Abstract
BackgroundThe donkey (Equus asinus) is an important domestic animal that provides a reliable source of protein and method of transportation for many human populations. However, the process of domestication and the dispersal routes of the Chinese donkey are still unclear, as donkey remains are sparse in the archaeological record and often confused with horse remains. To explore the maternal origins and dispersal route of Chinese donkeys, both mitochondrial DNA D-loop and cytochrome b gene fragments of 21 suspected donkey remains from four archaeological sites in China were amplified and sequenced.ResultsMolecular methods of species identification show that 17 specimens were donkeys and three samples had the maternal genetic signature of horses. One sample that dates to about 20,000 years before present failed to amplify. In this study, the phylogenetic analysis reveals that ancient Chinese donkeys have high mitochondrial DNA diversity and two distinct mitochondrial maternal lineages, known as the Somali and Nubian lineages. These results indicate that the maternal origin of Chinese domestic donkeys was probably related to the African wild ass, which includes the Nubian wild ass (Equus africanus africanus) and the Somali wild ass (Equus africanus somaliensis). Combined with historical records, the results of this study implied that domestic donkeys spread into west and north China before the emergence of the Han dynasty. The number of Chinese domestic donkeys had increased primarily to meet demand for the expansion of trade, and they were likely used as commodities or for shipping goods along the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty, when the Silk Road reached its golden age.ConclusionsThis study is the first to provide valuable ancient animal DNA evidence for early trade between African and Asian populations. The ancient DNA analysis of Chinese donkeys also sheds light on the dynamic process of the maternal origin, domestication, and dispersal route of ancient Chinese donkeys.
Highlights
The donkey (Equus asinus) is an important domestic animal that provides a reliable source of protein and method of transportation for many human populations
The goal of this study is to investigate the genetic structure of ancient Chinese donkeys and to explore the maternal origin and domestic history of Chinese domestic donkeys
Most of the ancient samples were identified as donkeys using Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytb gene analysis, and these results are consistent with species identification through traditional morphological methods
Summary
The donkey (Equus asinus) is an important domestic animal that provides a reliable source of protein and method of transportation for many human populations. The process of domestication and the dispersal routes of the Chinese donkey are still unclear, as donkey remains are sparse in the archaeological record and often confused with horse remains. To explore the maternal origins and dispersal route of Chinese donkeys, both mitochondrial DNA D-loop and cytochrome b gene fragments of 21 suspected donkey remains from four archaeological sites in China were amplified and sequenced. The process of domestication and dispersal route of the donkey (Equus asinus) is interesting because the donkey has been widely used by humans to transport people and goods and till the land since approximately 5000 years ago [1,2,3,4,5]. The domestication history and dispersal routes of the Chinese domestic donkey are still unclear
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