African origins of modern asses as seen from paleontology and DNA: what about the Atlas wild ass? |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21568, Egypt;2. Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;3. Department of Biology and Geology, Faculty of Education, Alexandria University, Alexandria 14037, Egypt;1. Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile;2. Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile;3. University of California Museum of Paleontology, Valley Life Sciences Building 1101, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA;4. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA;5. Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería, Oficina Técnica Puerto Varas, Casilla 613, Puerto Varas, Chile;1. Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito de La Investigación S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, 04510, Mexico;2. UMR 7207, Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie - Paris, Museum Nationald’Histoire Naturelle. 8 Rue Buffon, CP 38, Paris, 75005, France;3. Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Circuito de La Investigación S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, 04510, Mexico;4. Museo de Paleontología Eliseo Palacios Aguilera, Dirección de Paleontología, Secretaria de Medio Ambiente e Historia Natural, Calzada de Los Hombres Ilustres S/N, Antiguo Parque Madero, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico;5. Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Edificio A, 1° Piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, 04510, Mexico |
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| Abstract: | As a contribution to the still open debate on the multiple african origins of the domesticated donkey, this work focuses on the wild ass of the Maghreb. It follows the recent paleontological review of the equids from Lac Karâr, a middle Pleistocene site in Northern Algeria, where most of the faunal remains were attributed to wild asses (Equus africanus Heuglin and Fitzinger, 1866). The morphometric resemblance between the equid of Lac Karâr, and Equus melkiensis Bagtach, Hadjouis and Eisenmann, 1984 which might correspond to the equid commonly referred to, as the Atlas wild ass (vernacular name) and, by descent, to Equus tabeti Arambourg, 1970, the only subspecies of ass from the early Pleistocene in Northern Africa, highlights the need for extensive biomolecular and radiometric studies on this wild and robust ass, endemic to the Maghreb. This is especially important given that progress in extracting ancient DNA from equids has been demonstrated by several recent studies and that remains of wild asses are still being uncovered in many late Pleistocene to Holocene (Neolithic) deposits in the Maghreb. The results from such studies could substantially improve the knowledge on the origin of asses. In particular, these analyses could shed light on the, as yet, undetermined clade 2 which may originate from the wild ass of the Maghreb as recently hypothesized by several authors. The archaeological and genetic data reviewed in this paper focuses on the ancient range of the Atlas wild ass mainly from sites in the northern part of the Maghreb; it contributes to current debates regarding this subspecies as one of the possible ancestors of modern asses. In addition, the paper identifies directions for further genetic researches on the extant donkey of the Maghreb. |
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| Keywords: | Wild ass Domestication Donkey Maghreb Genetic studies Clade |
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