Genetic demographic analysis of western Ukrainian populations: the marriage structure of populations from the Khmel'nitskii oblast with respect to ethnicity and birthplace

Ukrainians account for 85 and 91% of the populations of the city of Khmel'nitskii and the town of Starokonstantinov (Khmel'nitskii oblast, western Ukraine), respectively, and for 97% of the rural population of the Khmel'nitskii oblast. The proportions of Russians in the urban and rural populations of the Khmel'nitskii oblast are 7-10 and 1%, respectively. Between 1960 and 1995-1998, the proportions of Ukrainians in all populations studied increased and the proportion of interethnic marriages steadily decreased. The marriage association coefficient (K) with respect to ethnicity varied from 0.35 to 0.76 in different years. The highest assortative marriage indices (A') with respect to ethnicity were 75-98 and 71-84% in Ukrainians and Jews, respectively. The migration coefficient was 0.58-0.77. Western Ukrainian populations differ from eastern Ukrainian ones in a steadily decreasing outbreeding component.     

Dynamics of the Genetic Demographic Structure of the Kursk Oblast Population: Migration Processes

Marriage records from parish books of the second half of the 19th century and marriage records of 1967–1970 and 1993–1995 obtained from registry offices were used to analyze the dynamics of genetically significant parameters of migration and marriage structure with respect to spouses' birthplaces in populations of different hierarchical levels in the Kursk oblast. It was found that, among the persons contracting marriage (both males and females), the proportions of those who were born in the same population and those who were born in any population of the Kursk oblast decreased by about one third and one fifth, respectively, for the 130-year period. In rural and small urban populations, the coefficients of marriage migration in the 19th century were an order of magnitude lower than in the 20th century. The immigration to urban populations was maximum in the late 1960s (m = 0.745 in small towns and m = 0.680 in Kursk), and that to rural populations, in the 1990s (m = 0.344). In both urban and rural populations, the mean distance between the spouses" birthplaces has increased by several times for the period studied. The endogamy level has decreased approximately twofold: from 0.797 to 0.380 in Kursk, from 0.897 to 0.419 in small towns, and from 0.958 to 0.440 in rural districts. The marriage assortativeness with respect to birthplace was maximum in the late 19th century (K = 0.393–0.491) and minimum in the 1960s (K= 0.155–0.246). The increase in genetic diversity of the urban population of the Kursk oblast due to migration has been slowing down since the late 20th century, whereas the outbreeding level is still increasing in rural populations.     

Genetic demographic study of Shors in Tashtagolskii raion of Kemerovo oblast: Changes in the marriage migration structure

The changes in the marriage structure with respect to the age at marriage, ethnicity, and spouses’ birthplaces during the period of time corresponding to two generations have been analyzed in the rural population of Shors of Tashtagolskii raion of Kemerovo oblast. In general, the Shor population had a high assortative marriage rate with respect to these parameters in the period studied, although there was a temporary tendency to wards its decrease. The ages of marriage for both the male and the female Shor populations in the years 2000–2005 were significantly older than in 1940–1945 and 1970–1975. The age-assortative marriage rate was r = 0.60 in 1940-1945, r = 0.73 in 1970–1975, and r = 0.66 in 2000–2005. The birthplace-assortative marriage rate decreased from 79.63% in 1970–1975 to 70.64% in 2000–2005. The ethnic assortative marriage rate of Shors steadily decreased during the time interval studied; it was 96.92, 89.95, and 80.98% in 1940–1945, 1970–1975, and 2000–2005, respectively, for the total rural population of Tashtagolskii raion.     

The Marriage Migration Characteristics of the Rostov Oblast Population

Marriage records have been used to study the marriage migration structure of five raions of the Rostov oblast. The mean ethnic marriage assortativeness in the Russian and Ukrainian rural populations are 1.16 and 1.6, respectively. The endogamy index of the urban population varies from 0.19 to 0.34; and that of the rural population, from 0.21 to 0.54. Malecot’s isolation by distance parameters have been calculated. Genetic landscapes have been constructed.__________Translated from Genetika, Vol. 41, No. 7, 2005, pp. 981–985.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kriventsova, El’chinova, Amelina, Zinchenko.     

