Beringian Standstill and Spread of Native American Founders
Author Information
Author(s): Tamm Erika, Kivisild Toomas, Reidla Maere, Metspalu Mait, Smith David Glenn, Mulligan Connie J., Bravi Claudio M., Rickards Olga, Martinez-Labarga Cristina, Khusnutdinova Elsa K., Fedorova Sardana A., Golubenko Maria V., Stepanov Vadim A., Gubina Marina A., Zhadanov Sergey I., Ossipova Ludmila P., Damba Larisa, Voevoda Mikhail I., Dipierri Jose E., Villems Richard, Malhi Ripan S.
Primary Institution: Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Tartu, Estonian Biocentre, Tartu, Estonia
Hypothesis
Native Americans derive from a small number of Asian founders who likely arrived to the Americas via Beringia.
Conclusion
The study reveals that the initial founders of the Americas emerged from a single source ancestral population that evolved in isolation, likely in Beringia, followed by a rapid migration across the Americas.
Supporting Evidence
- The study identified three sub-clades of Native American haplogroup C mtDNAs that are absent in Asia.
- Founding haplotypes are uniformly distributed across North and South America.
- The phylogeographic analysis suggests a swift migration process after a standstill in Beringia.
Takeaway
A long time ago, a small group of people came from Asia to America and stayed in one place for a while before spreading out quickly across the continent.
Methodology
The study analyzed 623 complete mtDNAs from the Americas and Asia, including high-resolution genotyping from 20 American and 26 Asian populations.
Limitations
The distribution of some haplogroups in the Americas remains poorly characterized.
Participant Demographics
601 Native American individuals from 20 populations and 3764 samples from 26 Asian populations.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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