21 results on '"Lõugas, L."'
Search Results
2. Changes in the exploitation and consumption of seafood vs freshwater resources in medieval and early modern Estonia
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Lõugas, L, primary and Aguraiuja-Lätti, Ü, primary
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- 2023
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3. In search of Estonia’s earliest chicken
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Ehrlich, F, primary, Rannamäe, E, primary, Laneman, M, primary, Tõrv, M, primary, Lang, V, primary, Oras, E, primary, and Lõugas, L, primary
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- 2021
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4. LATE MESOLITHIC NARVA STAGE IN ESTONIA: POTTERY, SETTLEMENT TYPES AND CHRONOLOGY
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Kriiska, A, primary, Oras, E, primary, Lõugas, L, primary, Meadows, J, primary, Lucquin, A, primary, and Craig, O E, primary
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- 2017
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5. The palaeoenvironmental δ13C record in European woolly mammoth tooth enamel
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Arppe, L., Aaris-Sørensen, Kim, Daugnora, L., Lõugas, L., Wojtal, P., Zupiņš, I., Arppe, L., Aaris-Sørensen, Kim, Daugnora, L., Lõugas, L., Wojtal, P., and Zupiņš, I.
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- 2011
6. Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius Blum.) and its environment in northern Europe during the last glaciation
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Ukkonen, P., Aaris-Sørensen, Kim, Arppe, L., Clark, P. U., Daugnora, L., Lister, A. M., Lõugas, L., Seppä, H., Sommer, R. S., Stuart, A. J., Wojtal, P., Zupiņš, I., Ukkonen, P., Aaris-Sørensen, Kim, Arppe, L., Clark, P. U., Daugnora, L., Lister, A. M., Lõugas, L., Seppä, H., Sommer, R. S., Stuart, A. J., Wojtal, P., and Zupiņš, I.
- Published
- 2011
7. Stone Age hunter–fisher–gatherers at Zvejnieki, northern Latvia : Radiocarbon, stable isotope and archaeozoology data
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Eriksson, Gunilla, Lõugas, L, Zagorska, I, Eriksson, Gunilla, Lõugas, L, and Zagorska, I
- Abstract
Part of urn:nbn:se:su:diva-10
- Published
- 2003
8. NEW AMS DATES FROM ESTONIAN STONE AGE BURIAL SITES
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Kriiska, A, primary, Lõugas, L, primary, Lõhmus, M, primary, Mannermaa, K, primary, and Johanson, K, primary
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- 2007
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9. The Baltic Crusades and ecological transformation: The zooarchaeology of conquest and cultural change in the Eastern Baltic in the second millennium AD
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Pluskowski, A., Makowiecki, D., Maltby, Mark, Rannamäe, E., Lõugas, L, Maldre, L., Daugnora, L, Black, S, Müldner, G, Seetah, K, Pluskowski, A., Makowiecki, D., Maltby, Mark, Rannamäe, E., Lõugas, L, Maldre, L., Daugnora, L, Black, S, Müldner, G, and Seetah, K
- Abstract
From the end of the 12th century, crusading armies unleashed a relentless holy war against the indigenous pagan societies in the Eastern Baltic region. Native territories were reorganised as new Christian states (Livonia and Prussia) largely run by a militarised theocracy, dominated by the Teutonic Order. The new regime constructed castles, encouraged colonists, developed towns and introduced Christianity, incorporating the conquered territories into Latin Europe. At the same time, the theocracy sought to maximise the exploitation of natural resources to sustain its political and military assets, as well as provision its subjects. Arguably the most important resource was represented by animals, which were exploited for a range of primary and secondary products. Excavations across the eastern Baltic have uncovered tens of thousands of faunal remains from archaeological contexts on either side of the crusading period. Traditionally studied in isolation, the zooarchaeological data is here for the first time compared across the conquered territories, supported with isotopic analyses and integrated with other paleoenvironmental and historical sources, revealing how the new regime appropriated and intensified existing livestock husbandry practices, whilst accentuating earlier trends in declining biodiversity. At the same time, agricultural changes led to improved feeding regimes, resulting in noticeable changes in the size of stock in some regions.
10. Parallel worlds and mixed economies: multi-proxy analysis reveals complex subsistence systems at the dawn of early farming in the northeast Baltic.
