Distribution of Y chromosomes among native North Americans: a study of Athapaskan population history.
In this study, 231 Y chromosomes from 12 populations were typed for four diagnostic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to determine haplogroup membership and 43 Y chromosomes from three of these populations were typed for eight short tandem repeats (STRs) to determine haplotypes. These data were combined with previously published data, amounting to 724 Y chromosomes from 26 populations in North America, and analyzed to investigate the geographic distribution of Y chromosomes among native North Americans and to test the Southern Athapaskan migration hypothesis. The results suggest that European admixture has significantly altered the distribution of Y chromosomes in North America and because of this caution should be taken when inferring prehistoric population events in North America using Y chromosome data alone. However, consistent with studies of other genetic systems, we are still able to identify close relationships among Y chromosomes in Athapaskans from the Subarctic and the Southwest, suggesting that a small number of proto-Apachean migrants from the Subarctic founded the Southwest Athapaskan populations.
Malhi
Ripan Singh
RS
Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA. malhi@uiuc.edu
Gonzalez-Oliver
Angelica
A
Schroeder
Kari Britt
KB
Kemp
Brian M
BM
Greenberg
Jonathan A
JA
Dobrowski
Solomon Z
SZ
Smith
David Glenn
DG
Resendez
Andres
A
Karafet
Tatiana
T
Hammer
Michael
M
Zegura
Stephen
S
Brovko
Tatiana
T
D002170:Canada; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000639:trends; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D014481:United States