Editing Water buffalo (section)

===Genetic studies===

[[Mitochondrial DNA]] analyses indicate that the two types were domesticated independently.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Kumar, S. |author2=Nagarajan, M. |author3=Sandhu, J. S. |author4=Kumar, N. |author5=Behl, V. |author6=Nishanth, G. |year=2007 |url=http://www.aseanbiotechnology.info/Abstract/21025230.pdf |title=Mitochondrial DNA analyses of Indian water buffalo support a distinct genetic origin of river and swamp buffalo |journal=Animal Genetics |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=227–232 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2052.2007.01602.x |pmid=17459014 |access-date=19 February 2013 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304204755/http://www.aseanbiotechnology.info/Abstract/21025230.pdf |url-status=usurped }}</ref> [[Sequencing]] of [[cytochrome b]] (''CytB'') [[gene]]s of ''Bubalus'' [[species]] implies that the water buffalo originated from at least two populations, and that the river-type and the swamp-type have differentiated at the full species level. The [[genetic distance]] between the two types is so large that a divergence time of about 1.7 million years has been suggested. The swamp-type was noticed to have the closest relationship with the [[tamaraw]] of the northern Philippines.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Phylogenetic relationship among all living species of the genus ''Bubalus'' based on DNA sequences of the cytochrome ''b'' gene|year=1996 |doi=10.1007/BF00570125 |pmid=9126673 |last1=Tanaka |first1=Kazuaki |last2=Solis |first2=Chester D. |last3=Masangkay |first3=Joseph S. |last4=Maeda |first4=Kei-Ichiro |last5=Kawamoto |first5=Yoshi |last6=Namikawa |first6=Takao |journal=Biochemical Genetics |volume=34 |issue=11–12 |pages=443–452 |s2cid=22075565}}</ref>

A 2008 DNA analysis of [[Neolithic]] water buffalo remains in northern China (previously used as evidence of a Chinese domestication origin) found that the remains were of the [[extinct]] ''[[Bubalus mephistopheles]]'' and are not genetically related to modern domesticated water buffaloes. Another study in 2004 also concluded that the remains were from wild specimens. Both indicate that water buffaloes were first domesticated outside of China.<ref name="Liu2004">{{cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Li |last2=Chen |first2=Xingcan |last3=Jiang Leping |title=A study of Neolithic water buffalo remains from Zhejiang, China |journal=Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association Bulletin |date=2004 |volume=24 |issue=Taipei Papers 2 |pages=113–120}}</ref><ref name="yang">{{cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Dongya Y. |last2=Liu |first2=Li |last3=Chen |first3=Xingcan |last4=Speller |first4=Camilla F. |title=Wild or domesticated: DNA analysis of ancient water buffalo remains from north China |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science |date=October 2008 |volume=35 |issue=10 |pages=2778–2785 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2008.05.010|bibcode=2008JArSc..35.2778Y }}</ref> Analyses of [[mitochondrial DNA]] and [[single-nucleotide polymorphism]] indicate that swamp and river buffaloes were [[Crossbreed|crossbred]] in China.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Pérez-Pardal, L. |author2=Chen, S. |author3=Costa, V. |author4=Liu, X. |author5=Carvalheira, J. |author6=Beja-Pereira, A. |name-list-style=amp |year=2018 |title=Genomic differentiation between swamp and river buffalo using a cattle high-density single nucleotide polymorphisms panel|journal=Animal |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=464–471 |doi=10.1017/S1751731117001719 |pmid=28735584|s2cid=206340224|doi-access=free|bibcode=2018Anim...12..464P }}</ref>

A 2020 analysis of the genomes of 91 swamp and 30 river buffaloes showed that they separated already before domestication about {{Ma|0.23}}.<ref name=Sun2020>{{cite journal |author1=Sun, T. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Shen, J. |author3=Achilli, A. |author4=Chen, N. |author5=Chen, Q. |author6=Dang, R. |author7=Zheng Z |author8=Zhang, H. |author10=Zhang, X. |author11=Wang, S. |author12=Zhang, T. |author13=Lu, H. |author14=Ma, Y. |author15=Jia, Y. |author16=Capodiferro, M.R. |author17=Huang, Y. |author18=Lan, X. |author19=Chen, H. |author20=Jiang, Y. |author9=Lei, C. |year=2020 |title=Genomic analyses reveal distinct genetic architectures and selective pressures in buffaloes |journal=GigaScience |volume=9 |issue=2 |page=giz166 |doi=10.1093/gigascience/giz166|pmid=32083286 |pmc=7033652 |doi-access=free}}</ref> A 2021 analysis of water buffalo and [[lowland anoa]] genomes unexpectedly found the anoa branching somewhere between swamp and river buffalos.<ref name=Curaudeau2021/> A 2023 Filipino study using the ''CytB'' gene instead found the [[tamaraw]] branching between the two.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cailipan |first1=Therese Patricka |last2=Paraguas |first2=Alexander |last3=Cuanang |first3=Aivhie Jhoy |last4=Soliven |first4=Nelvie Fatima Jane |last5=Roño |first5=John Gregor |last6=Fontanilla |first6=Francis |last7=Servo |first7=Emerson |last8=Cao |first8=Ernelea |last9=Fontanilla |first9=Ian Kendrich |last10=Villamor |first10=Lilian |display-authors=5 |title=Molecular Data and Karyotype Revealed Two Distinct Species of Domesticated Water Buffaloes in the Philippines |journal=Philippine Journal of Science |date=5 September 2023 |volume=152 |issue=5 |doi=10.56899/152.05.27|s2cid=263317713 }}</ref>