Phylogeographical analyses of domestic and wild yaks based on mitochondrial DNA: new data and reappraisal

The domestication of animals made available stable sources of protein and enabled the development of human civilization (Mason, 1984; Diamond, 2002). Molecular and archaeological studies indicate complex phylogeographical histories of the animals used for meat (e.g. Lau et al., 1998; Luikart et al., 2001; Troy et al., 2001; Jansen et al., 2002; Beja-Pereira et al., 2004; Larson et al., 2005; Pedrosa et al., 2005; Meadows et al., 2007; Naderi et al., 2008). For example, distinct phylogeographical Molecular Ecology Group, Key Laboratory of Arid and Grassland Ecology, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China, Beijing Genomics Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101300, China, Key Laboratory of Evolution and Adaptation of Plateau Biota, Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810001, Qinghai, China, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China, Centre for Macroevolution and Macroecology, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden; Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Avd. Marı́a Luisa s/n, 41013 Sevilla, Spain