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Oras E, Tõrv M, Johanson K, Rannamäe E, Poska A, Lõugas L, Lucquin A, Lundy J, Brown S, Chen S, Varul L, Haferberga V, Legzdiņa D, Zariņa G, Cramp L, Heyd V, Reay M, Pospieszny Ł, Robson HK, Nordqvist K, Heron C, Craig OE, and Kriiska A
- Abstract
The transition from foraging to farming was a key turning point in ancient socio-economies. Yet, the complexities and regional variations of this transformation are still poorly understood. This multi-proxy study provides a new understanding of the introduction and spread of early farming, challenging the notions of hierarchical economies. The most extensive biological and biomolecular dietary overview, combining zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical, dietary stable isotope and pottery lipid residue analyses is presented, to unravel the nature and extent of early farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the northeast Baltic. Farming was introduced by incoming Corded Ware cultural groups (CWC), but some dietary segregation existed within these communities, with some having more access to domesticates, others incorporating more wild resources into their diet. The CWC groups coexisted in parallel with local hunter-fisher-gatherers (HFG) without any indication of the adoption of domesticates. There was no transition from foraging to farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the NE Baltic. Instead, we see a complex system of parallel worlds with local HFGs continuing forager lifeways, and incoming farmers practising mixed economies, with the continuation of these subsistence strategies for at least a millennium after the first encounter with domesticated animals., Competing Interests: We declare we have no competing interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)
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- 2023
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11. Natural History and Exploitation of the Harbor Porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena Linnaeus, 1758) during the Neolithic (ca. 4000-2000 cal. BC) in the Eastern Baltic Region.
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Lõugas L and Bērziņš V
- Abstract
Compared with the history of seals in the Baltic Sea, the porpoise has received much less research attention. The harbor porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) has been quite rare in the eastern Baltic in recent centuries, but according to archaeological finds, its population was quite numerous here ca. 6000-4000 years ago (ca. 4000-2000 cal. BC). This paper deals with all known archaeological assemblages of porpoise so far discovered in the eastern Baltic (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), discusses the hunting strategies and studies the exploitation of this small cetacean by the Neolithic hunter-gatherers. Fauna historical aspects include new archaeological data in addition to those published previously. We consider whether these new data change the temporal and spatial pattern of porpoise hunting and examine how, in addition to the expected use of porpoise meat and blubber, the porpoise's toothed mandibles were used for patterning ceramics.
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- 2023
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12. Multi-isotopic analysis of zooarchaeological material from Estonia (ca. 200-1800 CE): Variation among food webs and geographical regions.
- Author
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Aguraiuja-Lätti Ü, Tõrv M, Sayle KL, Lõugas L, Rannamäe E, Ehrlich F, Nuut S, Peeters T, Oras E, and Kriiska A
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- Animals, Humans, Carbon Isotopes analysis, Nitrogen Isotopes analysis, Estonia, Sulfur Isotopes analysis, Diet history, Food Chain, Carbon analysis
- Abstract
To better comprehend the dietary practices of past populations in the Eastern Baltic region we have created temporally and geographically restricted baselines for the time period of 200-1800 CE. In this multi-isotopic analysis, we report new δ13C, δ15N and δ34S values for 251 faunal bone collagen samples from various archaeological contexts in Estonia representing the most comprehensive set of Iron Age, Medieval and Early Modern Period faunal stable isotope values to date. The results map out the local carbon and nitrogen baselines and define isotopic ranges of local terrestrial, avian and aquatic fauna. We also demonstrate the potential application of sulfur stable isotope analysis in archaeological research. The results demonstrate a clear distinction between δ13C and δ34S values of marine and terrestrial species, however, freshwater fish display notable overlaps with both marine and terrestrial ranges for both δ13C and δ34S values. Herbivores show variation in δ34S values when grouped by region, explained by differences in the local biotopes. This study is the first attempt to connect the Eastern Baltic isotopic baselines and provides more detailed temporal and geographical references to study the local ecologies and interpret the human data., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Aguraiuja-Lätti et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
- Published
- 2022
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13. Population dynamics of Baltic herring since the Viking Age revealed by ancient DNA and genomics.
