Chemical classification of cattle. 2. Phylogenetic tree and specific status of the Zebu

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Abstract
Phylogenetic trees for the 10 major breed groups of cattle were constructed by Farris''s (1972) maximum parsimony method, or Fitch and Margoliash''s (1967) method, which averages the deviation over the entire assemblage. Both techniques yield essentially identical trees. The phylogenetic tree for the 10 major cattle breed groups can be superimposed on a map of Europe and western Asia, the root of the tree being close to the fertile crescent in Asia Minor, believed to be a primary center of bovine domestication. For some, but not all, protein variants there is a cline of gene frequencies as one proceeds from the British Isles and northwest Europe towards southeast Europe and Asia Minor, with the most extreme gene frequencies in the Zebu breeds of India. It is not clear to what extent the observed clines are primary or secondary, i.e., consequent to the initial migrations of cattle towards the end of the Pleistocene, or consequent to the many migrations of man with his domesticated cattle. Such clines as exist are not in themselves sufficient to prove either selection vs. genetic drift or to establish taxonomic ranking. Contrary to some suggestions in the literature, the biochemical evidence supports Linnaeus''s original conclusions: Bos taurus and B. indicus are distinct species.