Genetic Demographic Structure of the Lugansk (Ukraine) Population: Age,Ethnicity, Education,and Occupation

Data from marriage records from registry office archives of 1960, 1985, 1990, and 2000 have been used to calculate the genetic demographic parameters of the Lugansk city population. The population is mostly Ukrainian and Russian. In the years studied, Ukrainians accounted for 49.4, 44.0, 44.6, and 48.7% of the population and Russians, for 46.3, 52.1, 50.7, and 45.6%, respectively. The total proportion of the two ethnic groups decreased from 97.3 to 94.6% for 40 years. The marriage contingency coefficient (K) with respect to ethnicity decreased from 0.16 to 0.07 in the period between 1960 and 1985 and increased from 0.10 to 0.24 between 1990 and 2000. The frequency of interethnic marriages (48.4, 50.9, 52.0, and 60.0%, respectively, in the years studied) indicate that the outbreeding component has been constantly increasing in the Lugansk population. The marriage assortativeness indices (A′) for Ukrainians were 0.2, 4.8, 2.1, and 6.0% in 1960, 1985, 1990, and 2000, respectively. For pooled minor ethnic groups, A′ values in these years were 25.6, 12.4, 18.9, and 6.6%, respectively. The marriage contingency coefficient (K) with respect to occupation increased in the period between 1960 and 1990 (0.14, 0.16, and 0.19 in 1960, 1985, and 1990, respectively), and K with respect to education decreased (0.35, 0.30, and 0.26, respectively).     

Genetic Demography of Ukrainian Urban Populations in the 1990s: Ethnicity and Birthplaces of Migrants to the Poltava Population

Analysis of the birthplaces and ethnicity of males and females contracting marriages in the city of Poltava in 1960, 1985, and 1995 revealed a trend towards return of Ukrainians from various regions of the former Soviet Union to their places of origin. In the migration flow, Russians were gradually substituted by Ukrainians, and the total proportion of Slavs increased. The isolation by distance (b) decreased from 0.00122 to 0.00075 in the period from 1960 to 1985 and then increased to 0.00098 by 1995. Positive association was found between the parent–offspring distance and marriage distance (the correlation coefficient r = 0.65–0.75).     

The marriage migration characteristics of the Rostov oblast population

Marriage records have been used to study the marriage migration structure of five raions of the Rostov oblast. The mean ethnic marriage assortativeness in the Russian and Ukrainian rural populations are 1.16 and 1.6, respectively. The endogamy index of the urban population varies from 0.19 to 0.34; and that of the rural population, from 0.21 to 0.54. Malecot's isolation by distance parameters have been calculated. Genetic landscapes have been constructed.     

Genetic demographic study of Shors in Tashtagolskiĭ district of the Kemerovo region: changes in the marriage migration structure

The changes in the marriage structure with respect to the age at marriage, ethnicity, and spouses' birthplaces during the period of time corresponding to two generations have been analyzed in the rural population of Shors of Tashtagolskii raion of Kemerovo oblast. In general, the Shor population had a high assortative marriage rate with respect to these parameters in the period studied, although there was a temporary tendency towards its decrease. The ages of marriage for both the male and the female Shor populations in the years 2000-2005 were significantly older than in 1940-1945 and 1970-1975. The age-assortative marriage rate was r = = 0.60 in 1940-1945, r = 0.73 in 1970-1975, and r = 0.66 in 2000-2005. The birthplace-assortative marriage rate decreased from 79.63% in 1970-1975 to 70.64% in 2000-2005. The ethnic assortative marriage rate of Shors steadily decreased during the time interval studied; it was 96.92, 89.95, and 80.98% in 1940-1945, 1970-1975, and 2000-2005, respectively, for the total rural population of Tashtagolskii raion.     

Genetic variation and differentiation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abies alba</Emphasis> Mill. populations from Ukrainian Carpathians

Using electrophoretic analysis of 11 enzyme systems, we studied the genetic structure and differentiation of eight natural populations of silver fir Abies alba Mill. in the Ukrainian Carpathians. Of 24 isozyme loci identified, 66.8% proved to be polymorphic. The mean numbers of alleles and genotypes per locus in the populations were respectively 3.1 and 4.5. Each A. alba tree was on average heterozygous at 15.9% of genes. In six populations, the genotypic distribution for all of the loci examined corresponded to Hardy-Weinberg proportions. The populations studied had low levels of subdivision (F _ST = 0.018; G _ST = 0.019 ) and differentiation. Neis genetic distances between the A. alba populations in the region ranged from 0.002 to 0.009, being on average 0.006.Translated from Genetika, Vol. 41, No. 3, 2005, pp. 356–365.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Korshikov, N. Pirko, Ya. Pirko.     

