Analysis of the earliest complete mtDNA genome of a Caribbean colonial horse (Equus caballus) from 16th-century Haiti

PLoS One. 2022 Jul 27;17(7):e0270600. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270600. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Unlike other European domesticates introduced in the Americas after the European invasion, equids (Equidae) were previously in the Western Hemisphere but were extinct by the late Holocene era. The return of equids to the Americas through the introduction of the domestic horse (Equus caballus) is documented in the historical literature but is not explored fully either archaeologically or genetically. Historical documents suggest that the first domestic horses were brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caribbean in the late 15th century CE, but archaeological remains of these early introductions are rare. This paper presents the mitochondrial genome of a late 16th century horse from the Spanish colonial site of Puerto Real (northern Haiti). It represents the earliest complete mitogenome of a post-Columbian domestic horse in the Western Hemisphere offering a unique opportunity to clarify the phylogeographic history of this species in the Americas. Our data supports the hypothesis of an Iberian origin for this early translocated individual and clarifies its phylogenetic relationship with modern breeds in the Americas.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Caribbean Region
  • DNA, Mitochondrial* / genetics
  • Equidae* / genetics
  • Haiti
  • Horses / genetics
  • Phylogeny

Substances

  • DNA, Mitochondrial

Grants and funding

KFE and ND received support from NSF DDRIG grant (#1930628) for this research (https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/archaeology-and-archaeometry-0). ND’s initial research was also funded by a Fulbright scholarship. The field research in Haiti was financed through contributions of the Organization of American States, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Dr. William Goya, the Wentworth Foundation, the University of Florida Division of Sponsored Research, and the Florida Museum of Natural History. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.”