Bioscience Evidence 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 291-302 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 291 Research Insight Open Access A Comparative Study of Genetic Diversity in Wild and Domestic Water Buffalo Populations Hongbo Liang 1, QibinXu2 1 Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China 2 Animal Science Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: qibin.xu@cuixi.org Bioscience Evidence, 2025, Vol.15, No.6 doi: 10.5376/be.2025.15.0029 Received: 13 Oct., 2025 Accepted: 20 Nov., 2025 Published: 10 Dec., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Liang and Xu, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Liang H.B., and Xu Q.B., 2025, A comparative study of genetic diversity in wild and domestic water buffalo populations, Bioscience Evidence, 15(6): 291-302 (doi: 10.5376/be.2025.15.0029) Abstract Buffalo are important livestock animals, and their genetic diversity plays a key role in species evolution, farm production, and future breeding. Wild buffalo (Bubalus arnee) and domestic buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) show clear lineage differences and have a complex evolutionary history. Domestic buffalo are mainly divided into two groups: river type and swamp type. In this study, we used mitochondrial DNA, microsatellite markers, SNP data, and whole-genome sequencing to compare the genetic diversity of wild and domestic buffalo. Because of habitat loss and small population size, wild buffalo now show lower genetic diversity and stronger inbreeding. Domestic buffalo have been shaped by long-term human selection, so their population structure is different. River-type buffalo have been strongly selected for milk traits, while swamp-type buffalo still keep high geographic separation and more uniform physical features. Genomic analysis also shows clear signals of domestication and artificial selection, including several selection sweep regions. We also found gene flow at different levels between river and swamp types, and between domestic buffalo and wild buffalo. This study points out that protecting the wild buffalo gene pool is very important. It also suggests that breeding programs for domestic buffalo should maintain genetic diversity, make good use of genomic selection, and improve hybrid strategies. These results can support future buffalo breeding, resource management, and biodiversity conservation. Keywords Water buffalo; Genetic diversity; Domestication and artificial selection; Genomic differentiation; Population conservation and breeding strategies 1 Introduction The global buffalo population (Bubalus bubalis) has exceeded 200 million, distributed across five continents. However, its main concentration area and economic influence are still in Asia, which accounts for more than 95% of the global buffalo population (Zhong et al., 2020; Shen et al., 2024). Due to its good adaptability to high temperature, high humidity and low-quality forage, water buffaloes can often maintain good production performance in environments where other domestic animals have difficulty surviving. In India alone, buffalo milk production accounts for more than half of the national milk production. The high milk fat content and high nutritional value in its milk are particularly valued (Nagarajan et al., 2015; Mishra et al., 2023). The genus Bubalus has both wild and domestic types. The wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee) is seen as the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) (Curaudeau et al., 2021; Villamor et al., 2022). The domestication of buffaloes is not straightforward. It happened in different places on its own, so two main domestic groups appeared: the river buffalo (B. bubalis) and the marsh buffalo (B. bubalis carabanensis or B. kerabau) (Si et al., 2024). he river buffalo has 50 chromosomes. It is found mostly in the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. People know it for its high milk yield and its wide range of traits. The marsh buffalo has 48 chromosomes. It mainly lives in Southeast Asia and China. It is used more for farm work and meat. It shows clear genetic differences between regions, but its appearance does not vary much (Hassan et al., 2022). Wild water buffaloes are bigger and have a more aggressive nature. Today, only small and scattered groups remain in parts of South and Southeast Asia. They are now considered a critically endangered species. In water buffaloes, genetic diversity is very important. It not only shapes how they evolve, but also affects their use in farming. When the genetic diversity is higher, it becomes easier to improve and keep important traits, like
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