Mitochondrial DNA diversity in Siberian Tatars of the Tobol-Irtysh basin

Data on the variation of the nucleotide sequence of hypervariable segment I (HVSI) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the coding region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been used to characterize the mitochondrial gene pool of Siberian Tatars of the Tobol-Irtysh basin (N = 218), one of three geographic/linguistic groups of Siberian Tatars. The gene pool of Siberian Tatars has been shown to contain both Asian and European mtDNA lineages at a ratio of 1 : 1.5. The mtDNA diversity of Siberian Tatars is substantially higher than that of other Turkic-speaking populations of North and Central Asia. The position of the mitochondrial gene pool of Tatars of the Tobol-Irtysh basin in the genetic space of northern Eurasia populations has been determined.     

Mitochondrial DNA diversity in Siberian Tatars of the Tobol-Irtysh basin

Data on the variation of the nucleotide sequence of hypervariable segment I (HVSI) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the coding region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been used to characterize the mitochondrial gene pool of Siberian Tatars of the Tobol-Irtysh basin (N = 218), one of three geographic/linguistic groups of Siberian Tatars. The gene pool of Siberian Tatars has been shown to contain both Asian and European mtDNA lineages at a ratio of 1.0 : 1.5. The mtDNA diversity of Siberian Tatars is substantially higher than that of other Turkic-speaking populations of North and Central Asia. The position of the mitochondrial gene pool of Tatars of the Tobol-Irtysh basin in the genetic space of northern Eurasia populations has been determined.     

Polymorphism of immunogenetic and biochemical markers in Siberian (Tobol-Irtysh) Tatars

The polymorphism of immunogenetic and biochemical markers has been studied in nine populations of five ethnic-geographic groups of Siberian (Tobol-Irtysh) Tatars. Data on the frequency distributions of 33 alleles and 6 haplotypes of 14 loci (ABO, RHD, RHC, RHE, P, KEL, HP, C′3, TF, GLO1, ESD, ACP, PGD, and PGM1) in sample of 354 subjects have been obtained. Comparison with other ethnic groups has shown that the gene pool of Tobol-Irtysh Tatars contains an ancient autochthonic genetic stratum similar to that found in the neighboring Ob’ Ugrian population. Genetic relationships of various strengths with Central Asian Turks and the ethnic groups of the Volga region have been found, which apparently reflect different stages of the ethnogenesis of the Tobol-Irtysh Tatars.     

Polymorphism of Mitochondrial DNA in Population of Siberian Tatars from Barabinsk Forest Steppe

The analysis of mtDNA polymorphism was carried out in the population of Siberian Tatars from the Barabinsk forest steppe living on the territory of Novosibirsk oblast (N = 199). As a result of the analysis of HVS I and HVS II nucleotide sequence, 101 haplotypes that refer to 22 mtDNA haplogroups were detected. The population of Baraba Tatars is represented by both East Eurasian (38.7%) and West Eurasian mtDNA lines (61.3%). H, T, U5, and J haplogroups prevail among West Eurasian haplogroups; C, D, G, M, and A haplogroups prevail among East Eurasian ones. According to the index of genetic diversity, Tatars from the Barabinsk forest steppe (0.9141) are the closest to Kazakhs (0.9108), Bashkirs (0.9165), and Tobol-Irtysh Tatars (0.9104). The greatest statistically significant interpopulation differences (F_ST) were detected between all studied samples; the smallest interpopulation differences were detected between all Tatar samples, as well as between Tatars and Komi, Mansi, Udmurts, Kazakhs, Chuvashes, and Bashkirs. The haplogroup H is the most common in populations that we studied. In the present study, was registered the haplotype 16126–16294 with the frequency of 4% (T cluster) previously found only in Caucasians. High frequency of haplogroups U4, U5, and H in the gene pool of Baraba Tatars brings them together not only with Samoyeds but also with Finno-Ugric populations. The highest intrapopulation genetic diversity was detected in Tatars from the Barabinsk forest steppe, Tobol-Irtysh Tatars, Kazakhs, and Bashkirs. The presence of the haplogroup B in the mitochondrial DNA genetic pool of Siberian Tatars brings them together with Turks that came from regions of Altai and Central Kazakhstan and inhabited the Western Siberian forest steppe in the 6th–9th centuries. The haplogroup U7, which is typical of populations of Jordan, Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, could also have entered the territory of residence of Siberian Tatars in the middle of second millennium BC, when Iranian-speaking tribes entered Siberia.     

