Wild Cattle Species Research Articles

Aurochs roamed along the SW coast of Andalusia (Spain) during Late Pleistocene

In the Iberian Peninsula the fossil record of artiodactyls spans over 53 million years. During the Pleistocene, wild cattle species such as Bison and especially Bos became common. In Late Pleistocene, the aurochs (Bos primigenius) was widespread and the only bovine living along the large river valleys of southern Iberia. Although commonly found in fossil sites and especially in cave bone assemblages, the trace fossil record of aurochs was known worldwide only from the Holocene. Large bovine and roe deer/caprine tracks were found in at least five horizons of the early Late Pleistocene (MIS 5) beach and eolian deposits of Cape Trafalgar (Cadiz Province, South of Spain). The large bovine tracks are formally described as Bovinichnus uripeda igen. et isp. nov. and compared with the record of aurochs tracks, large red deer tracks and steppe bison biogeographical distribution in Iberia. Aurochs were the most likely producers of the newly described Trafalgar Trampled Surface (TTS) and some of the large artiodactyl tracks in the Matalascañas Trampled Surface, representing the oldest aurochs track record known. This new evidence, together with comparisons with the record of possible aurochs tracks in the Mid-Late Pleistocene coastal deposits from the Asperillo cliff section in Matalascañas (Huelva Province, SW Spain) and bone assemblages known in Gibraltar, point to a recurrent use of the coastal habitat by these large artiodactyls in SW Iberia.

Reproduction in female wild cattle: Influence of seasonality on ARTs

Wild cattle species, often considered less alluring than certain conservation-dependent species, have not attracted the same level of interest as the charismatic megafauna from the general public, private or corporate donors, and other funding agencies. Currently, most wild cattle populations are vulnerable or threatened with extinction. The implementation of reproductive technologies to maintain genetically healthy cattle populations in situ and ex situ has been considered for more than 30 years. Protocols developed for domestic cattle breeds have been used with some success in various wild cattle species. However, inherent differences in the natural life history of these species makes extrapolation of domestic cattle protocols difficult, and in some cases, minimally effective. Reproductive seasonality, driven by either photoperiod or nutritional resource availability, has significant influence on the success of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). This review focuses on the physiological processes that differ in breeding (ovulatory) and non-breeding (anovulatory) seasons in female cattle, and the potential methods used to overcome these challenges. Techniques to be discussed within the context of seasonality include: estrus synchronization and ovulation induction, ovarian superstimulation, artificial insemination (AI), multiple ovulation embryo transfer (MOET), and ovum pick-up (OPU) with in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer (ET).

The influence of logging upon the foraging behaviour and diet of the endangered Bornean banteng

Abstract Logging causes soil compaction and alters the vegetation structure and plant diversity, and ungulates must adapt to modified conditions if they are to survive. We investigated the impact of logging upon the foraging ecology of the Bornean banteng using camera traps and botanical surveys. General linear models were used to explore the effects of site characteristics and plant diversity upon foraging duration, and plant specimens were identified to confirm dietary preferences. Foraging events were recorded over 40,168 nights in five forests. Foraging duration significantly decreased in open areas depauperate in species richness (F=7.82, p=<0.01); however, it increased with elevation (F=3.46, p=0.05). Their diet comprised eight invasive species (Mikania cordata and Chromolaena odorata, Cyperus difformis, Fimbristylis littoralis and Scleria sp., Desmodium triflorum, Eleusine indica and Selaginella sp.), which are characteristic of disturbed forest and fast to establish. Logging creates ideal conditions for these plants, which are preferentially selected by bantengs. Whilst logging may increase forage, the disturbances logging causes to the bantengs and the ensuing poaching may counteract any positive benefits. Developing forest management strategies that incorporate conservation of the bantengs may in turn encourage more favourable conditions for emergent timber species and also conserve this endangered wild cattle species.

Phylogenetic relationships of the vulnerable wild cattle, Malayan gaur(Bos gaurus hubbacki), and its hybrid, the selembu, based on maternal markers

The gaur (Bos gaurus) is one of the two extant wild cattle species that can be found in several Asian countries. This species is threatened by extinction due to declining wild populations. Selembu is the name of the Malayan gaur × domestic cattle hybrid. We planned this study to determine the position of the Malayan gaur and its hybrid, the selembu, in the phylogenetics of the genus Bos (Bos gaurus, Bos javanicus, Bos indicus, and Bos taurus). The itochondrial 12S rRNA gene and the control region (D-loop) were sequenced in 29 Bos samples. Sequences from one water buffalo (Bubalus) were used as an outgroup. Phylogenetic trees were reconstructed using neighbor-joining and maximum parsimony in PAUP 4.0b10 and Bayesian inference in MrBayes 3.1. All tree topologies indicated that the Malayan gaur belongs to its own monophyletic clade that is distinct from other species of the genus Bos. Selembu samples were grouped in zebu and/or taurine cattle clades. The results also indicated that there are significant embranchment differences in the tree topologies between wild (Malayan gaur and banteng/Bali cattle) and domestic (taurine cattle, zebu cattle, and selembu) cattle. The results showed the complete maternal inheritance situation among the studied samples of all cattle species.

