Reconstructing the Population Genetic History of the Caribbean

The Caribbean basin is home to some of the most complex interactions in recent history among previously diverged human populations. Here, we investigate the population genetic history of this region by characterizing patterns of genome-wide variation among 330 individuals from three of the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola), two mainland (Honduras, Colombia), and three Native South American (Yukpa, Bari, and Warao) populations. We combine these data with a unique database of genomic variation in over 3,000 individuals from diverse European, African, and Native American populations. We use local ancestry inference and tract length distributions to test different demographic scenarios for the pre- and post-colonial history of the region. We develop a novel ancestry-specific PCA (ASPCA) method to reconstruct the sub-continental origin of Native American, European, and African haplotypes from admixed genomes. We find that the most likely source of the indigenous ancestry in Caribbean islanders is a Native South American component shared among inland Amazonian tribes, Central America, and the Yucatan peninsula, suggesting extensive gene flow across the Caribbean in pre-Columbian times. We find evidence of two pulses of African migration. The first pulse—which today is reflected by shorter, older ancestry tracts—consists of a genetic component more similar to coastal West African regions involved in early stages of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The second pulse—reflected by longer, younger tracts—is more similar to present-day West-Central African populations, supporting historical records of later transatlantic deportation. Surprisingly, we also identify a Latino-specific European component that has significantly diverged from its parental Iberian source populations, presumably as a result of small European founder population size. We demonstrate that the ancestral components in admixed genomes can be traced back to distinct sub-continental source populations with far greater resolution than previously thought, even when limited pre-Columbian Caribbean haplotypes have survived.     

Population Trends Among Present-Day Omaha Indians

Abstract

Data collected in 1972 from three communities in Nebraska, through intensive interviewing of women of childbearing age, are summarized. Rural-urban contrasts in variables related to population growth indicate that Omaha women are having many wanted children (4.5 by age 34). City residents have (and want) families at least as large as those had (and wanted) by reservation residents. Large families are not explained by (a) religious factors; (b) greater desire for children of one sex, i.e. boys, (c) ignorance or disapproval of birth control or (d) rural residence. Explanation appears to lie partly in large-family values derived from an Omaha past laced with disastrous epidemics which struck six times in the 19th century, killing from 50 to 1500 persons or from 5% to 75% of the tribe.     

Phylogeographic Triangulation: Using Predator-Prey-Parasite Interactions to Infer Population History from Partial Genetic Information

Phylogeographic studies, which infer population history and dispersal movements from intra-specific spatial genetic variation, require expensive and time-consuming analyses that are not always feasible, especially in the case of rare or endangered species. On the other hand, comparative phylogeography of species involved in close biotic interactions may show congruent patterns depending on the specificity of the relationship. Consequently, the phylogeography of a parasite that needs two hosts to complete its life cycle should reflect population history traits of both hosts. Population movements evidenced by the parasite’s phylogeography that are not reflected in the phylogeography of one of these hosts may thus be attributed to the other host. Using the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and a parasitic tapeworm (Taenia pisiformis) as an example, we propose comparing the phylogeography of easily available organisms such as game species and their specific heteroxenous parasites to infer population movements of definitive host/predator species, independently of performing genetic analyses on the latter. This may be an interesting approach for indirectly studying the history of species whose phylogeography is difficult to analyse directly.     

Population Genetic History of Aristeus antennatus (Crustacea: Decapoda) in the Western and Central Mediterranean Sea

