Researchers are counting fossilized dung-eating mites in the sediments of an Andean lake to get an idea of the size of llama herds in the surroundings, and thus “reconstruct the fluctuating fortunes of local (human) populations for an era from which no written records exist.” It turns out that “mite numbers rise and fall in concert with well-documented socio-economic changes in the postconquest period.” The paper is in the Journal of Archaeological Science, but you can read a summary here.
Water buffalo diversity
Michael Kubisch is a geneticist and reproductive physiologist working at the Tulane National Primate Research Center in the New Orleans area. He’s sent us his take on a recent paper on the genetics of the water buffalo. We really welcome this kind of contribution from our readers. Keep ’em coming! Here’s what Michael has to say:
Results of an interesting study by Chinese researchers have just been published, describing an extensive analysis of the genetics of Chinese swamp water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). The Chinese swamp-type buffalo differs from the Indian river-type buffalo by the fact that it has 48 chromosomes compared to the 50 found in the latter. There is a third subspecies, the wild water buffalo, which may still exist in Southeast Asia, although its population size and genetic status are unknown and the animal is listed on the IUCN red list as being threatened. Based on analysis of mitochondrial DNA (which is solely inherited from one’s mother and consequently ideal for tracing maternal inheritance patterns), it appears that river and swamp buffalo split about 28,000 years ago with a further split in the swamp buffalo into two maternal lines taking place about 18,000 years ago. The genetic diversity varies between the two swamp buffalo matrilines in China and the authors suggest that the difference between the two lines might in part be due to the fact that occasional genetic introgression from wild swamp buffalo might have taken place into one of the lines. Interestingly, domestication of water buffalo seems to have occurred independently in India and China, most likely as a result of rice cultivation. Substantial numbers of water buffalo outside exist Asia, among other countries in Italy, where, as any cheese afficionado will know, their milk is used for the production of mozzarella.
Wild sheep don’t drift
The moufflon is a wild sheep from Corsica, Sardina and Cyprus. In 1957, a male and a female from Corsica were taken to another island, this one in the southern Indian Ocean, in an attempt to establish a herd for sport hunting. The pair thrived on Haute Island, and the resulting population peaked at about 700 head in the 1970’s, thereafter oscillating between 200 and 600. Ok, so far so weird, but so what? Well it turns out that genetic diversity hasn’t behaved as expected. By rights in such a small, isolated, inbred population it should have decreased markedly as a result of genetic drift. But according to this, it hasn’t. The reason is probably strong natural selection, according to the authors of the study, who compared DNA from the original founding couple to that of the present herd.
Swiss cows to go cold turkey
So apparently Swiss farmers will no longer be able to feed cannabis to their cows. Bummer.
Wanna farm snails?
Then head on over to Nigeria’s Daily Sun, where an interview with a retired director of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation makes is sound like an ideal life for the farmer seeking to diversify. He does consultancy too, which could make getting into that line of work easier.