Bioscience Evidence 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 291-302 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 298 6.3 Demographic events: Domestication bottleneck, Founder Effect and recent population decline of wild buffaloes River type and marsh type water buffaloes were independently domesticated in different regions - river type originated in the Indian subcontinent, while marsh type originated in the border area between China and the Indochinese Peninsula. Each domestication event was accompanied by a bottleneck effect, resulting in a decrease in genetic diversity compared to wild ancestors. Subsequently, when the water buffaloes spread to new geographical areas, since only a small number of founding individuals formed the herds. Significant genetic drift and population differentiation occurred during the spread of river buffaloes to Europe and the Mediterranean region, as well as the transmission of marsh buffaloes in Southeast Asia. Habitat loss, hunting, and competition with domestic water buffaloes have greatly reduced wild water buffalo numbers. Because of this drop, the chance of inbreeding becomes higher, and harmful alleles may become fixed in the population (De Jager et al., 2020; Quinn et al., 2023; Colangelo et al., 2024). Genomic studies also show a clear pattern: when a population goes through a strong bottleneck or stays isolated for a long time, it usually has more runs of homozygosity and less heterozygosity (Macciotta et al., 2021). 7 Implications for the Conservation and Breeding Procedures of Water Buffalo Populations 7.1 The Importance of preserving genetic diversity to combat diseases, climate change and environmental stress A high level of genetic variation can help slow down the spread of infectious diseases. When a population has many different genes, it is more likely that some animals carry alleles that can resist certain pathogens. This point is very important today, because livestock production is becoming more intensive and animals move across regions and countries more often. Frequent transport makes it easier for diseases to spread quickly within and between populations. Genetic diversity helps buffalo populations cope with new or changing environments. These changes may include higher temperatures, different rainfall patterns, and other climate pressures (Jaiswal et al., 2021; Rehman et al., 2021; Mishra et al., 2023). But when breeders focus too much on a few traits, such as milk yield or draft ability, they may reduce genetic variation without noticing it. This can lead to inbreeding depression and the buildup of harmful alleles. If the genetic base becomes too small, domestic buffalo may lose some ability to handle future problems, including new diseases or environmental stress. 7.2 Wild buffalo conservation strategies: protected areas, anti hybridization measures, and captive breeding Establishing and effectively managing nature reserves is the foundation for preventing wild water buffalo from being affected by habitat loss, poaching, and human encroachment. These protected areas not only provide critical habitats for wild water buffaloes to maintain their natural behavior and ecological functions, but also serve as long-term monitoring and research bases. Merely designating protected areas is not enough, active management is also needed to reduce threats such as overgrazing, competition with livestock, and invasive alien species (Kherwar and Bhattarai, 2021; Khulal et al., 2021). Hybridization, especially with domesticated or wild buffaloes, is a big threat to the genetic integrity of wild buffaloes. It can cause gene flow and make wild-type genotypes disappear. A good captive breeding program can work like a genetic resource bank. It can offer animals for release into the wild or help rebuild small populations. When making such plans, it is important to keep genetic diversity, prevent inbreeding, and use molecular tools to check genetic integrity. Setting up DNA sample banks and reference databases is also useful. Working with international teams and carrying out molecular research will further support both in situ and ex situ conservation efforts. 7.3 Breeding suggestions for domestic water buffaloes: maintain variability, optimize hybridization strategies and genomic selection pathways Keeping a wide genetic base is very important. It helps avoid inbreeding depression. It also keeps alleles that may be useful in the future. We can do this by keeping a good effective population size. We should not use only a few
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