Genetics and Domestic Fauna in Southern Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Ann Horsburgh
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Nuclear Genome ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Low Genetic Diversity ◽  
Domestic Livestock ◽  
Domestic Stock

Genetic analyses of southern African livestock have been limited and primarily focused on agricultural production rather than the reconstruction of prehistory. Attempts to sequence DNA preserved in archaeological remains of domestic stock have been hampered by the discovery of high error rates in the morphological identification of fauna. As such, much DNA sequencing effort that was directed at sequencing southern Africa’s domestic livestock has been expended sequencing wild forms. The few genetic data that are available from both modern and archaeological domestic stock show relatively low genetic diversity in maternally inherited mitochondrial lineages in both sheep and cattle. Analyses of modern stock show, in contrast, that the bi-parentally inherited nuclear genome is relatively diverse. This pattern is perhaps indicative of historic cross-breeding with stock introduced from outside Africa. Critically important to moving forward in our understanding of the prehistory of domesticates in southern Africa is attention to the high error rates in faunal analyses that have been documented both genetically and through ZooMS.

Identification of domestic chicken bones in archaeological sites

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-200
Author(s):  
Hui Deng ◽  
Jun Li
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Chicken ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Bone Morphology ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Advance Research ◽  
Place Of Origin ◽  
Future Work

AbstractIn recent years, with the participation of genetics and other disciplines, the controversy on the origins of the domestic chicken has returned. As the resource of primary data, archaeology plays an extremely important role in this dispute. Taking an archaeological standpoint, this paper aims to establish a set of bone morphological identification standards for domestic chicken bones unearthed at archaeological remains, beginning with the bone morphology as the most basic but also the least studied aspect. By this set of standards, we reanalyze available chicken bone materials and relevant pictorial and textual materials for domestic chicken candidate samples as mentioned by previous scholars. The results show that no confirmed domestic chicken bones have been found in China’s early to mid-Holocene remains to date; meanwhile, there is no substantial archaeological evidence to support China as the earliest place of origin of domestic chicken. Future work seeking to advance research on the origin of the domestic chicken should first pay proper attention to the archaeological background; only continuing scientific analyses and exploration on the origin of domestic chicken based on scientific morphological identification will prove the most convincing methodology.

The Agdal of Marrakesh (12th to 20th Centuries): An Agricultural Space for Caliphs and Sultans. Part II: Hydraulics, Architecture, and Agriculture

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-64
Author(s):  
Julio Navarro ◽  
Fidel Garrido ◽  
Íñigo Almela
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Hydraulic System ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Internal Organization ◽  
History Of ◽  
Material Record ◽  
Written Sources

Abstract The Agdal is a royal estate located south of Marrakesh, founded by the Almohad caliph Abu Yaʿqub Yusuf (r. 1163–84). Its current walled perimeter contains 340 hectares, mostly orchards that have been cultivated uninterruptedly, and more than 40 preserved buildings, with numerous archaeological remains scattered throughout its interior. This article is a continuation of one published previously in Muqarnas 34 (2017), which focused on the history of the estate and provided an analysis of the written sources. In this second part, we present an archaeological and architectural study of the Agdal from the material record that we documented in two archaeological surveys carried out in 2012 and 2014. We discuss the complex hydraulic system that has sustained the estate, the internal organization of the enclosures and plots, its diverse agricultural production, the configuration of palatine architecture and spaces for animals, as well as the successive historical transformations of the Agdal.

scholarly journals The timing of agricultural production in hazard-prone areas to prevent losses at peak-risk periods: A case of Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandri Kruger
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Residual Moisture ◽  
Resilient Communities ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Hazard-prone areas in southern Africa experience many natural hazards, which include cyclones, floods and droughts. The severe climatic conditions of southern Africa have an especially large impact on the agricultural practices of small-scale farmers. These hazards should be mitigated to ensure more resilient communities and food security. This study mainly focuses on the timing of agricultural production in hazard-prone areas to prevent losses at peak-risk periods by adapting the agricultural cycle. This study focuses on the agricultural activities of small-scale farmers in Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique. A literature review is presented, and a mixed-method research design were followed to determine the timing of production followed by these small-scale farmers and its impact on production and food security. Although this study found that the small-scale farmers generally plant with the first rains, it is recommended by literature that early planting should be practised to ensure optimal production. It is also recommended that small-scale farmers should implement watermanagement techniques for dry periods, and when farmers practice late planting, the use of residual-moisture retention should be utilised as a mitigation measure. This will in effect ensure that the communities are less vulnerable during peak-risk periods by improving or ensuring food security. Therefore, adapting the planting and production time in these hazardprone areas at peak-risk periods could limit losses and increase communities’ resilience.

Cattle, community and corrals

2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Creighton
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Literary Sources ◽  
Imperial Power ◽  
Temperate Europe ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Area Of Influence

Jean and John Comaroff's paper provides an elegant narrative describing the processes at work behind the adoption of coinage amongst the Tswana of southern Africa under the influence of European missionaries and colonists. My own particular interests are set back two thousand years earlier with the adoption of coin in France and Britain. At this time Rome was the up-and-coming imperial power engaged in trade, and then conquest, stretching its area of influence and dominions from the Mediterranean littoral into temperate Europe. As such I envy the Comaroff's ability to use a rich array of source material that is unavailable to me with my much poorer archaeological remains and fragmentary literary sources. None the less, many of the themes have echoes of processes that must have taken place many years before in this other time and place.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial DNA Phylogenetics of Black Rhinoceros in Kenya in relation to Southern Africa Population

