Uruz Project

Last updated
Artist impression of an aurochs bull found in Braunschweig, Germany. Aurochs reconstruction.jpg
Artist impression of an aurochs bull found in Braunschweig, Germany.

The Uruz Project had the goal of breeding back the extinct aurochs (Bos p. primigenius). Uruz is the old Germanic word for aurochs. The Uruz Project was initiated in 2013 by the True Nature Foundation [1] and presented at TEDx DeExtinction, a day-long conference [2] organised by the Long Now Foundation with the support of TED and in partnership with National Geographic Society, [3] to showcase the prospects of bringing extinct species back to life. The de-extinction movement itself is spearheaded by the Long Now Foundation.

Contents

Technically, Bos primigenius is not wholly extinct. The wild subspecies B. p. primigenius, indicus and africanus are, but the species is still represented by domestic cattle. Most, or all, of the relevant Aurochs characteristics, and therefore the underlying DNA, needed to "breed back" an aurochs-like cattle type can be found in B. p. taurus. Domestic cattle originated in the middle east, and there also has been introgression of European aurochs into domestic cattle in ancient times. [4] The Uruz Project's goal is to collect all relevant data and reunite scattered aurochs characteristics, and thus DNA, in one animal.

Background

Aurochs in a cave painting in Lascaux, France Lascaux painting.jpg
Aurochs in a cave painting in Lascaux, France

Ecological restoration projects cannot be complete without bringing back those key elements that help shape and reshape wild landscapes. The European aurochs (Bos p. primigenius) was a large and long-horned wild bovine herbivore that existed from the most western tip of Europe until Siberia in present-day Russia. Aurochs have played a major role in human history. They are often depicted in rock-art, including the famous, well-conserved cave paintings made by Cro-Magnon people in the Lascaux Caves, estimated to be 17,300 years old. Aurochs and other large animals portrayed in Paleolithic cave art were often hunted for food. Hunting and habitat loss caused by humans, including agricultural land conversion, caused the aurochs to go extinct in 1627, when the last individual, a female, died in Poland’s Jaktorów Forest. [5]

The former distribution range of the Aurochs Bos primigenius map.jpg
The former distribution range of the Aurochs

The aurochs is one of the keystone species that is missing in Europe. Their grazing and browsing patterns, trampling of the soil and faeces had a profound impact on the vegetation and landscapes it inhabited. Grazing results in a greater variety of plant species, structures and ecological niches in a landscape that benefit both biodiversity and production. [6] Megaherbivores like the aurochs also controlled vegetation development. [7]

Breeding strategy

The Uruz Project aims to breed an aurochs-like breed of cattle from a limited number of carefully selected primitive cattle breeds with known Aurochs characteristics. The project uses Sayaguesa cattle, Maremmana primitiva or Hungarian grey cattle, Chianina and Watusi. The genome of the Aurochs has been completely reconstructed and serves as the baseline for the reconstruction of the Aurochs. [4] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurochs</span> Extinct species of large cattle that inhabited Asia, Europe and Northern Africa

The aurochs is an extinct cattle species, considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. With a shoulder height of up to 180 cm (71 in) in bulls and 155 cm (61 in) in cows, it was one of the largest herbivores in the Holocene; it had massive elongated and broad horns that reached 80 cm (31 in) in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zebu</span> South Asian domestic cattle

The zebu, sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle, Camel cow or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump on their shoulders, a large dewlap, and sometimes drooping ears. They are well adapted to withstanding high temperatures and are farmed throughout the tropics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bovinae</span> Subfamily of mammals

Bovines comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship between the members of the group is still debated, and their classification into loose tribes rather than formal subgroups reflects this uncertainty. General characteristics include cloven hooves and usually at least one of the sexes of a species having true horns. The largest extant bovine is the gaur.

<i>Bos</i> Genus of wild and domestic cattle

Bos is a genus of bovines, which includes, among others, wild and domestic cattle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breeding back</span> Artificial selection

Breeding back is a form of artificial selection by the deliberate selective breeding of domestic animals, in an attempt to achieve an animal breed with a phenotype that resembles a wild type ancestor, usually one that has gone extinct. Breeding back is not to be confused with dedomestication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heck cattle</span> German breed of cattle

The Heck or Munich-Berlin is a German breed or type of domestic cattle. It was bred in the 1920s by Heinz and Lutz Heck in an attempt to breed back the extinct aurochs. Controversy revolves around methodology and success of the programme. There are considerable differences between Heck cattle and the aurochs in build, height, and body proportions. Furthermore, there are other cattle breeds which resemble their wild ancestors at least as much as Heck cattle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banteng</span> Species of wild bovine discovered in Southeast Asia

The banteng, also known as tembadau, is a species of wild bovine found in Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chillingham cattle</span> Breed of cattle

Chillingham cattle, also known as Chillingham wild cattle, is a breed of cattle that live in a large enclosed park at Chillingham Castle, Northumberland, England. In summer 2022 the cattle number 138 animals with approximately equal numbers of males and females The herd has remained remarkably genetically isolated for hundreds of years, surviving despite inbreeding depression due to the small population. There is also a small reserve herd of about 20 animals located on Crown Estate land near Fochabers, North East Scotland.

