Genomic Insights into the Origins, Population Structure, and Local Adaptation of Philippine Visayan Native Cattle

Abstract

Philippine farmers utilize native cattle for meat, draft power, and income security, but until now their origins and perceived traits have been poorly understood. This study utilized genome-wide SNP to analyze native cattle from the Panay and Siquijor islands, Visayas, comparing them to global breeds to uncover their origin and the genomic regions that potentially allow them to thrive in a tropical island environment. Visayan native cattle mostly belonged to indicine cattle and occupied a middle position between mainland Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cattle, reflecting past mixing among these regions. Their genetic history is consistent with a complex sequence of ancestry signals that may reflect historical livestock movements associated with Southeast Asian maritime connectivity and later colonial-era introductions. Finally, several candidate regions were identified, and these could be related to the traits perceived by local farmers. Keywords: Philippine native cattle, positive selection, heritage genetics, population structure, Southeast Asian indicine