Aristeus antennatus is an ecologically and economically important deep-water species in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study we investigated the genetic variability of A. antennatus sampled from 10 sampling stations in the Western and Central Mediterranean. By comparing our new samples with available data from the Western area, we aim to identify potential genetic stocks of A. antennatus and to reconstruct its historical demography in the Mediterranean. We analyzed two regions of mitochondrial DNA in 319 individuals, namely COI and 16S. We found two main results: i) the genetic diversity values consistent with previous data within the Mediterranean and the absence of barriers to gene flow within the Mediterranean Sea; ii) a constant long-term effective population size in almost all demes but a strong signature of population expansion in the pooled sample about 50,000 years B.P./ago. We propose two explanation for our results. The first is based on the ecology of A. antennatus. We suggest the existence of a complex meta-population structured into two layers: a deeper-dwelling stock, not affected by fishing, which preserves the pattern of historical demography; and genetically homogeneous demes inhabiting the fishing grounds. The larval dispersal, adult migration and continuous movements of individuals from “virgin” deeper grounds not affected by fishing to upper fishing areas support an effective ‘rescue effect’ contributing to the recovery of the exploited stocks and explain their genetic homogeneity throughout the Mediterranean Sea. The second is based on the reproduction model of this shrimp: the high variance in offspring production calls for a careful interpretation of the data observed under classical population genetics and Kingman’s coalescent. In both cases, management policies for A. antennatus will therefore require careful evaluation of the meta-population dynamics of all stocks in the Mediterranean. In the future, it will be particularly relevant to sample the deepest ones directly.     

Population Genetic Structure and Demographic History of Atrina pectinata Based on Mitochondrial DNA and Microsatellite Markers

The pen shell, Atrina pectinata, is one of the commercial bivalves in East Asia and thought to be recently affected by anthropogenic pressure (habitat destruction and/or fishing pressure). Information on its population genetic structure is crucial for the conservation of A. pectinata. Considering its long pelagic larval duration and iteroparity with high fecundity, the genetic structure for A. pectinata could be expected to be weak at a fine scale. However, the unusual oceanography in the coasts of China and Korea suggests potential for restricted dispersal of pelagic larvae and geographical differentiation. In addition, environmental changes associated with Pleistocene sea level fluctuations on the East China Sea continental shelf may also have strongly influenced historical population demography and genetic diversity of marine organisms. Here, partial sequences of the mitochondrial Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and seven microsatellite loci were used to estimate population genetic structure and demographic history of seven samples from Northern China coast and one sample from North Korea coast. Despite high levels of genetic diversity within samples, there was no genetic differentiation among samples from Northern China coast and low but significant genetic differentiation between some of the Chinese samples and the North Korean sample. A late Pleistocene population expansion, probably after the Last Glacial Maximum, was also demonstrated for A. pectinata samples. No recent genetic bottleneck was detected in any of the eight samples. We concluded that both historical recolonization (through population range expansion and demographic expansion in the late Pleistocene) and current gene flow (through larval dispersal) were responsible for the weak level of genetic structure detected in A. pectinata.     

A Population History of North America

Population History of North America. Michael R. Haines and Richard H. Steckel. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000. 736 pp.     

A Concise History of World Population

. Concise History of World Population. 2nd edition. Massimo Livi-Bacci. Maiden, MA: Blackwell, 1997.250 pp.     

A Multivariate Analysis of Genetic Constraints to Life History Evolution in a Wild Population of Red Deer

Evolutionary theory predicts that genetic constraints should be widespread, but empirical support for their existence is surprisingly rare. Commonly applied univariate and bivariate approaches to detecting genetic constraints can underestimate their prevalence, with important aspects potentially tractable only within a multivariate framework. However, multivariate genetic analyses of data from natural populations are challenging because of modest sample sizes, incomplete pedigrees, and missing data. Here we present results from a study of a comprehensive set of life history traits (juvenile survival, age at first breeding, annual fecundity, and longevity) for both males and females in a wild, pedigreed, population of red deer (Cervus elaphus). We use factor analytic modeling of the genetic variance–covariance matrix (G) to reduce the dimensionality of the problem and take a multivariate approach to estimating genetic constraints. We consider a range of metrics designed to assess the effect of G on the deflection of a predicted response to selection away from the direction of fastest adaptation and on the evolvability of the traits. We found limited support for genetic constraint through genetic covariances between traits, both within sex and between sexes. We discuss these results with respect to other recent findings and to the problems of estimating these parameters for natural populations.     

Palatine torus in the Greenlandic Norse.