Population structure of Volga Tatars inferred from the mitochondrial DNA diversity data

The data on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in two populations of Volga Tatars, representing the population of Buinsk and Aznakaevo districts of the Republic of Tatarstan are presented. Comparative analysis of the data on mtDNA variation in the populations of Eastern Europe showed that Volga Tatars were characterized by low interpopulation differentiation (F _ST = 0.33%), while the level of interethnic differentiation in Eastern Europe is 1.8%. Genetic similarity of Tatars from the eastern regions of Tatarstan to Bashkirs, as well as of Tatars from western regions to Chuvashes, with whom they share territorial borders, was revealed. Positive correlation between population genetic structure in Eastern Europe and linguistic affiliation of the ethnic groups studied was observed.     

Gene pool of Siberian Tatars: Five ways of origin for five subethnic groups

Siberian Tatars form the largest Turkic-speaking ethnic group in Western Siberia. The group has a complex hierarchical system of ethnographically diverse populations. Five subethnic groups of Tobol–Irtysh Siberian Tatars (N = 388 samples) have been analyzed for 50 informative Y-chromosomal SNPs. The subethnic groups have been found to be extremely genetically diverse (F _ST = 21%), so the Siberian Tatars form one of the strongly differentiated ethnic gene pools in Siberia and Central Asia. Every method employed in our studies indicates that different subethnic groups formed in different ways. The gene pool of Isker–Tobol Tatars descended from the local Siberian indigenous population and an intense, albeit relatively recent gene influx from Northeastern Europe. The gene pool of Yalutorovsky Tatars is determined by the Western Asian genetic component. The subethnic group of Siberian Bukhar Tatars is the closest to the gene pool of the Western Caucasus population. Ishtyak–Tokuz Tatars have preserved the genetic legacy of Paleo-Siberians, which connects them with populations from Southern, Western, and Central Siberia. The gene pool of the most isolated Zabolotny (Yaskolbinsky) Tatars is closest to Ugric peoples of Western Siberia and Samoyeds of the Northern Urals. Only two out of five Siberian Tatar groups studied show partial genetic similarity to other populations calling themselves Tatars: Isker–Tobol Siberian Tatars are slightly similar to Kazan Tatars, and Yalutorovsky Siberian Tatars, to Crimean Tatars. The approach based on the full sequencing of the Y chromosome reveals only a weak (2%) Central Asian genetic trace in the Siberian Tatar gene pool, dated to 900 years ago. Hence, the Mongolian hypothesis of the origin of Siberian Tatars is not supported in genetic perspective.     

Variability and identification power of 60 X-chromosome in two native Siberian populations

Genetic diversity of 60 X-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms (XSNPid panel) in populations of Siberian Tatars and Tuvinians is described. A close spectrum of allele frequencies and a low level of their genetic differentiation (G_st = 0.021) is revealed. High discriminating power of the XSNPid panel in populations under study is demonstrated. The random matching probability (MP) of multilocus genotypes in males is 1.12 × 10^–18 in Siberian Tatars and 7.77 × 10^–16 in Tuvans. In females, MP is several orders of magnitude lower: 1.51 × 10^–25 in Siberian Tatars and 1.83 × 10^–23 in Tuvinians.     

Tetranucleotide tandem repeat polymorphism of the CFTR gene intron 6B in populations of the Volga-Ural region

The allele and genotype frequencies of the tetranucleotide tandem repeat (TTR) of CFTR intron 6B were analyzed in eight ethnic populations of the Volga-Ural region, including Bashkir, Tatar, Chuvash, Mari, Mordvinian, Udmurt, Komi-Permyak, and Russian. The most common TTR allele 7 varied in frequency from 0.636 in Chuvash to 0.805 in Mordvinians. The frequency of the second common allele 7 ranged from 0.188 in Mordvinians to 0.333 in Chuvash. Allele 8 was found in about 8% of Udmurts and Mari; occurred in a few Bashkirs, Tatars, Mordvinians, and Komi-Permyaks; and was not observed in Russians. The genetic diversity coefficient was minimal in Mordvinians (0.496) and in Tatars (0.505), indicating their low heterogeneity in TTR. The observed heterozygosity was maximal in Udmurts (0.532) and Komi-Permyaks (0.560) and minimal in Mordvinians (0.297). In total, the populations proved to be heterogeneous in TTR allele frequency distribution, the interpopulation difference being significant in most cases.     

