Bangalore: A genetic analysis of modern and ancient donkeys by an international team of scientists has shown that, unlike other animals that are part of human society, donkeys were domesticated only once in history. Conclusion on the domestic donkey, Equus AsinusWere published in the magazine science Last week.
The study found that domestication took place in East Africa around 5,000 BC, after which donkeys rapidly spread across Eurasia, forming distinct subpopulations that remained genetically isolated, possibly because they were separated from the Sahara forest. turned into a desert.
The researchers found that this rapid spread and genetic isolation helped push donkeys into their important role as ‘burden animals’ in our societies, helping humans transport goods and thrive in a wide variety of landscapes and environments. Got it.
Until now, little was known about the evolution of donkeys, as the species has been gradually phased out of industrialized human societies. The findings follow about other animals – such as horses and dogs, BatAnd bacteria – whose evolutionary history is new to the human eye because of our increasingly complex genomic sequencing capabilities.
The study authors sequenced the genomes of 207 modern donkeys from Central Asia, Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Europe; 31 ancient donkeys and 15 wild animals of the horse family from fossils spread across Central Asia and Europe. Sequencing data indicated that modern donkeys were descended from ancient ones that people had chosen and often inbred or interbred for greater size and strength.
Researchers also documented a previously unknown genetic ancestry in the Levant region around 200 BCE, which contributed to the genetic flow of donkeys from Africa to Asia. The genetic sequences are then traced back to donkey populations from Europe, Asia and the Levant to western Africa.
Donkeys, donkeys (wild donkeys) and mules (donkeys crossed with horses) have contributed significantly to the development of civilization in different parts of the world. They are still in use today for labor, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and in countries with difficult terrain.
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Donkeys used to fight climate crisis
The important role played by donkeys – a part of many of our pop cultures until a few years ago – has been clearly noted in archaeological and fossil finds.
For example, nine of the ancient donkey genomes used in the study came from an archaeological site in France, a Roman villa dating to the years 200–500 CE. The villa appears to have had a donkey breeding centre. Genetic data suggest that the Romans combined African and European donkeys into “giant” donkeys that were 25 cm taller than a typical member of the species, which averaged about 130 cm.
donkeys are also often Thinking As a source of aid during climate change crises, as they are used to provide aid to disaster-affected areas in low and middle income countries.
Many believe that as heavy-duty draft animals, donkeys are resilient to extreme weather conditions and can contribute to sustainability by participating in agricultural production and economical management in rural communities, especially mainly for those who do not have industrial access to equipment.
“Efforts to characterize the diversity of modern donkeys around the world should continue,” the researchers said in the report. “Such efforts could not only refine the historical legacy of past populations in the modern world, but also uncover the genetic basis of desert adaptation, which may prove invaluable for future donkey breeding in the face of global warming.” can be.”
(Edited by Siddharth Muraleedharan)
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