Bos acutifrons is the most ancient representative of the genus Bos cattle. Fossils of an individual of B. acutifrons were found in middle Pleistocene-aged strata of Siwalik Hills of Kashmir, in either modern Pakistan or India, in the 19th century. The prehistoric species was described, along with Bos planifrons, by Richard Lydekker in 1877. In 1898 Lydekker synonymised B. planifrons with B. acutifrons, reconsidering the skull found to be that of a female individual of the same species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carsington</span> Village in Derbyshire, England

Carsington is a village in the middle of the Derbyshire Dales, England; it adjoins the hamlet of Hopton, and is close to the historic town of Wirksworth and village of Brassington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanga cattle</span> Breed of cattle

Sanga cattle is the collective name for indigenous cattle of some regions in Africa. They are sometimes identified as a subspecies with the scientific name Bos taurus africanus. Their history of domestication and their origins in relation to taurine cattle, zebu cattle (indicine), and native African varieties of the ancestral aurochs are a matter of debate. "African taurine", "sanga", "zenga", "sheko", "African indicine" are all sub-groups of Sanga cattle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian aurochs</span> Subspecies of mammals

The Indian aurochs is an extinct subspecies of aurochs that inhabited West Asia and the Indian subcontinent from the Late Pleistocene until its eventual extinction during the South Asian Stone Age. With no remains younger than 3,800 YBP ever recovered, the Indian aurochs was the first of the three aurochs subspecies to become extinct; the Eurasian aurochs and the North African aurochs persevered longer, with the latter being known to the Roman Empire, and the former surviving until the mid-17th century in Central Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cattle</span> Large, domesticated, cloven-hooved herbivores

Cattle are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus Bos. Mature female cattle are called cows and mature male cattle are bulls. Young female cattle are called heifers, young male cattle are oxen or bullocks, and castrated male cattle are known as steers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maronesa</span> Portuguese breed of cattle

The Maronesa is a traditional Portuguese breed of mountain cattle. Its name derives from that of the Serra do Marão, which lies in the Trás-os-Montes and Douro Litoral regions in the northern part of the country. Its primary use is for draught power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tauros Programme</span> Dutch cattle-breeding project

The Tauros Programme, formerly known as TaurOs Project, is a cooperation between the Dutch foundation Stichting Taurus and universities such as the Wageningen University and Research Centre. It is an international effort to breed a type of cattle that resembles the extinct aurochs, the wild ancestor of domestic cattle.

Stichting Taurus is a Dutch foundation which uses large herbivores grazing under natural circumstances for nature conservation. Robust cattle and horse breeds are used for this purpose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De-extinction</span> Process of re-creating an extinct species

De-extinction is the process of generating an organism that either resembles or is an extinct species. There are several ways to carry out the process of de-extinction. Cloning is the most widely proposed method, although genome editing and selective breeding have also been considered. Similar techniques have been applied to certain endangered species, in hopes to boost their genetic diversity. The only method of the three that would provide an animal with the same genetic identity is cloning. There are benefits and drawbacks to the process of de-extinction ranging from technological advancements to ethical issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taurus Project</span> German cattle-breeding project

The Taurus Project of the German Arbeitsgemeinschaft Biologischer Umweltschutz aims to re-create the extinct aurochs, the wild ancestor of domestic cattle, by cross-breeding Heck cattle with aurochs-like cattle, mostly from Southern Europe. Herds of these cross-bred Taurus cattle have been established in Germany, Denmark, Hungary and Latvia, and are used in conservation of natural landscapes and biodiversity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hariana cattle</span> Breed of cattle

Hariana or haryanvi is an Indian breed of cow native to North India, specially in the state of Haryana. They produce about 10 to 15 litres of milk a day, compared to 8.9 litres when cross-bred with Holstein Friesian cattle (HS), whereas pure HS can produce 50 litres a day, but it is not as disease-resistant in the conditions of North India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milovice Nature Reserve</span>

Milovice Nature Reserve is a nature reserve next to the towns of Milovice and Benátky nad Jizerou in Nymburk District, Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. Established in 2015, the area is administered by the Česká krajina o.p.s. organization, as a part of Evropsky významná lokalita Milovice-Mladá CZ0214006 protected area, part of the European Union project Natura 2000. This reserve is a pioneering project of cooperation between several scientific bodies and draws support from many organizations and private sponsors.

References

  1. "Uruz Project". True Nature Foundation. October 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  2. "TEDxDeExtinction". TED.
  3. "De-Extinction : Bringing Extinct Species Back to Life". National Geographic. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Edwards, CJ; Magee DA, Park SD, McGettigan PA, Lohan AJ, Murphy A, Finlay EK, Shapiro B, Chamberlain AT, Richards MB, Bradley DG, Loftus BJ, MacHugh DE.; Park, S. D.; McGettigan, P. A.; Lohan, A. J.; Murphy, A; Finlay, E. K.; Shapiro, B; Chamberlain, A. T.; Richards, M. B.; Bradley, D. G.; Loftus, B. J.; Machugh, D. E. (2010). "A complete mitochondrial genome sequence from a mesolithic wild aurochs (Bos primigenius)". PLOS ONE. 5 (2): e9255. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...5.9255E. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009255 . PMC   2822870 . PMID   20174668.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Tikhonov, A. (30 June 2008). "Bos primigenius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN.
  6. Iain J. Gordon; Herbert H. T. Prins (2008). The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing . Springer. pp.  263–292. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-72422-3_10. ISBN   978-3-540-72421-6.
  7. Jill, JL (2014). "Ecological impacts of the late Quaternary megaherbivore extinctions". The New Phytologist. 201 (4): 1163–1169. doi:10.1111/nph.12576. PMID   24649488.
  8. Stephen D.E. Park, David E. MacHugh; David A. Magee, Paul A. McGettigan, Matthew Teasdale, Ceiridwen J. Edwards, Amanda J. Lohan, Alison Murphy, Yuan Liu, Emma K. Finlay, Steven G. Schroeder, Daniel G. Bradley, Tad S. Sonstegard, Brendan J. Loftus (January 11–16, 2013). "A Complete Nuclear Genome Sequence from the Extinct Eurasian Wild Aurochs (Bos primigenius)". Plant and Animal Genome XXI Conference, San Diego, CA. Retrieved 11 May 2014.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)