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Atmore LM, Martínez-García L, Makowiecki D, André C, Lõugas L, Barrett JH, and Star B
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- Animals, Humans, Conservation of Natural Resources, Population Dynamics, Fishes genetics, Genomics, Baltic States, Fisheries, DNA, Ancient
- Abstract
The world's oceans are currently facing major stressors in the form of overexploitation and anthropogenic climate change. The Baltic Sea was home to the first "industrial" fishery ∼800 y ago targeting the Baltic herring, a species that is still economically and culturally important today. Yet, the early origins of marine industries and the long-term ecological consequences of historical and contemporary fisheries remain debated. Here, we study long-term population dynamics of Baltic herring to evaluate the past impacts of humans on the marine environment. We combine modern whole-genome data with ancient DNA (aDNA) to identify the earliest-known long-distance herring trade in the region, illustrating that extensive fish trade began during the Viking Age. We further resolve population structure within the Baltic and observe demographic independence for four local herring stocks over at least 200 generations. It has been suggested that overfishing at Øresund in the 16th century resulted in a demographic shift from autumn-spawning to spring-spawning herring dominance in the Baltic. We show that while the Øresund fishery had a negative impact on the western Baltic herring stock, the demographic shift to spring-spawning dominance did not occur until the 20th century. Instead, demographic reconstructions reveal population trajectories consistent with expected impacts of environmental change and historical reports on shifting fishing targets over time. This study illustrates the joint impact of climate change and human exploitation on marine species as well as the role historical ecology can play in conservation and management policies.
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- 2022
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14. Author Correction: Spotted phenotypes in horses lost attractiveness in the Middle Ages.
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Wutke S, Benecke N, Sandoval-Castellanos E, Döhle HJ, Friederich S, Gonzalez J, Hallsson JH, Hofreiter M, Lõugas L, Magnell O, Morales-Muniz A, Orlando L, Pálsdóttir AH, Reissmann M, Ruttkay M, Trinks A, and Ludwig A
- Abstract
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
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- 2020
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15. Tracking Five Millennia of Horse Management with Extensive Ancient Genome Time Series.
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Fages A, Hanghøj K, Khan N, Gaunitz C, Seguin-Orlando A, Leonardi M, McCrory Constantz C, Gamba C, Al-Rasheid KAS, Albizuri S, Alfarhan AH, Allentoft M, Alquraishi S, Anthony D, Baimukhanov N, Barrett JH, Bayarsaikhan J, Benecke N, Bernáldez-Sánchez E, Berrocal-Rangel L, Biglari F, Boessenkool S, Boldgiv B, Brem G, Brown D, Burger J, Crubézy E, Daugnora L, Davoudi H, de Barros Damgaard P, de Los Ángeles de Chorro Y de Villa-Ceballos M, Deschler-Erb S, Detry C, Dill N, do Mar Oom M, Dohr A, Ellingvåg S, Erdenebaatar D, Fathi H, Felkel S, Fernández-Rodríguez C, García-Viñas E, Germonpré M, Granado JD, Hallsson JH, Hemmer H, Hofreiter M, Kasparov A, Khasanov M, Khazaeli R, Kosintsev P, Kristiansen K, Kubatbek T, Kuderna L, Kuznetsov P, Laleh H, Leonard JA, Lhuillier J, Liesau von Lettow-Vorbeck C, Logvin A, Lõugas L, Ludwig A, Luis C, Arruda AM, Marques-Bonet T, Matoso Silva R, Merz V, Mijiddorj E, Miller BK, Monchalov O, Mohaseb FA, Morales A, Nieto-Espinet A, Nistelberger H, Onar V, Pálsdóttir AH, Pitulko V, Pitskhelauri K, Pruvost M, Rajic Sikanjic P, Rapan Papeša A, Roslyakova N, Sardari A, Sauer E, Schafberg R, Scheu A, Schibler J, Schlumbaum A, Serrand N, Serres-Armero A, Shapiro B, Sheikhi Seno S, Shevnina I, Shidrang S, Southon J, Star B, Sykes N, Taheri K, Taylor W, Teegen WR, Trbojević Vukičević T, Trixl S, Tumen D, Undrakhbold S, Usmanova E, Vahdati A, Valenzuela-Lamas S, Viegas C, Wallner B, Weinstock J, Zaibert V, Clavel B, Lepetz S, Mashkour M, Helgason A, Stefánsson K, Barrey E, Willerslev E, Outram AK, Librado P, and Orlando L
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- Animals, Asia, Biological Evolution, Breeding history, DNA, Ancient analysis, Domestication, Equidae genetics, Europe, Female, Genetic Variation genetics, Genome genetics, History, Ancient, Male, Phylogeny, Horses genetics
- Abstract
Horse domestication revolutionized warfare and accelerated travel, trade, and the geographic expansion of languages. Here, we present the largest DNA time series for a non-human organism to date, including genome-scale data from 149 ancient animals and 129 ancient genomes (≥1-fold coverage), 87 of which are new. This extensive dataset allows us to assess the modern legacy of past equestrian civilizations. We find that two extinct horse lineages existed during early domestication, one at the far western (Iberia) and the other at the far eastern range (Siberia) of Eurasia. None of these contributed significantly to modern diversity. We show that the influence of Persian-related horse lineages increased following the Islamic conquests in Europe and Asia. Multiple alleles associated with elite-racing, including at the MSTN "speed gene," only rose in popularity within the last millennium. Finally, the development of modern breeding impacted genetic diversity more dramatically than the previous millennia of human management., (Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
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- 2019
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16. Decline of genetic diversity in ancient domestic stallions in Europe.
