SHORT COMMUNICATION doi:10.1111/j.1365-2052.2006.01495.x Evidence for biogeographic patterning of mitochondrial DNA

Summary Equine mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) phylogeny reconstruction reveals a complex pattern of variation unlike that seen in other large domesticates. It is likely that this pattern reflects a process of multiple and repeated, although not necessarily independent, domestication events. Until now, no clear geographic affiliation of clades has been apparent. In this study, AMOVA analyses have revealed a significant non-random distribution of the diversity among equine populations when seven newly sequenced Eurasian populations were examined in the context of previously published sequences. The association of Eastern mtDNA types in haplogroup F was highly significant using Fisher’s exact test of independence (P 0.00000). For the first time, clear biogeographic partitioning has been detected in equine mtDNA sequence. Keywords genetic diversity, horse domestication, mitochondrial DNA, phylogeography, polymorphism. There is widespread debate surrounding the when and where of horse domestication. However, it is widely believed that the Eurasian Steppe, with its vast overland communication routes, was an important centre of domes