Dynamics of the genetic demographic structure of the Kursk province population: migration processes

Marriage records from parish books of the second half of the 19th century and marriage records of 1967-1970 and 1993-1995 obtained from registry offices were used to analyze the dynamics of genetically significant parameters of migration and marriage structure with respect to spouses' birthplaces in populations of different hierarchical levels in the Kursk oblast. It was found that, among the persons contracting marriage (both males and females), the proportions of those who were born in the same population and those who were born in any population of the Kursk oblast decreased by about one third and one fifth, respectively, for the 130-year period. In rural and small urban populations, the coefficients of marriage migration in the 19th century were an order of magnitude lower than in the 20th century. The immigration to urban populations was maximum in the late 1960s (m = 0.745 in small towns and m = 0.680 in Kursk), and that to rural populations, in the 1990s (m = 0.344). In both urban and rural populations, the mean distance between the spouses' birthplaces has increased by several times for the period studied. The endogamy level has decreased approximately twofold: from 0.797 to 0.380 in Kursk, from 0.897 to 0.419 in small towns, and from 0.958 to 0.440 in rural districts. The marriage assortativeness with respect to birthplace was maximum in the late 19th century (K = 0.393-0.491) and minimum in the 1960s (K = 0.155-0.246). The increase in genetic diversity of the urban population of the Kursk oblast due to migration has been slowing down since the late 20th century, whereas the outbreeding level is still increasing in rural populations.     

Genetic demographic parameters of the marriage structure of the Yevpatoria population

Records on marriages contracted in the city of Yevpatoria, Ukraine in 1960/1961, 1985, 1993, and 1994/1995 were used to determine some parameters of the city population structure. The coefficients of correlation with respect to the age of marriage in reproductive-age couples contracting marriages in these years were 0.77, 0.81, and 0.80, respectively. Women that contracted marriages at reproductively unfavorable ages (under 20 and over 30 years) in the respective years constituted 28.3, 40.6, and 45.4% of the total sample. The proportions of interethnic marriages in these years were 39.4, 43.9, and 46.6%. The proportion of Slavs decreased from 94 to 91% during 35 years, but the proportion of Ukrainians increased from 23.1 to 26.5%. The proportion of other ethnic groups (Tatars, Armenians, Karaites, Poles, Germans, etc.) increased from 3 to 8.6%. The marriage contingency with respect to ethnicity (K = 0.26 in 1960/1961, K = 0.22 in 1985, and K = 0.28 in 1994/1995) was higher than with respect to education (K = 0.18 in 1985 and K = 0.23 in 1993) or occupation (K = 0.18 in 1960/1961, K = 0.17 in 1985, and K = 0.23 in 1993). The marriage assortativeness with respect to ethnicity was the highest in ethnic minorities (A′ = 55.1%); that with respect to education, in persons who had higher or primary education (A′ = 40.1% and A′ = 78.0%, respectively); and that with respect to occupation, in students, military personnel, and production workers (60.6, 58.7, and 30.9%).     

Genetic affinities of Ukrainians from the maternal perspective

The area of what is now the Ukraine has been the arena of large‐scale demographic processes that may have left their traces in the contemporary gene pool of Ukrainians. In this study, we present new mitochondrial DNA data for 607 Ukrainians (hypervariable segment I sequences and coding region polymorphisms). To study the maternal affinities of Ukrainians at the level of separate mitochondrial haplotypes, we apply an original technique, the haplotype co‐occurrence analysis. About 20% of the Ukrainian maternal gene pool is represented by lineages highly specific to Ukrainians, but is scarcely found in other populations. About 9% of Ukrainian mtDNA lineages are typical for peoples of the Volga region. We also identified minor gene pool strata (1.6–3.3%), each of which is common in Lithuanians, Estonians, Saami, Nenets, Cornish, and the populations of the North Caucasus. Am J Phys Anthropol 152:543–550, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Abundance, Annual Survival, and Recruitment of Unexploited and Exploited Lake Charr, Salvelinus Namaycush, Populations at the Experimental Lakes Area, Northwestern Ontario

We studied abundance, annual survival, and recruitment of nine lake charr, Salvelinus namaycush, populations at the Experimental Lakes Area, Ontario, for periods of 9–24 years. We used the Jolly–Seber mark-recapture method to evaluate abundance and annual survival in all populations, and total catches of individual year classes to evaluate recruitment. Seven populations were unexploited and unaffected by whole-lake experiments. One population was exploited prior to mark-recapture study and another was affected by experimental acidification. Abundance ranged from 8 to 24 fish ha^–1 in the unaffected populations. Annual survival ranged from 78% to 93%yr^–1 in all populations except the exploited population. This population may have been additionally affected by northern pike, Esox lucius, predation. Yearly recruitment was relatively constant in all populations and related to lake charr abundance. Lake charr abundance did not recover in populations affected by exploitation or acidification. Unexploited lake charr populations were characterized by relatively constant abundance, high annual survival, and relatively constant annual recruitment.     