Tetranucleotide Tandem Repeat Polymorphism of the CFTR Intron 6B in Populations of the Volga–Ural Region

The allele and genotype frequencies of the tetranucleotide tandem repeat (TTR) of CFTR intron 6B were analyzed in eight ethnic populations of the Volga–Ural region, including Bashkir, Tatar, Chuvash, Mari, Mordvinian, Udmurt, Komi-Permyak, and Russian. The most common TTR allele 7 varied in frequency from 0.636 in Chuvash to 0.805 in Mordvinians. The frequency of the second common allele 7 ranged from 0.188 in Mordvinians to 0.333 in Chuvash. Allele 8 was found in about 8% of Udmurts and Mari; occurred in a few Bashkirs, Tatars, Mordvinians, and Komi-Permyaks; and was not observed in Russians. The genetic diversity coefficient was minimal in Mordvinians (0.496) and in Tatars (0.505), indicating their low heterogeneity in TTR. The observed heterozygosity was maximal in Udmurts (0.532) and Komi-Permyaks (0.560) and minimal in Mordvinians (0.297). In total, the populations proved to be heterogeneous in TTR allele frequency distribution, the interpopulation difference being significant in most cases.     

Analysis of genetic diversity of population of Northern Eurasia from autosomal microsatellite loci

The paper presents the results of analysis of the gene pools of several North Eurasian ethnic groups (Buryats, Evenks, Altaians, Russians, Kyrgyzes, Tuvinians, Tatars, and Ukrainians) examined using a panel of autosomal microsatellite markers (D4S397, D5S393, D7S640, D8S514, D9S161, D10S197, D11S1358, D12S364, and D13S173) mapped on different chromosomes and represented by the (CA)n dinucleotide repeats. In the group of populations examined the proportion of genetic variability at microsatellite loci explained by interpopulation differences was about 2.5%, while genetic differences between the individuals within a population accounted for 97.5% of this variability. Analysis of genetic relationships among the populations revealed substantial differences between the populations belonging to the Indo-European and Altaic linguistic families in gene diversity at microsatellite loci.     

Diet–demography relationships in a long‐lived predator: from territories to populations

Understanding the mechanisms that shape animal population dynamics is of fundamental interest in ecology, evolution and conservation biology. Food supply is an important limiting factor in most animal populations and may have demographic consequences. Optimal foraging theory predicts greater consumption of preferred prey and less diet diversity when food is abundant, which may benefit key fitness parameters such as productivity and survival. Nevertheless, the correspondence between individual resource use and demographic processes in populations of avian predators inhabiting large geographic areas remains largely unexplored, particularly in complex ecosystems such as those of the Mediterranean basin. Based on a long‐term monitoring program of the diet and demography of Bonelli's eagle Aquila fasciata in western Europe, here we test the hypothesis that a predator's diet is correlated to its breeding productivity and survival at both the territorial and population levels, and ultimately to its population growth rate. At the territorial level, we found that productivity increased with greater consumption of European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus, the Bonelli's eagle's preferred prey, and pigeons, an important alternative prey for this predator. The survival of territorial pairs was negatively affected by higher diet diversity, which probably reflected the inability to find sufficient high quality prey. Diet effects at the population level were similar but more noticeable than at the territorial level, i.e. a greater consumption of rabbits, together with lesser consumption of small‐to‐medium avian species (‘other birds’; non‐preferred prey), increased productivity, while greater diet diversity and lower consumption of rabbits was associated with reduced survival and population growth rate. Overall, our study illustrates how the diet of a predator species can be closely related to key individual vital rates, which, in turn, leave a measurable fingerprint on population dynamics within and among populations across large spatial scales.     

