Genetics of randomly bred cats support the cradle of cat domestication being in the Near East

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Küçük Resim

Tarih

2022

Dergi Başlığı

Dergi ISSN

Cilt Başlığı

Yayıncı

Springernature

Erişim Hakkı

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Özet

Cat domestication likely initiated as a symbiotic relationship between wildcats (Felis silvestris subspecies) and the peoples of developing agrarian societies in the Fertile Crescent. As humans transitioned from hunter-gatherers to farmers similar to 12,000 years ago, bold wildcats likely capitalized on increased prey density (i.e., rodents). Humans benefited from the cats' predation on these vermin. To refine the site(s) of cat domestication, over 1000 random-bred cats of primarily Eurasian descent were genotyped for single-nucleotide variants and short tandem repeats. The overall cat population structure suggested a single worldwide population with significant isolation by the distance of peripheral subpopulations. The cat population heterozygosity decreased as genetic distance from the proposed cat progenitor's (F.s. lybica) natural habitat increased. Domestic cat origins are focused in the eastern Mediterranean Basin, spreading to nearby islands, and southernly via the Levantine coast into the Nile Valley. Cat population diversity supports the migration patterns of humans and other symbiotic species.

Açıklama

Anahtar Kelimeler

Felis-Silvestris, Population-Structure, Ancient DNA, Wild, Hybridization, Origins, Breeds, Identification, Introgression, Diversity

Kaynak

Heredity

WoS Q Değeri

Q2

Scopus Q Değeri

Q2

Cilt

129

Sayı

6

Künye