title: Migration distance rather than migration rate explains genetic diversity in human patrilocal groups.
abstract: In patrilocal groups, females preferentially move to join their mate's paternal relatives. The gender-biased gene flow generated by this cultural practice is expected to affect genetic diversity across human populations. Greater female than male migration is predicted to result in a larger decrease in between-group differentiation for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) than for the non-recombining part of the Y chromosome (NRY). We address the question of how patrilocality affects the distribution of genetic variation in human populations controlling for confounding factors such as ethno-linguistic heterogeneity and geographic distance which possibly explain the contradictory results observed in previous studies. By combining genetic and bio-demographic data from Lesotho and Spain, we show that preferential female migration over short distances appears to minimize the impact of a generally higher female migration rate in patrilocal communities, suggesting patrilocality might influence genetic variation only at short ranges.
authors: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: Sarah J
authors: SJ
authors: Marks
authors: Hila
authors: H
authors: Levy
authors: Conrado
authors: C
authors: Martinez-Cadenas
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Montinaro
authors: Cristian
authors: C
authors: Capelli
mesh_terms: D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003469:Culture; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005843:Geography; D063426:Human Migration; D006801:Humans; D007927:Lesotho; D008297:Male; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial