The genomic legacy of aurochs hybridisation in ancient and modern Iberian cattle
Cattle ( Bos taurus ) play an important role in the life of humans in the Iberian Peninsula not just as a food source but also in cultural events. When domestic cattle were first introduced to Iberia, wild aurochs ( Bos primigenius ) were still present, leaving ample opportunity for mating (whether intended by farmers or not). Using a temporal bioarchaeological dataset covering eight millennia, we trace gene flow between the two groups. Our results show frequent hybridisation during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic, likely reflecting a mix of hunting and herding or relatively unmanaged herds, with mostly male aurochs and female domestic cattle involved. This is supported by isotopic evidence consistent with ecological niche sharing, with only a few domestic cattle possibly being managed. The proportion of aurochs ancestry in domestic cattle remains relatively constant from about 4000 years ago, probably due to herd management and selection against first generation hybrids, coinciding with other cultural transitions. The constant level of wild ancestry (~20%) continues into modern Western European breeds including Iberian cattle selected for aggressiveness and fighting ability. This study illuminates the genomic impact of human actions and wild introgression in the establishment of cattle as one of the most important domestic species today.
Authors
- Rebeca García‐González (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1035-6655)
- O. Cortés (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7685-3980)
- Marta Moreno García (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6735-9355)
- Irène Ureña (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9724-9977)
- Cristina Valdiosera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4948-2226)
- Anders Götherström (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8579-1304)
- Alfonso Alday Ruiz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0024-3462)
- Eneko Iriarte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8365-5616)
- Íñigo García-Martínez de Lagrán (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2411-8228)
- Torsten Günther (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9460-390X)
- Cristina Tejedor Rodríguez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3156-0866)
- Amalia Pérez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9500-3236)
- Paulina G. Eusebi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0682-038X)
- Juan Luís Arsuaga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5361-2295)
- Colin Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5901-8780)
- José Miguel Carretero (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0409-8087)
- Jacob Chisausky
- Manuel Ángel Rojo Guerra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9317-8654)
- Ángeles M Galindo-Pellicena
Institutions
- Universidad de Valladolid (ES)
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ES)
- Uppsala University (SE)
- University of the Basque Country (ES)
- La Trobe University (AU)
- Instituto de Historia (ES)
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (ES)
- Centre for Palaeogenetics (SE)
- Universidad de Burgos (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- eLife
- Published
- 2025-03-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.93076.3
- Primary Topic
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Vetenskapsrådet
- European Regional Development Fund