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Archeogenetics of lagomorphs in Croatia: a preliminary study

Archeogenetics is a discipline based on molecular and population genetics with target to analyse ancient biological remains (ancient DNA). It is mainly oriented to ancient DNA from humans and domestic animals and plants, although, analyses of other materials might come to use. The full exploitation of archeogenetic information is heavily dependent on the interdisciplinary research as the sound explanations would require knowledge on a number of diverse disciplines (paleontology, zooarchaeology, archaeology, molecular genetics and population genetics). We built a small team of researchers involved in all required disciplines in order to analyse faunal remains present in Croatia with focus on domestic animals and their wild relatives. While our interests are wide with respect to a number of domestic species and their wild relatives we decided to start with lagomorphs. This decision has been very much influenced by the activities of a COST RGB project entitled "A collaborative European Network on Rabbit Genome Biology - RGB- Net " where we are participating (WG1: Refinement of the European rabbit genome resource and development of genome-based platforms and WG4: Genetics and comparative genomic aspects for the study, exploitation and management of wild lagomorphs). Currently, the status of literature overview is the following. MtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) has been determined from a large number of lagomorph species at the individual level and the comparison of those DNA sequences represents a mainstay of phylogenetics, in that it allows biologists to elucidate the evolutionary relationships among species and it also permits an examination of the relatedness of populations. MtDNA genetic diversity analysing mitochondrial DNA from remains of archaeological sites with present population theories of origin of O. cuniculus were postulated, also other markers were used as well (heteroplasmy, RFLP, mtDNA sequencing–cyt b, tRNA, CR). The study of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the entire rabbit mtDNA molecule revealed the existence of two very distinct maternal lineages (Ennafaa et al., 1987 ; Biju-Duval et al., 1991). Lineage A was found in the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula and lineage B in the rest of Europe (including northern Spain) and also in domestic breeds. A clear subdivision into two groups was also found when nuclear genes were studied (Van der Loo et al., 1991, 1999 ; Ferrand, 1995), with a geographical distribution that largely coincides with that of the two mitochondrial clades A and B. Thus clade A was tentatively associated with O. c. algirus and clade B with O. c. cuniculus, as well as the corresponding nuclear gene pools (Biju-Duval et al., 1991 ; van der Loo et al., 1991 ; Ferrand, 1995 ; Branco & Ferrand, 1998). Even during the coldest periods, three regions in the Mediterranean area had temperate climates ; the Iberian and Italian peninsulas, and the Balkans (Bennet et al. 1991). When the temperature decreased, the northern populations of many species became extinct, but the species may have survived during hostile times in these Mediterranean refugia. From plant and animal remains it is clear that most organisms presently distributed across Europe were in refugia in the south at the height of glaciations 18 000 BP, many in the peninsulas of Iberia, Italy and the Balkans, and some possibly near the Caucasus and Caspian Sea (Hewit, 1999). Present lagomorphs in Croatia are Lepus europaeus and Oryctolaguscuniculus. Taxonomic identification of lagomorphs remains in this preliminary study is based exclusively on their morphometric characteristics. Future work is the ancient DNA analysis, sequencing of whole mtDNA by new technology, and filling gaps with Balkan refugia which we missed in literature.

archeogenetics; Lagomorpha; Croatia

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