Conferência Internacional sobre Arcaena 11th International Conference of Archaeozoology – ICAZ 2010 (Paris, 23-28 Agosto)

Summary

The Iberian Peninsula is considered a biodiversity “hotspot” because it suffered the influence of several cultures and it was also a Glacial refugium. Native animal breeds were developed in Iberia and they are locally adapted to specific geographic and climate conditions. Extensive genetic data has been gathered for Portuguese native cattle and dogs showing that they harbor high genetic diversity and are genetically structured. No phylochronological study has been conducted to investigate past genetic diversity of Iberian breeds and the occurrence of local domestication.

We propose a phylochronological approach and a combination of archaeological and genetic data to investigate: a) The origins of Iberian cattle and dogs; b) The occurrence of local domestication of wild ox and wolves; c) Possible hybridization between cattle and dog domesticates with their respective wild counterparts.

Ancient DNA analysis of animal remains from the Iberia: wild, early domesticates and modern samples, spanning over 15,000 years before present back to the Mesolithic or Superior Paleolithic. Employ a multi-marker methodology to describe mitochondrial, Y-chromosomal and autosomal SNP variation.
Although remains are buried under sub-optimal conditions, ancient DNA retrieval was successful and authentic sequences were generated for a few samples. We will be able to implement a fine-scale genetic analysis of Iberian cattle and dog samples throughout time.