Ancient Mongolian aurochs and cattle genomes reveal population shifts associated with the expansion of herding

Humans hunted aurochs (Bos primigenius) for millennia in Mongolia prior to the introduction of domestic cattle sometime after ca. 5,000 years ago. Here, we present genomic data from Mongolian aurochs and domestic cattle at key points in Mongolia's prehistory to understand changes in population history associated with the adoption of domestic taurine cattle (B. taurus). We compare these low-coverage genomes with other cattle genomes worldwide and make comparisons about the nature of bovine populations before and after the adoption of domestic cattle. Individuals dating to before the introduction of taurine cattle have shared ancestry with North Asian aurochs, and individuals dating after the introduction of taurine cattle are related to other ancient East Asian cattle from archaeological sites such as Shimao in the Ordos region. We identify unique connections between ancient Mongolian aurochs and cattle and modern cattle breeds from Central China and Tibet.