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Wutke S, Sandoval-Castellanos E, Benecke N, Döhle HJ, Friederich S, Gonzalez J, Hofreiter M, Lõugas L, Magnell O, Malaspinas AS, Morales-Muñiz A, Orlando L, Reissmann M, Trinks A, and Ludwig A
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- Animals, DNA, Mitochondrial, Domestication, Europe, Evolution, Molecular, Genetic Linkage, Genetic Loci, Genetic Markers, Geography, Haplotypes, Horses classification, Selection, Genetic, Y Chromosome, Animals, Domestic, Genetic Variation, Horses genetics
- Abstract
Present-day domestic horses are immensely diverse in their maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA, yet they show very little variation on their paternally inherited Y chromosome. Although it has recently been shown that Y chromosomal diversity in domestic horses was higher at least until the Iron Age, when and why this diversity disappeared remain controversial questions. We genotyped 16 recently discovered Y chromosomal single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 96 ancient Eurasian stallions spanning the early domestication stages (Copper and Bronze Age) to the Middle Ages. Using this Y chromosomal time series, which covers nearly the entire history of horse domestication, we reveal how Y chromosomal diversity changed over time. Our results also show that the lack of multiple stallion lineages in the extant domestic population is caused by neither a founder effect nor random demographic effects but instead is the result of artificial selection-initially during the Iron Age by nomadic people from the Eurasian steppes and later during the Roman period. Moreover, the modern domestic haplotype probably derived from another, already advantageous, haplotype, most likely after the beginning of the domestication. In line with recent findings indicating that the Przewalski and domestic horse lineages remained connected by gene flow after they diverged about 45,000 years ago, we present evidence for Y chromosomal introgression of Przewalski horses into the gene pool of European domestic horses at least until medieval times.
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- 2018
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17. Spotted phenotypes in horses lost attractiveness in the Middle Ages.
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Wutke S, Benecke N, Sandoval-Castellanos E, Döhle HJ, Friederich S, Gonzalez J, Hallsson JH, Hofreiter M, Lõugas L, Magnell O, Morales-Muniz A, Orlando L, Pálsdóttir AH, Reissmann M, Ruttkay M, Trinks A, and Ludwig A
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- Animals, Computer Simulation, DNA, Ancient analysis, Monte Carlo Method, Phenotype, Time Factors, Horses physiology, Pigmentation
- Abstract
Horses have been valued for their diversity of coat colour since prehistoric times; this is especially the case since their domestication in the Caspian steppe in ~3,500 BC. Although we can assume that human preferences were not constant, we have only anecdotal information about how domestic horses were influenced by humans. Our results from genotype analyses show a significant increase in spotted coats in early domestic horses (Copper Age to Iron Age). In contrast, medieval horses carried significantly fewer alleles for these phenotypes, whereas solid phenotypes (i.e., chestnut) became dominant. This shift may have been supported because of (i) pleiotropic disadvantages, (ii) a reduced need to separate domestic horses from their wild counterparts, (iii) a lower religious prestige, or (iv) novel developments in weaponry. These scenarios may have acted alone or in combination. However, the dominance of chestnut is a remarkable feature of the medieval horse population.