DNA diversity of human populations from Eastern Europe and Siberia studied by multilocus DNA fingerprinting

We used DNA fingerprinting with M13 phage DNA as a probe to estimate the degree of genomic variability and genetic relationships in a heterogeneous group of 13 populations from Eastern Europe and Siberia. The popultaions belong to three language families: Indo-European (Slavonic: Russians, Byelorussians), Uralic (Finno-Ugric: Maris, Mordvinians, Udmurts), and Altaic (Turkic: Bashkirs, Tatars, Chuvashes, Yakuts). Multivariate statistical analyses were used (multidimensional scaling, cluster, and multiple correspondence analyses), and coefficients of gene differentiation (Gst) were evaluated. The level of interpopulation subdivision in the various ethnic groups appeared to be different: the Byelorussian populations revealed no regional differences, in contrast to the Bashkir populations, which formed a heterogeneous group. The populations subdivided into three general clusters: Slavonic populations formed a separate tight cluster characterized by a minimal level of interpopulation diversity, Bashkir and Yakut populations formed the second cluster, and the Finno-Ugric and several populations of the Turkic linguistic groups formed the third cluster. The robustness of these results obtained by different statistical data treatments reveals that multilocus DNA fingerprinting can be reliably used for population studies.Communicated by G. P. Georgiev     

Analysis of polymorphism of the glutathione S-transferase gene in populations of the Volga-Ural region

The frequency of the GSTM1 gene deletion homozygotes in eight populations of the Volga-Ural region belonging according to linguistic classification to Turkic (Bashkirs, Tatars, and Chuvashs), Finno-Ugric (Maris, Komis, Mordovians, and Udmurts), and Eastern-Slavic (Russians) ethnic groups, was examined by means of PCR technique. The frequency of the deletion homozygotes varied from 41.4% in Bashkirs to 61.3% in Mordovians. The mean deletion frequency comprised 50.1%, which was consistent with the data for European populations (chi 2 = 0.009).     

Acoustic but no genetic divergence in migratory and sedentary populations of blackcaps,Sylvia atricapilla

In songbirds, territorial songs are key regulators of sexual selection and are learned from conspecifics. The cultural transmission of songs leads to divergence in song characteristics within populations, which can ultimately lead to speciation. Many songbirds also migrate, and individual differences in migratory behaviours can influence population genetic structure and local song differentiation. Blackcaps, Sylvia atricapilla, exhibit versatile territorial songs and show diversity in migration behaviours. They therefore comprise a good model for investigating the relationships between migratory patterns, song variation, and genetic diversity. We studied a migratory population (two groups near Paris) and a sedentary population (three groups in Corsica). All of the birds were ringed and blood sampled to investigate genetic relatedness using 17 microsatellite loci. A detailed song analysis showed that this species has a complex repertoire (> 100 syllables), which required the development of a semi‐supervised method to classify different categories of syllables and compare sequences of syllables. Our analysis showed no genetic structuring among populations: individuals belonging to the same group were not genetically closer than those from different groups. However, we found a strong wingsize difference between sedentary and migratory populations. We also showed that geographical variations in songs rely at least on both syllable and sequence content. Unexpectedly, despite a higher turnover of individuals, migratory groups share as many syllables and sequences as sedentary groups, which raises interesting issues on song learning and the maintenance of dialects in migratory birds.     

Population structure of rural settlements of Sakha Republic (Yakutia): surname structure

The distributions of surnames have been studied in 12 rural ethnic territorial groups of Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The populations studied are characterized by considerable accumulation of individual surnames, the surname spectra of representative of different ethnic groups living in the same area substantially overlapping. The random isonymy, migration index, surname diversity, and the surname distribution redundancy index display geographic and ethnic differences. The isonymy relationship coefficients calculated for representatives of individual ethnic groups (Yakuts, Evens, and Russians) and for total populations of the settlements studied are determined by the geographic distances between the compared populations and the intensity of migrations.     

Population structure of rural settlements of Sakha Republic (Yakutia): Surname structure

The distributions of surnames have been studied in 12 rural ethnic territorial groups of Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The populations studied are characterized by considerable accumulation of individual surnames, the surname spectra of representative of different ethnic groups living in the same area substantially overlapping. The random isonymy, migration index, surname diversity, and the surname distribution redundancy index display geographic and ethnic differences. The isonymy relationship coefficients calculated for representatives of individual ethnic groups (Yakuts, Evens, and Russians) and for total populations of the settlements studied are determined by the geographic distances between the compared populations and the intensity of migrations.     