Genetic Demographic Structure of the Belgorod Population: Age,Ethnicity, Education,and Occupation

Data from marriage records of the city of Belgorod for 1960, 1985, and 1995 have been used to determine some parameters of population structure in this city. The coefficients of correlation with respect to age of marriage between spouses in the couples contracting marriages in these years were 0.74, 0.62, and 0.80, respectively. Women of reproductively unfavorable age (under 20 or over 30 years) accounted for 5.5, 0.83, and 19% of all women contracting marriages in these years, respectively. The proportions of interethnic marriages in these years were 16.9, 14.9, and 15.6%, respectively. The percentage of Slavs decreased from 99 to 97% during the 35 years studied, whereas the proportion of Russians insignificantly increased (from 90.4 to 91.4%). The proportion of Caucasian ethnic groups increased by six time (from 0.3 to 1.8%), and that of other non-Slavic ethnic groups increased by almost two times (from 0.7 to 1.2%). The marriage convergence (K) with respect to ethnicity (0.095, 0.106, and 0.090 in 1960, 1985, and 1995, respectively) was lower than that with respect to education (0.296 and 0.350 in 1985 and 1995, respectively) or occupation (0.212 and 0.231 in 1985 and 1995, respectively). The maximum coefficients of ethnically, educationally, and occupationally assortative marriage have been found, respectively, in ethnic minority groups (A′ = 20%); in persons with higher and primary education (A′ = 37.5 and 49.9%, respectively); and in the military officers/soldiers, engineers, healthcare professionals, and researchers (the respective A′ values are 65.6, 32.2, 31.5, and 39.8%).__________Translated from Genetika, Vol. 41, No. 6, 2005, pp. 823–829.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Atramentova, Filiptsova.     

Genetic Demographic Structure of Rural Populations of Kyrgyzstan

The genetic demographic parameters of rural populations of Kyrgyzstan have been studied. The rural population of Kyrgyzstan has the following demographic characteristics: (1) it is demographically young (the population mean age is 25–28 years); (2) the sex ratio in reproductive age groups is unfavorable; (3) the fertility is high (5.78–7.68 pregnancies and 4.27–5.20 surviving children per woman of postreproductive age; (4) interethnic marriages are rare (1.0–5.9%), whereas consanguineous marriages are frequent (1.4–12%); (5) Crow's indices are relatively low (I _tot = 0.24–0.29, I _m = 0.05–0.13, I _f = 0.14–0.22); and (6) both male and female contributions of different regions of the republic make unequal contributions to the gametic structure of the population, with the gametic structure varying from generation to generation. Demographic parameters vary in rural populations of different geographic regions and with different ethnic compositions.     

Genetic Demography of the Kuznetsk Basin Population: Changes in Marriage Assortativeness with Respect to Ethnicity and Age in the Belovo City Population with Time

A genetic demographic study has been performed in the city of Belovo with the use of the data on marriages contracted there in 1970 and 1994–1999. Marriage assortativeness with respect to age has been found to be the strongest and remain unchanged during the lifetime of one generation (r = 0.730 in 1970 and r = 0.801 in 1994–1999). Monoethnic marriages were substantially more frequent than interethnic ones in the Belovo population during the period studied, although the ethnic marriage assortativeness considerably decreased (K = 0.386 in 1970 and K = 0.141 in 1994–1999). Panmixia has been observed in the Russian population of Belovo. Other Eastern Slavs (Ukrainians and Belarussians) are characterized by negative marriage assortativeness and panmixia; positive marriage assortativeness has been found in other ethnic groups.__________Translated from Genetika, Vol. 41, No. 7, 2005, pp. 938–942.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Lavryashina, Ulyanova.     