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- 2016
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18. Three Thousand Years of Continuity in the Maternal Lineages of Ancient Sheep (Ovis aries) in Estonia.
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Rannamäe E, Lõugas L, Speller CF, Valk H, Maldre L, Wilczyński J, Mikhailov A, and Saarma U
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- Animals, Archaeology, Breeding history, DNA, Mitochondrial isolation & purification, DNA, Mitochondrial metabolism, Estonia, Fossils, Haplotypes, History, 15th Century, History, 16th Century, History, 17th Century, History, 18th Century, History, 19th Century, History, 20th Century, History, Ancient, History, Medieval, Mitochondria genetics, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Sheep, Genetic Variation, Sheep, Domestic genetics
- Abstract
Although sheep (Ovis aries) have been one of the most exploited domestic animals in Estonia since the Late Bronze Age, relatively little is known about their genetic history. Here, we explore temporal changes in Estonian sheep populations and their mitochondrial genetic diversity over the last 3000 years. We target a 558 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial hypervariable region in 115 ancient sheep from 71 sites in Estonia (c. 1200 BC-AD 1900s), 19 ancient samples from Latvia, Russia, Poland and Greece (6800 BC-AD 1700), as well as 44 samples of modern Kihnu native sheep breed. Our analyses revealed: (1) 49 mitochondrial haplotypes, associated with sheep haplogroups A and B; (2) high haplotype diversity in Estonian ancient sheep; (3) continuity in mtDNA haplotypes through time; (4) possible population expansion during the first centuries of the Middle Ages (associated with the establishment of the new power regime related to 13th century crusades); (5) significant difference in genetic diversity between ancient populations and modern native sheep, in agreement with the beginning of large-scale breeding in the 19th century and population decline in local sheep. Overall, our results suggest that in spite of the observed fluctuations in ancient sheep populations, and changes in the natural and historical conditions, the utilisation of local sheep has been constant in the territory of Estonia, displaying matrilineal continuity from the Middle Bronze Age through the Modern Period, and into modern native sheep., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
- Published
- 2016
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19. The origin of ambling horses.
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Wutke S, Andersson L, Benecke N, Sandoval-Castellanos E, Gonzalez J, Hallsson JH, Lõugas L, Magnell O, Morales-Muniz A, Orlando L, Pálsdóttir AH, Reissmann M, Muñoz-Rodríguez MB, Ruttkay M, Trinks A, Hofreiter M, and Ludwig A
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- Animals, DNA Mutational Analysis, DNA, Ancient analysis, England, Gene Frequency, Genotype, History, Medieval, Horses genetics, Iceland, Transcription Factors genetics, Transcription Factors metabolism, Gait genetics, Horses physiology, Transcription Factors history
- Abstract
Horseback riding is the most fundamental use of domestic horses and has had a huge influence on the development of human societies for millennia. Over time, riding techniques and the style of riding improved. Therefore, horses with the ability to perform comfortable gaits (e.g. ambling or pacing), so-called 'gaited' horses, have been highly valued by humans, especially for long distance travel. Recently, the causative mutation for gaitedness in horses has been linked to a substitution causing a premature stop codon in the DMRT3 gene (DMRT3_Ser301STOP) [1]. In mice, Dmrt3 is expressed in spinal cord interneurons and plays an important role in the development of limb movement coordination [1]. Genotyping the position in 4396 modern horses from 141 breeds revealed that nowadays the mutated allele is distributed worldwide with an especially high frequency in gaited horses and breeds used for harness racing [2]. Here, we examine historic horse remains for the DMRT3 SNP, tracking the origin of gaitedness to Medieval England between 850 and 900 AD. The presence of the corresponding allele in Icelandic horses (9(th)-11(th) century) strongly suggests that ambling horses were brought from the British Isles to Iceland by Norse people. Considering the high frequency of the ambling allele in early Icelandic horses, we believe that Norse settlers selected for this comfortable mode of horse riding soon after arrival. The absence of the allele in samples from continental Europe (including Scandinavia) at this time implies that ambling horses may have spread from Iceland and maybe also the British Isles across the continent at a later date., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2016
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20. Temporal fluctuation in North East Baltic Sea region cattle population revealed by mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal DNA analyses.