Short Communication: New Alleles of the Bovine κ-Casein Gene Revealed by Resequencing and Haplotype Inference Analysis

We tested the hypothesis that extensive undiscovered genetic diversity exists in important functional genes from domestic and wild cattle species (Bos spp.). We resequenced 483 bp of a key exon (exon IV) from the kappa (κ)-casein gene (CSN3) for a panel of samples of domestic cattle from 8 countries and a close relative species, the gayal (Bos frontalis). Six single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified. Haplotype inference revealed 12 haplotypes, of which 8 were newly discovered. Among these 8 new haplotypes, 5 differed by one nonsynonymous mutation and 3 differed by one silent mutation from previously well-characterized CSN3 alleles. From those, one was shared by the gayal and Zebu, was different from CSN3*B at position Ile136Thr, and showed a close phylogenetic relationship with the banteng, gaur, and yak. The other 7 new haplotypes were detected in our panel of worldwide local cattle breeds but were absent from previously reported commercial breeds. These results support the hypothesis that genetic diversity at the coding region of CSN3 has been underestimated. This study also highlights how important it is to resequence functionally important genes in worldwide local cattle breeds, many of which are threatened by extinction or replacement by commercial breeds.

Genomic conservation of cattle microsatellite loci in wild gaur (Bos gaurus) and current genetic status of this species in Vietnam

BackgroundThe wild gaur (Bos gaurus) is an endangered wild cattle species. In Vietnam, the total number of wild gaurs is estimated at a maximum of 500 individuals. Inbreeding and genetic drift are current relevant threats to this small population size. Therefore, information about the genetic status of the Vietnamese wild gaur population is essential to develop strategies for conservation and effective long-term management for this species. In the present study, we performed cross-species amplification of 130 bovine microsatellite markers, in order to evaluate the applicability and conservation of cattle microsatellite loci in the wild gaur genome. The genetic diversity of Vietnamese wild gaur was also investigated, based on data collected from the 117 successfully amplified loci.ResultsOne hundred-thirty cattle microsatellite markers were tested on a panel of 11 animals. Efficient amplifications were observed for 117 markers (90%) with a total of 264 alleles, and of these, 68 (58.1%) gave polymorphic band patterns. The number of alleles per locus among the polymorphic markers ranged from two to six. Thirteen loci (BM1314, BM2304, BM6017, BMC2228, BMS332, BMS911, CSSM023, ETH123, HAUT14, HEL11, HEL5, ILSTS005 and INRA189) distributed on nine different cattle chromosomes failed to amplify wild gaur genomic DNA. Three cattle Y-chromosome specific microsatellite markers (INRA124, INRA126 and BM861) were also highly specific in wild gaur, only displaying an amplification product in the males. Genotype data collected from the 117 successfully amplified microsatellites were used to assess the genetic diversity of this species in Vietnam. Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) values varied between 0.083 and 0.767 with a mean of 0.252 while observed heterozygosities (Ho) ranged from 0.091 to 0.909 (mean of 0.269). Nei's unbiased mean heterozygosity and the mean allele number across loci were 0.298 and 2.2, respectively.ConclusionExtensive conservation of cattle microsatellite loci in the wild gaur genome, as shown by our results, indicated a high applicability of bovine microsatellites for genetic characterization and population genetic studies of this species. Moreover, the low genetic diversity observed in Vietnamese wild gaur further underlines the necessity of specific strategies and appropriate management plans to preserve this endangered species from extinction.

Identification of the homologue of the bovine Rob(1;29) in a captive gaur (Bos gaurus)

Robertsonian translocations have been well documented in domestic cattle, with the most commonly occurring fusion involving chromosomes 1 and 29. The widespread nature of this translocation is indicative of its ancient origin. The gaur (Bos gaurus) is one of many wild cattle species currently listed as vulnerable or endangered. Due to the small founder stock and 50 years of restricted breeding, the captive herd is showing signs of inbreeding and reduced fertility. Recent cytogenetic analysis of a female gaur at Toronto Zoo found that the individual contained 2n=57 chromosomes instead of the normal 2n=58, with an extra submetacentric and the loss of two acrocentric chromosomes being observed. This study was undertaken to identify the translocation in this individual and to examine the karyotype of immediate family members. Chromosome analysis of fibroblast cell cultures was carried out using GTG-banding, C-banding and FISH (bovine 1 and 29 paints) techniques to characterize the translocation. Results from the GTG-banding and FISH analyses confirm that the two autosomes involved in the translocation are the bovine homologues 1 and 29. A monocentric centromere was observed by C-banding. Chromosome abnormalities have not been detected in other gaur tested to date. This study demonstrates the importance of cytogenetic analysis for the establishment of screening protocols for the assessment of reproductive potential in this and other exotic bovinae.

Phylogeny of bovine species based on AFLP fingerprinting.

The Bovini species comprise both domestic and wild cattle species. Published phylogenies of this tribe based on mitochondrial DNA contain anomalies, while nuclear sequences show only low variation. We have used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting in order to detect variation in loci distributed over the nuclear genome. Computer-assisted scoring of electrophoretic fingerprinting patterns yielded 361 markers, which provided sufficient redundancy to suppress stochastic effects of intraspecies polymorphisms and length homoplasies (comigration of non-homologous fragments). Tree reconstructions reveal three clusters: African buffalo with water buffalo, ox with zebu, and bison with wisent. Similarity values suggest a clustering of gaur and banteng, but bifurcating clustering algorithms did not assign consistent positions to these species and yak. We propose that because of shared polymorphisms and reticulations, tree topologies are only partially adequate to represent the phylogeny of the Bovini. Principal-coordinate analysis positions zebu between a gaur/banteng cluster and taurine cattle. This correlates with the region of origin of these species and suggests that genomic distances between the cattle species have been influenced by genetic exchange between neighbouring ancestral populations.