Temporal and structural genetic variation in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) associated with the pastoral transition in Northwestern Siberia

Abstract

Just as the domestication of livestock is often cited as a key element in the Neolithic transition to settled, the emergence of large‐scaled reindeer husbandry was a fundamental social transformation for the indigenous peoples of Arctic Eurasia. To better understand the history of reindeer domestication, and the genetic processes associated with the pastoral transition in the Eurasian Arctic, we analyzed archaeological and contemporary reindeer samples from Northwestern Siberia. The material represents Rangifer genealogies spanning from 15,000 years ago to the 18th century, as well as modern samples from the wild Taĭmyr population and from domestic herds managed by Nenetses. The wild and the domestic population are the largest populations of their kind in Northern Eurasia, and some Nenetses hold their domestic reindeer beside their wild cousins. Our analyses of 197 modern and 223 ancient mitochondrial DNA sequences revealed two genetic clusters, which are interpreted as representing the gene pools of contemporary domestic and past wild reindeer. Among a total of 137 different mitochondrial haplotypes identified in both the modern and archaeological samples, only 21 were detected in the modern domestic gene pool, while 11 of these were absent from the wild gene pool. The significant temporal genetic shift that we associate with the pastoral transition suggests that the emergence and spread of reindeer pastoralism in Northwestern Siberia originated with the translocation and subsequent selective breeding of a special type of animal from outside the region. The distinct and persistent domestic characteristics of the haplotype structure since the 18th century suggests little genetic exchange since then. The absence of the typical domestic clade in modern nearby wild populations suggests that the contemporary Nenets domestic breed feature an ancestry from outside its present main distribution, possibly from further South.

Historical and social–cultural processes as drivers for genetic structure in Nordic domestic reindeer

“…Most of these introduced haplotypes belonged to haplotype cluster II and Ib, which, as seen in this study, became the dominant haplotypes in most Nordic domestic herds. The growth of the Nordic domestic reindeer population from a limited number of maternal lineages is similar to the pattern recently reported for the large Nenets domestic reindeer population in Northwestern Siberia, (Røed et al, 2020). However, the Nenets domestic reindeer was characterized by dominance of CR cluster Ie haplotypes which seems to be absent among Nordic domestic reindeer.…”

Modern Siberian dog ancestry was shaped by several thousand years of Eurasian-wide trade and human dispersal

“…Over the last 7,000 y, however, the evolutionary history of Siberian dogs has been influenced by multiple introductions of dogs from the Eurasian Steppe and Western Eurasia and little to no gene flow from East Asian dogs. Some of these introductions coincide with periods of major transformations within Northwest Siberian societies, including the introduction of metallurgy to the Arctic ( 15 ), the advent of the use of reindeer for transportation ∼2 kya, and the rise of reindeer pastoralism ∼800 y ago ( 26 ). Altogether, this suggests that these profound transformations in Northwest Siberia were linked with the importation of material culture (including dogs) from neighboring regions through the establishment of large-scale trade networks.…”

Reindeer Imagery in the Making at Ust’-Polui in Arctic Siberia

“…The Iamal-Nenets region is a global centre of reindeer pastoralism (Klokov 2011), and in turn has been the focus of significant research on reindeer domestication (Anderson et al 2019; Fedorova 2000; 2006; Golovnev 1995; Golovnev et al 2016; Gusev et al 2016; Krupnik 1993; Losey et al 2020a; Nomokonova et al 2018; Røed et al 2020; Stépanoff 2017). Several lines of evidence have been used to suggest that reindeer domestication and transport first emerged in the region around 2200 years ago.…”

“…Further, geoarchaeological research at Iarte VI on the central Iamal peninsula suggests small herds were kept near this site by roughly this same time (Anderson et al 2019). Genetic analysis of archaeological reindeer remains indicates that contemporary domestic reindeer arrived in the region sometime between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries ce (Røed et al 2020). These reindeer seem to have mostly originated from a non-local population.…”

“…These reindeer seem to have mostly originated from a non-local population. This genetic transition likely reflects the early emergence of large scale reindeer pastoralism rather than the initial appearance of domestic reindeer in Iamal (Røed et al 2020). The earliest historic records from Iamal, which are from the seventeenth century, indicate that domestic herds were moderate in size and were used mostly for transport and sacrifice (Krupnik 1993; Stépanoff 2017).…”