Physical anthropologists have long been intrigued by the distinctive oral tori expressed by the medieval Norse populations of Iceland and Greenland. To assess the temporal and spatial variation of one form of oral tori, palatine torus, observations were made on all available Greenlandic Norse skeletons, as well as on samples of medieval Icelanders and Norwegians. In terms of temporal variation, 12th to 14th century (medieval) Greenlanders from the Eastern and Western settlements exhibited higher frequencies and more pronounced expressions of palatine torus compared with early 11th century Greenlanders. The early Greenlandic sample closely approximated the medieval Icelandic and Norwegian samples for total torus frequency, although the Norwegians exhibited the trait to a less pronounced degree. As degree of expression is the most distinctive aspect of torus variation among the Norse, some combination of environmental factors, including increased masticatory stress and chronic undernutrition, probably accounts for most of the difference between settlement period and medieval Greenlanders. Although palatine torus may be hereditary in part, environmental factors play a significant role in the expression of this trait.     

An Ancient Mediterranean Melting Pot: Investigating the Uniparental Genetic Structure and Population History of Sicily and Southern Italy

Due to their strategic geographic location between three different continents, Sicily and Southern Italy have long represented a major Mediterranean crossroad where different peoples and cultures came together over time. However, its multi-layered history of migration pathways and cultural exchanges, has made the reconstruction of its genetic history and population structure extremely controversial and widely debated. To address this debate, we surveyed the genetic variability of 326 accurately selected individuals from 8 different provinces of Sicily and Southern Italy, through a comprehensive evaluation of both Y-chromosome and mtDNA genomes. The main goal was to investigate the structuring of maternal and paternal genetic pools within Sicily and Southern Italy, and to examine their degrees of interaction with other Mediterranean populations. Our findings show high levels of within-population variability, coupled with the lack of significant genetic sub-structures both within Sicily, as well as between Sicily and Southern Italy. When Sicilian and Southern Italian populations were contextualized within the Euro-Mediterranean genetic space, we observed different historical dynamics for maternal and paternal inheritances. Y-chromosome results highlight a significant genetic differentiation between the North-Western and South-Eastern part of the Mediterranean, the Italian Peninsula occupying an intermediate position therein. In particular, Sicily and Southern Italy reveal a shared paternal genetic background with the Balkan Peninsula and the time estimates of main Y-chromosome lineages signal paternal genetic traces of Neolithic and post-Neolithic migration events. On the contrary, despite showing some correspondence with its paternal counterpart, mtDNA reveals a substantially homogeneous genetic landscape, which may reflect older population events or different demographic dynamics between males and females. Overall, both uniparental genetic structures and TMRCA estimates confirm the role of Sicily and Southern Italy as an ancient Mediterranean melting pot for genes and cultures.     

长江口及其南部邻近地区大弹涂鱼种群遗传结构及种群历史分析

应用随机扩增多态性DNA（RAPD）技术及细胞色素b（Cytｂ）基因序列,分析了长江口及其南部邻近地区大弹涂鱼（Boleophthalmus pecinirostris）群体遗传结构及种群历史,结果显示这一区域大弹涂鱼群体的遗传多样性水平很高。（1）RAPD分析结果：从100个10碱基随机引物中筛选出30个多态性引物,对长江口九段沙湿地、浙江舟山定海、福建霞浦群体各20个体进行RAPD分析,3个群体分别获得236、270、274条带,共301个有效位点。3群体多态位点比例（P）、Nei基因多样性指数（H）、Shannon多样性指数（I）分别在93.02%—96.35%、0.3890—0.4219、0.5618—0.6044。分子方差分析（AMOVA）表明,大弹涂鱼群体间存在显著的遗传分化（Fst= 0.03004-0.03254,P<0.05）,但仅3.2%的遗传变异来自群体间。（2）Cytｂ基因序列分析结果：从采自九段沙、定海、霞浦及浙江慈溪的42尾大弹涂鱼样本中,共获得33个Cytｂ基因单倍型（序列长1 141 bp）。4群体的平均单倍型多样性（h）、核甘酸多样性（π）分别为0.9814、0.0048。4群体间的遗传分化指数Fst为0.00043—0.07814,仅1.93%的变异来自群体间（AMOVA分析）,而基因交流值却达14.50—30.79,群体间K2-P遗传距离为0.0040—0.0056,从而显示大弹涂鱼群体间没有发生明显的地理分化。以Cyt b基因序列构建的NJ树揭示4个群体的个体组成2个谱系,但这2个谱系与地理分布并不相关。中性检验、错配分析和网络亲缘关系分析皆表明大弹涂鱼群体有过种群扩张,扩张时间约在更新世末期的0.057—0.023百万年前。     