Restriction polymorphism of the major non-decoding region of mitochondrial DNA in human populations from the Volga-Ural region]

The restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the major noncoding region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was studied in the Bashkir (N = 217), Tatar (N = 57), Chuvash (N = 44), Mari (N = 52), Mordovian (N = 55), Udmurt (N = 62), and Komi (N = 45) populations. Of seven polymorphic AvaII, BamHI, EcoRV, KpnI, and RsaI restriction sites, five were found in Bashkirs and Tatars, and four were found in each of the other populations. In total, 13 mitotypes were detected, and only three of them were common to all populations from the Volga-Ural region. The parameters of gene diversity were calculated with respect to the polymorphic sites and mitotypes. Comparison with published data revealed both Mongoloid and Caucasoid components in the gene pool of the modern populations from the Volga-Ural region. The Mongoloid component was prevalent in the mitochondrial gene pool, which is consistent with historical, anthropological, and ethnographic data.     

Analysis of Y-chromosomal diallelic loci polymorphism in populations of the Volga-Ural region

Three diallelic polymorphisms of human Y chromosome, DYS287 (Y Alu polymorphism, YAP), T/C transition at the RBF5 locus (Tat), and G/A transition at the LLY22 locus, were studied in eight ethnic populations of the Volga-Ural region, representing Turkic (Bashkirs, Tatars, and Chuvashes) and Finno-Ugric (Maris, Mordovians, Udmurts, Komi-Zyryans, and Komi-Permyaks) branches of the Uralic linguistic family, and in the group of Slavic migrants, belonging to the Indo-European linguistic family (Russians). Ethnic populations of the Volga-Ural region were characterized by a low frequency of the Y chromosome Alu insertion. Examination of an association between the Alu polymorphism and Tat mutation revealed absolute C/YAP linkage. Analysis of the haplotype frequency distribution patterns constructed from the data on the DYS287 and RBF5 polymorphisms revealed substantial differences between Udmurts and the other ethnic populations. The differences were also observed between Komi-Zyryans and the populations of Bashkirs, Mordovians, Komi-Permyaks, and Russians. Analysis of the degree of genetic differentiation pointed to high level of genetic differentiation of the male lineages of the Finno-Ugric ethnic groups. The data on the linkage between mutations of the RBF5 and the LLY22 loci indicated the common origin of the Tat mutation in Bashkirs, Mordovians, Udmurts, and Komi-Zyryans, and of a number of ancestral C allele-bearing chromosomes in Tatars, Maris, and Chuvashes.     

Diversity: Cultural and biological

Early human populations utilized a wide range of biological resources in a tremendous diversity of environments. As a result, they possessed high levels of cultural diversity dependent on and supportive of high levels of biological diversity. This pattern changed drastically with technological innovations enabling certain human groups to break down territorial barriers and to usurp resources of other groups. The dominant groups have gone on to exhaust a whole range of resources, depleting both biological and cultural diversity. Traditions of resource conservation can, however, re-emerge when the dominant cultures spread over the entire area and the innovations diffuse to other human groups. This could change once again as genetically engineered organisms become an economically viable proposition with the accruing advantages concentrated in the hands of a few human groups: a further drastic reduction in biological and cultural diversity may ensue.     

Evaluation of the relative contribution of Caucasoid and Mongoloid components in the formation of ethnic groups of the Volga-Ural region according to data of DNA polymorphism]

For the first time, an attempt was made to quantitatively estimate the relative contributions of major racial components to populations of the Volga-Ural region based on the data on allelic polymorphisms of nine loci of the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Comparison of the proportions of Caucasoid and Mongoloid characteristics in the gene pools of Bashkirs, Tatars, Chuvashes, Maris, Mordovians, Udmurts, and Komi revealed a heterogeneous pattern. Data on the proportions of major racial components in the nuclear genome indicated that the Caucasoid component was maximum in Mordovians, Komis, and Udmurts. Mongoloid characters were most prevalent in Bashkirs, Maris, Tatars, and Chuvashes. Data on restriction-deletion polymorphism of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) also indicated an increased Caucasoid contribution to Mordovian, Udmurt, and Komi gene pools and an increased Mongoloid component in Chuvashes and Tatars. In general, the results obtained agree with ethnic anthropological data indicating the greatest Caucasoid contribution to the Mordovian and Komi gene pools and an increased Mongoloid component in Turkic populations of the Volga-Ural region (Bashkirs, Tatars, and Chuvashes).