA sequences as internal calibration points.
  • Application of a multi-demographic coalescent model within a relaxed-clock framework.

Main Results:

  • Evidence of significant population expansions identified in taurine cattle, zebu cattle, European aurochs, and yak clades.
  • Divergence age estimates strongly support domestication-associated expansion times (under 12,000 years ago) for major cattle haplogroups.
  • Comparison of molecular and paleontological estimates for the Bison-Bos divergence was conducted.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides robust, internally calibrated divergence time estimates for Bovini.
  • Findings confirm that major cattle lineages expanded during the domestication period.
  • This research enhances our understanding of bovine evolutionary history and the impact of human activities.