Notes on the Domestication of Reindeer

Mirov, N. T.

doi:10.1525/aa.1945.47.3.02a00030

Cited by 37 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…In contrast, the Tungusic-speaking populations are likely to have originated not in the Lake Baikal area, as suggested previously [87], but in the Amur region [88]. Some of these recent expansions from southern to northern Siberia may have been driven by the advent of pastoralism, especially reindeer domestication, which is known in South Siberia from around 3,000 ya [56][57][58][59].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…The populations of southern Siberia are mainly pastoralists who speak Turkic (Altaians and Tuvans) or Mongolic languages (Buryats). Evidence for the use of domesticated animals (cattle, sheep, goats and horses) in this region goes back to the Neolithic [56][57][58][59]. The results of the ADMIXTURE analysis for the populations of South Siberia are striking ( Fig.1) and reveal the important role played by the Sayan and Altai Mountains in the human history of Siberia: all of the ancestry components found across Siberia are represented here (cf.…”

Section: South Siberia (Altaians Tuvans and Buryats)mentioning

confidence: 97%

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The complex admixture history and recent southern origins of Siberian populations

Pugach

Matveev

Спицын

et al. 2015

Preprint

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Although Siberia was inhabited by modern humans at an early stage, there is still debate over whether this area remained habitable during the extremely cold period of the Last Glacial Maximum or whether it was subsequently repopulated by peoples with a recent shared ancestry. Previous studies of the genetic history of Siberian populations were hampered by the extensive admixture that appears to have taken place among these populations, since commonly used methods assume a tree-like population history and at most single admixture events. We therefore developed a new method based on the covariance of ancestry components, which we validated with simulated data, in order to investigate this potentially complex admixture history and to distinguish the effects of shared ancestry from prehistoric migrations and contact. We furthermore adapted a previously Author SummaryWe developed a new method that lets us disentangle complex admixture events and date the individual episodes of gene flow. We applied this method to a large dataset of genome-wide SNP genotypes from a linguistically diverse sample of populations covering the extent of Siberia. Our results demonstrate that these populations have been in intense contact with each other, with most of them carrying more than two, and up to six different ancestries. 2. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder. It is made available under a The copyright holder for this preprint (which was . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/018770 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Apr. 30, 2015; Nevertheless, as shown by the dates we estimate, these various admixture events have taken place over a relatively short time, with the oldest dating to not more than 4500 years ago.Our results emphasize the enormous impact that contact has had on the genetic history of these Siberian populations, and the methods developed here will be of use in the investigation of admixture events in populations around the world.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: South Siberia (Altaians Tuvans and Buryats)mentioning

confidence: 97%

The complex admixture history and recent southern origins of Siberian populations

Pugach

Matveev

Спицын

et al. 2015

Preprint

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“…This is supported by a simulation study demonstrating that such backcrosses may have been common for several domestic species, contributing to their high genetic diversity ( Vilà et al 2005). Active management of reindeer herds-for example, the use of leading fences or enclosures and corrals for handling animals-can be tracked for a few thousand years (Mirov 1945;Aronsson 1991). This could explain the high genetic diversity observed in domestic herds and their similarity to the local wild populations.…”

Section: Fennoscandia (Model G) Further Division Of the Datamentioning

confidence: 96%

Genetic analyses reveal independent domestication origins of Eurasian reindeer

Røed

Flagstad

Nieminen³

et al. 2008

Proc. R. Soc. B.

108

122

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Although there is little doubt that the domestication of mammals was instrumental for the modernization of human societies, even basic features of the path towards domestication remain largely unresolved for many species. Reindeer are considered to be in the early phase of domestication with wild and domestic herds still coexisting widely across Eurasia. This provides a unique model system for understanding how the early domestication process may have taken place. We analysed mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellites in domestic and wild herds throughout Eurasia to address the origin of reindeer herding and domestication history. Our data demonstrate independent origins of domestic reindeer in Russia and Fennoscandia. This implies that the Saami people of Fennoscandia domesticated their own reindeer independently of the indigenous cultures in western Russia. We also found that augmentation of local reindeer herds by crossing with wild animals has been common. However, some wild reindeer populations have not contributed to the domestic gene pool, suggesting variation in domestication potential among populations. These differences may explain why geographically isolated indigenous groups have been able to make the technological shift from mobile hunting to large-scale reindeer pastoralism independently.

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“…Interestingly, knowledge about changes in behavioural traits related to wildness and tameness is lacking, often due to the extinction of the wild parent stock (Clutton‐Brock, 1987). Reindeer were only recently domesticated by humans, with extensive control of specific herds first evolving during the 16th and 17th centuries (Mirov, 1945). Today, almost 50% of the approximate 3 million reindeer in the Old World are wild animals, and wild and domestic herds are managed in close coexistence (Reimers & Klein, 1979).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistence of vigilance and flight response behaviour in wild reindeer with varying domestic ancestry

Reimers

Røed

Colman

2012

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Knowledge about changes in behavioural traits related to wildness and tameness is for most mammals lacking, despite the increased trend of using domestic stock to re‐establish wild populations into historical ranges. To test for persistence of behavioural traits of wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) exposed to hunting, we sampled DNA, vigilance and flight responses in wild reindeer herds with varying domestic ancestry. Analyses of 14 DNA microsatellite loci revealed a dichotomous main genetic structure reflecting their native origin, with the Rondane reindeer genetically different from the others and with least differentiation towards the Hardangervidda reindeer. The genetic clustering of the reindeer in Norefjell‐Reinsjøfjell, Ottadalen and Forollhogna, together with domestic reindeer, supports a predominant domestic origin of these herds. Despite extensive hunting in all herds, the behavioural measures indicate increasing vigilance, alert and flight responses with increasing genetic dissimilarity with domestic herds. Vigilance frequency and time spent vigilant were higher in Rondane compared to Hardangervidda, which again were higher than herds with a domestic origin. We conclude that previous domestication has preserved a hard wired behavioural trait in some reindeer herds exhibiting less fright responses towards humans that extensive hunting has, but only slightly, altered. This brings novel and relevant knowledge to discussions about genetic diversity of wildlife in general and wild reindeer herds in Norway in specific.

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Notes on the Domestication of Reindeer

Cited by 37 publications

References 2 publications

The complex admixture history and recent southern origins of Siberian populations

The complex admixture history and recent southern origins of Siberian populations

Genetic analyses reveal independent domestication origins of Eurasian reindeer

Persistence of vigilance and flight response behaviour in wild reindeer with varying domestic ancestry

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