Yak's Resilience and Adaptation to High- Altitude Stress | Pakistan Journal of Zoology 2025

Luobin He College of Life and Health, Dalian University, Dalian Economic-Technological Development Zone, Liaoning, 116622, China

Xuewei Li College of Life and Health, Dalian University, Dalian Economic-Technological Development Zone, Liaoning, 116622, China

Guifang Liu Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Tibet Autonomous Regional Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lhasa, Tibet, 850000, China

Yang-Ji Cidan Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Tibet Autonomous Regional Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lhasa, Tibet, 850000, China

Qudrat Ullah Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Dera Ismail Khan, 29220, Pakistan

Rubina Mushtaq Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan

Yuhe Xiu College of Life and Health, Dalian University, Dalian Economic-Technological Development Zone, Liaoning, 116622, China

Guangming Sun Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Tibet Autonomous Regional Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lhasa, Tibet, 850000, China

Dun-Zhu Luosang Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Tibet Autonomous Regional Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lhasa, Tibet, 850000, China

Nan Jiang College of Life and Health, Dalian University, Dalian Economic-Technological Development Zone, Liaoning, 116622, China: Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Tibet Autonomous Regional Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lhasa, Tibet, 850000, China

Yaks, native to high-altitude regions, exhibit remarkable adaptations to the challenging environments they inhabit. Over generations, these robust animals have evolved various physiological, morphological, biochemical, and genetic traits through natural selection. These adaptations allow them to thrive in conditions characterized by low temperatures and oxygen pressure. Notable features include their thick, insulating coats, efficient respiratory systems, and specialized metabolism suited for high-altitude forage. Such unique evolutionary adjustments enable yaks to navigate the harsh terrains and limited resources of their high-altitude habitats, showcasing their exceptional resilience and suitability to these challenging ecosystems. Through extensive selective pressures over time, yaks have developed stable and distinctive genetic traits that facilitate their physiological, biochemical, and morphological adaptations to high-altitude environments. Consequently, yaks serve as a representative model for investigating mammalian adaptability to plateaus. The comprehension of these adaptive mechanisms offers unparalleled insights into evolutionary adaptations, with direct implications for the selective breeding of domesticated yaks. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the genetic adaptations in yak to the rigors of high-altitude environmental stress. Advances in genomics and theoretical frameworks have collectively illuminated the genetic underpinnings of high-altitude adaptations