Fractional Isolation and Study of the Structure of Galactomannan from Sophora (Styphnolobium japonicum) Seeds

Two fractions (1 and 2) of the galactomannan from seeds of sophora (Styphnolobium japonicum) were isolated using cold and hot aqueous extraction with a total yield of 12.88%. The two fractions differed by the ratio between mannose (Man) and galactose (Gal) residues (4.8 : 1 and 5.3 : 1, respectively) and molecular weight (1190 and 1400 kDa, respectively). Aqueous solutions of these fractions were optically active ([]_D = +4.80° and –3.36°, respectively) and highly viscous ([] 1028.8 and 1211.2 ml/g). ¹³C NMR spectra of both fractions were identical with respect to the number and positions of signals, which indicates that their primary structures were identical. Using chemical and spectroscopic (IR and NMR) methods, it was shown that the galactomannan has a main chain consisting of 1,4--D-mannopyranose, some residues of which (16 and 17% in fractions 1 and 2, respectively) are -galactosylated at the C-6 position. Frequencies of differently substituted mannobiose blocks in the chain, calculated for fraction 1 using NMR spectroscopic data, were 0.13 for the disubstitited blocks Gal(Man–Man)Gal, 0.37 for the sum of monosubstituted blocks Gal(Man–Man) and (Man–Man)Gal, and 0.50 for the unsubstituted block Man–Man.     

Abundance of two threatened woodpecker species in relation to the proportion of spruce plantations in native pine forests of western Norway

In a comparative study we investigated woodpecker abundance in forest landscapes with different proportion of native pine forest and spruce plantations in western Norway. In 100 circular study plots of 100ha each we recorded 38 white-backed –Dendrocopos leucotos, 22 grey-headed –Picus canus, 13 great spotted –Dendrocopos major, 6 green –Picus viridis, and 2 lesser spotted –Dendrocopos minor woodpeckers in the breeding season. The mean number of recorded woodpecker species peaked at 20–40% spruce plantations. The two most common species in the study, the white-backed and the grey-headed woodpeckers are both Red-listed species in Norway and among the rarest woodpeckers in Europe. The white-backed woodpecker preferred plots with higher than average proportions of standing dead trees and deciduous trees, and low proportions of spruce plantations in the plots. The grey-headed woodpecker preferred plots in the western (coastal) parts of the study area with presence of large aspen Populus tremula trees. Logistic regression models did not reveal any clear threshold values with respect to proportion of spruce plantations in plots, although both woodpecker species were extremely rare in plots with >60% spruce plantations. We recommend spruce plantations to be kept at moderate levels to ensure viable populations of woodpeckers in western Norway.     

Distribution of the HIV-1 Resistance-Conferring Alleles (CCR5delta32, CCR2-64I, and SDF1-3′A) in Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian Populations

The frequencies of three alleles, CCR5delta32, CCR2-64I, and SDF1-3A, known to decrease the risk of AIDS onset and the rate of the disease progression in HIV-infected individuals were determined in three native population samples from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. The frequencies of the alleles were 0.15, 0.12, 0.21; 0.12, 0.07, 0.20; and 0.12, 0.08, 0.26 for Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarussians, respectively. The proportion of the individuals without any of three protective alleles among Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarussians constituted 49, 65, and 61%, respectively. The genotype frequencies for the three loci studied were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Based on the three-locus genotype frequencies, the relative hazards of AIDS onset in HIV-infected individuals in each population were calculated as ranging from 0.79 to 0.88. In the samples of Eastern Slavs analyzed the estimated frequencies of the AIDS-protective alleles tested, as well as the frequencies of the corresponding genotypes and the relative hazards of AIDS onset were within the range of these parameters for the other European populations. The data on the allele frequencies and the relative hazard values in Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarussians can be used as the predictors of AIDS onset and progression rate in HIV-1-infected individuals from the populations studied.     

Molecular Genetic Characteristics of Medieval Populations of the Russian North

Forty-seven individual mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) samples isolated from bones samples found in the Nefedyevo, Minino, and Shuygino gravesites have been analyzed to perform molecular genetic study of the medieval (12th to 13th centuries AD) human population from the vicinity of Lake Beloe (Vologda oblast, northern Russia). The mitotypic structure of the population has been determined on the basis of sequencing the mtDNA hypervariable-region segment I (HVSI; positions 15 989–16 410). Three mitotypes characterizing the population studied have been found in the 47 representatives of the medieval population: mitotype 1 corresponding to the Cambridge reference sequence, mitotype 2 (transition G–A at position 16 129), and mitotype 3 (transitions G–A and C–T at loci 16129 and 16223, respectively). Mitotypes 1, 2, and 3 have been found in 91.6, 4.2, and 4.2% of the individual samples studied. This high frequency of the Cambridge mitotype is considerably higher than its mean frequencies in European populations. The frequencies of other mitotypes found correspond to their mean European values. The absence of a Mongoloid component has been demonstrated for the female lineage of the population. Comparison of the molecular genetic characteristics of contemporary European ethnic groups and the population studied has demonstrated that it may be assigned to the European population group. The high homogeneity of the mitochondrial pool suggests a strong founder effect, which agrees with the view of archeologists and anthropologists that the first migrant settlers were very few.