Incidence of cardiac malformations in Greenlandic Eskimos

Summary 757 eskimo children born in Godthåb, Greenland, in the years 1957–1964 have been reexamined 1966. 10 certain and 4 probable cases of congenital heart disease were diagnosed, mostly cases of ventricular septal defect. The incidence of 1.3–1.9% is the highest registered in any ethnic group.The average mother's age of the patients was 32.1 years, the average mother's age of the total material was 26.8 years (0.01> P>0.001). The patients' average number in the sibship was 6.3, differing significantly (0.01> P>0.001). The patients' average number in the sibship was 6.3, differing significantly (0.01> P>0.001) from that of 3.2 in the total material. The social standard of the families of the patients was low.There is some indication that the incidence of cardiac malformations in the Greenlandic population is decreasing. This may be due either to improved social conditions or to a changing reproductive pattern with relatively fewer children born to old mothers.

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Zusammenfassung 757 Eskimokinder, die in Godthåb, Grönland, während der Jahre 1957–1964 geboren wurden, sind 1966 wieder untersucht worden. 10 sichere und 4 zweifelhafte Fälle von angeborenen Herzfehlern, insbesondere Fälle von Ventrikelseptumdefekt, wurden diagnostiziert. Die Incidenz von 1,3–1,9% ist die höchste, die in irgendeiner Bevölkerung registriert ist.Bei den Patienten war das durchschnittliche Alter der Mutter 32,1 Jahre gegen einen Durchschnitt im Gesamtmaterial von 26,8 Jahre (0,01> P>0,001). Die durchschnittliche Nummer der Patienten in der Geschwisterreihe ist 6,3, während die des Gesamtmaterials 3,2 ist (0,01> P>0,001). Die soziale Schicht der Patienten war insgemein sehr niedrig.Die Incidenz der angeborenen Herzfehler in der grönländischen Bevölkerung scheint abzunehmen. Dies mag eine Folge von besseren sozialen Verhältnissen sein, kann aber auch darin begründet sein, daß das reproduktive Muster der Grönländer sich geändert hat mit weniger Geburten bei älteren Müttern.

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Based on a paper read at the Second International Symposium on Circumpolar Health, June 1971, Oulu (Finland).     

Fine-Scale Genetic Structure in the United Arab Emirates Reflects Endogamous and Consanguineous Culture,Population History,and Geography

The indigenous population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a unique demographic and cultural history. Its tradition of endogamy and consanguinity is expected to produce genetic homogeneity and partitioning of gene pools while population movements and intercontinental trade are likely to have contributed to genetic diversity. Emiratis and neighboring populations of the Middle East have been underrepresented in the population genetics literature with few studies covering the broader genetic history of the Arabian Peninsula. Here, we genotyped 1,198 individuals from the seven Emirates using 1.7 million markers and by employing haplotype-based algorithms and admixture analyses, we reveal the fine-scale genetic structure of the Emirati population. Shared ancestry and gene flow with neighboring populations display their unique geographic position while increased intra- versus inter-Emirati kinship and sharing of uniparental haplogroups, reflect the endogamous and consanguineous cultural traditions of the Emirates and their tribes.     

The Population of Europe: A History

The Population of Europe:. History. Massimo Livi-Bacci. Cynthia De Nardi Ipsen and Carl Ipsen. trans. Maiden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. 220 pp.