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Elijah K. Githui ◽  
David N. Thuo ◽  
Joshua O. Amimo ◽  
Nyamu M. Njagi ◽  
Maryanne M. Gitari
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Black Rhinoceros ◽  
Low Genetic Diversity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Eastern And Southern Africa ◽  
Game Hunting

Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) are highly endangered due to poaching and other anthropological reasons and their protection to rebound the numbers and genetic improvement are necessary remedial measures defined by Rhino International Union of Conservation for the Nature Red List (IUCN). In Kenya black rhino numbers declined from approximately 20,000 in the 1970s to fewer than 400 in 1982. Wildlife conservation managers effected strategies to manage/breed the remaining rhinoceros populations in Eastern and Southern Africa within regional sanctuaries. This study analyzes the genetic variability of these remnant rhinoceros using Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Majority of the rhinoceros in both Kenyan and Southern Africa group are monophyletic clusters with insignificant genetic variations while some lineages are underrepresented. The Eastern Africa rhinoceros forms a distinct clade from the Sothern Africa counterpart while Tanzania population has admixtures. Tajima-D test showed that these two populations are under different selection pressure possibly due to different history of adverse anthropologic activities. Similarly, the Southern Africa rhinoceros have low genetic diversity compared to the Eastern African population due to extended periods of game hunting during Africa colonization. This study suggests that managed translocations of individual rhinoceros across the separated fragments can be applied to improve their genetic diversity.

The Advent of Herding in Southern Africa: Early AMS Dates on Domestic Livestock from the Kalahari Desert

2005 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence H. Robbins ◽  
Alec C. Campbell ◽  
Michael L. Murphy ◽  
George A. Brook ◽  
Pradeep Srivastava ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Kalahari Desert ◽  
Domestic Livestock ◽  
Ams Dates

scholarly journals Assessment of bias in morphological identification of carnivore scats confirmed with molecular scatology in north-eastern Himalayan region of Pakistan

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faraz Akrim ◽  
Tariq Mahmood ◽  
Tamara Max ◽  
Muhammad Sajid Nadeem ◽  
Siddiqa Qasim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Identification ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Himalayan Region ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Carnivore Species ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Field Identification ◽  
Palm Civet ◽  
Eastern Himalayan Region

Scats are often used to study ecological parameters of carnivore species. However, field identification of carnivore scats, based on their morphological characteristics, becomes difficult if many carnivore species are distributed in the same area. We assessed error rates in morphological identification of five sympatric carnivores’ scats in north-eastern Himalayan region of Pakistan during 2013–2017. A sample of 149 scats were subjected to molecular identification using fecal DNA. We used a confusion matrix to assess different types of errors associated with carnivore scat identification. We were able to amplify DNA from 96.6% (n = 144) of scats. Based on field identification of carnivore scats, we had predicted that out of 144 scats: 11 (7.6%) scats were from common leopard, 38 (26.4%) from red fox, 29 (20.1%) from Asiatic jackal, 37 (25.7%) from yellow throated martin, 14 (9.7%) from Asian palm civet and 15 (10.4%) from small Indian civet. However, molecular identification revealed and confirmed nine were scats (6.24%) from common leopard, 40 (27.8 %) from red fox, 21 (14.6%) from Asiatic jackal, 45 (31.25%) from Asian palm civet, 12 (8.3%) scats from small Indian civet, while 11 scats (7.6%) were found from Canis lupus Spp., three (2%) from dog, one (0.7 %) scat sample from porcupine, and two (1.4%) from rhesus monkey. Misidentification rate was highest for Asian palm civet (25.7%), followed by red fox (11.1%) and Asiatic jackal (9.7%) but least for common leopard scats (4.2%). The results specific to our study area concur with previous studies that have recommended that carnivore monitoring programs utilize molecular identification of predator scats. Using only morphological identification of scats can be misleading and may result in wrong management decisions.

scholarly journals Tests of hybridisation in Tetragonula stingless bees using multiple genetic markers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. Hereward ◽  
Tobias J. Smith ◽  
Ros Gloag ◽  
Dean R. Brookes ◽  
Gimme H. Walter
Keyword(s):  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Nuclear Genome ◽  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Species Variation ◽  
Morphological Similarity ◽  
Molecular Studies ◽  
Nuclear Genomes ◽  
Species Specific

AbstractDiscrepancies in mitochondrial and nuclear genetic data are often interpreted as evidence of hybridisation. We re-examined reports of hybridisation in three cryptic stingless bee species in the genus Tetragonula in South East Queensland, Australia (T. carbonaria, T. davenporti, and T. hockingsi). Previous studies on this group using microsatellite markers proposed that occasional hybrids are found. In contrast, we find that allele frequencies at neutral regions of the nuclear genome, both microsatellites and random snps, reliably separated the three species, and thus do not support hybridisation. We found no inter-species variation in PCR amplicons of the nuclear gene EF1alpha, but low and moderate species-specific polymorphisms in the nuclear gene Opsin and the mitochondrial 16S respectively, with no cases of mito-nuclear discordance at these genes. We confirm that nuclear divergence between these species is low, based on 10-26kb of non-coding sequence flanking EF1alpha and Opsin (0.7-1% pairwise difference between species). However, we find mitogenomes to be far more diverged than nuclear genomes (21.6-23.6% pairwise difference between species). Based on these comprehensive analyses of multiple marker types, we conclude that there is no ongoing gene flow in the Tetragonula species of South East Queensland, despite their high morphological similarity to one another and the low nuclear divergence among them. The mitogenomes and draft nuclear genomes provided for these species will be a resource for further molecular studies on this group, which are important pollinators in Australian natural and agroecosystems.

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