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Niemi M, Bläuer A, Iso-Touru T, Harjula J, Nyström Edmark V, Rannamäe E, Lõugas L, Sajantila A, Lidén K, and Taavitsainen JP
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- Animals, Animals, Domestic genetics, Baltic States, Base Sequence, Bone and Bones cytology, Breeding, Haplotypes genetics, Molecular Sequence Data, Phylogeny, Radiometric Dating, Sequence Analysis, DNA veterinary, Cattle genetics, DNA, Mitochondrial genetics, Genetic Variation genetics, Mitochondria genetics, Y Chromosome genetics
- Abstract
Background: Ancient DNA analysis offers a way to detect changes in populations over time. To date, most studies of ancient cattle have focused on their domestication in prehistory, while only a limited number of studies have analysed later periods. Conversely, the genetic structure of modern cattle populations is well known given the undertaking of several molecular and population genetic studies., Results: Bones and teeth from ancient cattle populations from the North-East Baltic Sea region dated to the Prehistoric (Late Bronze and Iron Age, 5 samples), Medieval (14), and Post-Medieval (26) periods were investigated by sequencing 667 base pairs (bp) from the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and 155 bp of intron 19 in the Y-chromosomal UTY gene. Comparison of maternal (mtDNA haplotypes) genetic diversity in ancient cattle (45 samples) with modern cattle populations in Europe and Asia (2094 samples) revealed 30 ancient mtDNA haplotypes, 24 of which were shared with modern breeds, while 6 were unique to the ancient samples. Of seven Y-chromosomal sequences determined from ancient samples, six were Y2 and one Y1 haplotype. Combined data including Swedish samples from the same periods (64 samples) was compared with the occurrence of Y-chromosomal haplotypes in modern cattle (1614 samples)., Conclusions: The diversity of haplogroups was highest in the Prehistoric samples, where many haplotypes were unique. The Medieval and Post-Medieval samples also show a high diversity with new haplotypes. Some of these haplotypes have become frequent in modern breeds in the Nordic Countries and North-Western Russia while other haplotypes have remained in only a few local breeds or seem to have been lost. A temporal shift in Y-chromosomal haplotypes from Y2 to Y1 was detected that corresponds with the appearance of new mtDNA haplotypes in the Medieval and Post-Medieval period. This suggests a replacement of the Prehistoric mtDNA and Y chromosomal haplotypes by new types of cattle.
- Published
- 2015
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21. Stable isotope evidence for late medieval (14th-15th C) origins of the eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) fishery.
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Orton DC, Makowiecki D, de Roo T, Johnstone C, Harland J, Jonsson L, Heinrich D, Enghoff IB, Lõugas L, Van Neer W, Ervynck A, Hufthammer AK, Amundsen C, Jones AK, Locker A, Hamilton-Dyer S, Pope P, MacKenzie BR, Richards M, O'Connell TC, and Barrett JH
- Subjects
- Animals, Bone and Bones, Carbon Isotopes, Europe, History, 15th Century, History, 16th Century, History, 17th Century, History, 18th Century, History, Medieval, Nitrogen Isotopes, Oceans and Seas, Archaeology methods, Fisheries history, Gadus morhua
- Abstract
Although recent historical ecology studies have extended quantitative knowledge of eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) exploitation back as far as the 16th century, the historical origin of the modern fishery remains obscure. Widespread archaeological evidence for cod consumption around the eastern Baltic littoral emerges around the 13th century, three centuries before systematic documentation, but it is not clear whether this represents (1) development of a substantial eastern Baltic cod fishery, or (2) large-scale importation of preserved cod from elsewhere. To distinguish between these hypotheses we use stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis to determine likely catch regions of 74 cod vertebrae and cleithra from 19 Baltic archaeological sites dated from the 8th to the 16th centuries. δ(13)C and δ(15)N signatures for six possible catch regions were established using a larger sample of archaeological cod cranial bones (n = 249). The data strongly support the second hypothesis, revealing widespread importation of cod during the 13th to 14th centuries, most of it probably from Arctic Norway. By the 15th century, however, eastern Baltic cod dominate within our sample, indicating the development of a substantial late medieval fishery. Potential human impact on cod stocks in the eastern Baltic must thus be taken into account for at least the last 600 years.
- Published
- 2011
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- View/download PDF
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