A Partial African Ancestry for the Creole Cattle Populations of the Caribbean

Abstract

Seventy-eight cattle samples from three Creole Caribbean islands and one Brazilian breed were analyzed for sequence variation in the hypervariable segment of the mitochondrial DNA control region. Seventy-three samples displayed Bos taurus haplotypes, and five samples exhibited haplotypes that were of Bos indicus ancestry. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all sampled B. taurus sequences fell into two distinct clusters with separate African and European origins. European sequences were encountered in each population; however, the distribution of African haplotypes was uneven, with the highest proportion of African influence found in the Guadeloupe Creole. The reduced levels of African haplotypic variation within the Caribbean and Brazilian are consistent with prior founder effects. Additionally, genetic variation at three microsatellite loci illustrated African influence uniquely in the Guadeloupe Creole. Collectively, the data suggest that this African influence is, at least in part, attributable to the historical importation of African cattle to the Americas. Furthermore, alleles of B. indicus ancestry were detected at appreciable frequencies in all Caribbean Creole populations and may reflect zebu introgressions from either West Africa or the Indian subcontinent.

Interrogation of modern and ancient genomes reveals the complex domestic history of cattle

“…However, this finding does not preclude the direct importations of African cattle to the region. Indeed, genetic studies have revealed the presence of zebu-specific STR alleles sans zebu mtDNA sequences, a feature of African zebu populations, within modern Caribbean populations, thus supporting West African zebu cattle importations to the Americas (Magee et al, 2002;Liron et al, 2006). This is further supported by phylogenetic analyses of New World cattle involving STR markers, which demonstrate that African zebu and taurine cattle contributed significant genetic components of modern American cattle Martinez et al, 2012).…”

“…More recent Indian zebu genetic influence in New World populations is supported by several lines of evidence including mtDNA (Magee et al, 2002;Paneto et al, 2008), Y chromosome microsatellites (Giovambattista et al, 2000), and autosomal STR and SNP genetic markers (Liron et al, 2006;Egito et al, 2007;Achilli et al, 2009;McTavish et al, 2013). Interestingly, McTavish et al (2013) suggest that the zebu ancestry observed in New World cattle may have originated, in part, from the founding Iberian cattle of the Americas; however, the lack of zebu ancestry in Iberian cattle has led Decker and colleagues (2014) to refute this and propose that zebu introgression in the Americas occurred after the arrival of Iberian cattle in the New World.…”

“…These studies have revealed the predominance of European T3 haplogroup sequences in these populations with varying, yet considerable, frequencies of sequences belonging to the T1 haplogroup. Of note, the derivative T1 haplotype, T1c1a1, which is only sporadically encountered in Iberian populations, has been detected at frequencies of 31% in the populations of the Caribbean Lesser Antilles islands and 50% in modern Brazilian Criollo populations (Figure 2; Magee et al, 2002;Carvajal-Carmona et al, 2003;Mirol et al, 2003;Miretti et al, 2004;Ginja et al, 2010).…”

New World cattle show ancestry from multiple independent domestication events

“…Some African mtDNA haplotypes and microsatellite alleles are also found in Creole (Caribbean) and Brazilian cattle (33). Although some references suggest that cattle may have been brought directly from West Africa to the Caribbean and South America as part of the slave trade, there is no direct historical evidence for this hypothesis (12).…”

Phylogenetic Analysis of Korean Black Cattle Based on the Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Gene

“…첫째는 Fertile Crescent 지역에서 발생한 T haplogroup (B. taurus 계열), 둘째는 Indus Valley에서 발생한 혹이 있는 I haplogroup (B. indicus 계열)이다. T haplogroup 은 mtDNA D-loop 분석에 의해 특징적인 지역적 분포를 나타 내는 5개 sub-haplogroup(T-T5)으로 나눠지며 [2,20,32], I haplogroup은 T haplogroup과 다른 유전적 양상을 보이며 I1, I2 등 2개의 sub-haplogroup으로 분류된다 [3].…”