The genomic history of Iberian horses since the last Ice Age

Lira Garrido, Jaime ; Tressières, Gaétan ; Chauvey, Lorelei ; Schiavinato, Stéphanie ; Calvière-Tonasso, Laure ; Seguin-Orlando, Andaine ; Southon, John ; Shapiro, Beth ; Bataille, Clément ; Birgel, Julie ; Wagner, Stefanie ; Khan, Naveed ; Liu, Xuexue ; Rodanés, José María (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Picazo Millán, Jesús V. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Giralt, Josep ; Alonso, Natàlia ; Aguilera, Isidro ; Orsingher, Adriano ; Trentacoste, Angela ; Payà, Xavier ; Morán, Marta ; Iborra Eres, María Pilar ; Albizuri, Silvia ; Valenzuela Lamas, Silvia ; Mestres Santandreu, Imma ; Duran Caixal, Montserrat ; Principal, Jordi ; Farré Huguet, Jordi ; Esteve, Xavier ; Pedro Pasqual, Mireia ; Sala, Nohemi ; Pablos, Adrián ; Martín, Patricia ; Vergès, Josep Maria ; Portero, Rodrigo ; Arias, Pablo ; Ontañón Peredo, Roberto ; Detry, Cleia ; Luís, Cristina ; Cardoso, João Luís ; Maeir, Aren M. ; Valente, Maria J. ; Grau, Elena ; Estall i Poles, Vicent ; Alfonso Llorens, Joaquín ; Miguélez González, Ana ; Gardeisen, Armelle ; Cupitò, Michele ; Tecchiati, Umberto ; Bradley, Daniel G. ; Kolska Horwitz, Liora ; Rodríguez González, Esther ; Nieto Espinet, Ariadna ; Bover, Pere ; Ruiz Entrecanales, Rosa ; Garcés Estallo, Ignasi ; Jiménez Fragoso, Joaquín ; Celestino, Sebastián ; Orlando, Ludovic

Resumen: Horses have inhabited Iberia (present-day Spain and Portugal) since the Middle Pleistocene, shaping a complex history in the region. Iberia has been proposed as a potential domestication centre and is renowned for producing world-class bloodlines. Here, we generate genome-wide sequence data from 87 ancient horse specimens (median coverage = 0.97X) from Iberia and the broader Mediterranean to reconstruct their genetic history over the last ~26,000 years. Here, we report that wild horses of the divergent IBE lineage inhabited Iberia from the Late Pleistocene, while domesticated DOM2 horses, native from the Pontic-Caspian steppes, already arrived ~1850 BCE. Admixture dating suggests breeding practices involving continued wild restocking until at least ~350 BCE, with IBE disappearing shortly after. Patterns of genetic affinity highlight the far-reaching influence of Iberian bloodlines across Europe and north Africa during the Iron Age and Antiquity, with continued impact extending thereafter, particularly during the colonization of the Americas.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62266-z

Año: 2025

Publicado en: Nature communications 16, 1 (2025), 7098 [14 pp.]
ISSN: 2041-1723

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MCINN-FEDER/PID2020-113369RJ-I00

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Prehistoria (Dpto. Ciencias de la Antigüed.)