A Statistical Evaluation of Models for the Initial Settlement of the American Continent Emphasizes the Importance of Gene Flow with Asia
Although there is agreement in that the Bering Strait was the entry point for the initial colonization of the American continent, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the timing and pattern of human migration from Asia to America. In order to perform a statistical assessment of the relative p...
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fthighwire:oai:open-archive.highwire.org:molbiolevol:27/2/337 2023-05-15T15:44:14+02:00 A Statistical Evaluation of Models for the Initial Settlement of the American Continent Emphasizes the Importance of Gene Flow with Asia Ray, N. Wegmann, D. Fagundes, N.J.R. Wang, S. Ruiz-Linares, A. Excoffier, L. 2010-02-01 00:00:00.0 text/html http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/27/2/337 https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msp238 en eng Oxford University Press http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/27/2/337 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msp238 Copyright (C) 2010, Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution Research Articles TEXT 2010 fthighwire https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msp238 2010-01-22T21:34:45Z Although there is agreement in that the Bering Strait was the entry point for the initial colonization of the American continent, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the timing and pattern of human migration from Asia to America. In order to perform a statistical assessment of the relative probability of alternative migration scenarios and to estimate key demographic parameters associated with them, we used an approximate Bayesian computation framework to analyze a data set of 401 autosomal microsatellite loci typed in 29 native American populations. A major finding is that a single, discrete, wave of colonization is highly inconsistent with observed levels of genetic diversity. A scenario with two discrete migration waves is also not supported by the data. The current genetic diversity of Amerindian populations is best explained by a third model involving recurrent gene flow between Asia and America, after initial colonization. We estimate that this colonization involved about 100 individuals and occurred some 13,000 years ago, in agreement with well-established archeological data. Text Bering Strait HighWire Press (Stanford University) Bering Strait Molecular Biology and Evolution 27 2 337 345 |
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Research Articles Ray, N. Wegmann, D. Fagundes, N.J.R. Wang, S. Ruiz-Linares, A. Excoffier, L. A Statistical Evaluation of Models for the Initial Settlement of the American Continent Emphasizes the Importance of Gene Flow with Asia |
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Research Articles |
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Although there is agreement in that the Bering Strait was the entry point for the initial colonization of the American continent, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the timing and pattern of human migration from Asia to America. In order to perform a statistical assessment of the relative probability of alternative migration scenarios and to estimate key demographic parameters associated with them, we used an approximate Bayesian computation framework to analyze a data set of 401 autosomal microsatellite loci typed in 29 native American populations. A major finding is that a single, discrete, wave of colonization is highly inconsistent with observed levels of genetic diversity. A scenario with two discrete migration waves is also not supported by the data. The current genetic diversity of Amerindian populations is best explained by a third model involving recurrent gene flow between Asia and America, after initial colonization. We estimate that this colonization involved about 100 individuals and occurred some 13,000 years ago, in agreement with well-established archeological data. |
format |
Text |
author |
Ray, N. Wegmann, D. Fagundes, N.J.R. Wang, S. Ruiz-Linares, A. Excoffier, L. |
author_facet |
Ray, N. Wegmann, D. Fagundes, N.J.R. Wang, S. Ruiz-Linares, A. Excoffier, L. |
author_sort |
Ray, N. |
title |
A Statistical Evaluation of Models for the Initial Settlement of the American Continent Emphasizes the Importance of Gene Flow with Asia |
title_short |
A Statistical Evaluation of Models for the Initial Settlement of the American Continent Emphasizes the Importance of Gene Flow with Asia |
title_full |
A Statistical Evaluation of Models for the Initial Settlement of the American Continent Emphasizes the Importance of Gene Flow with Asia |
title_fullStr |
A Statistical Evaluation of Models for the Initial Settlement of the American Continent Emphasizes the Importance of Gene Flow with Asia |
title_full_unstemmed |
A Statistical Evaluation of Models for the Initial Settlement of the American Continent Emphasizes the Importance of Gene Flow with Asia |
title_sort |
statistical evaluation of models for the initial settlement of the american continent emphasizes the importance of gene flow with asia |
publisher |
Oxford University Press |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/27/2/337 https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msp238 |
geographic |
Bering Strait |
geographic_facet |
Bering Strait |
genre |
Bering Strait |
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Bering Strait |
op_relation |
http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/27/2/337 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msp238 |
op_rights |
Copyright (C) 2010, Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msp238 |
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Molecular Biology and Evolution |
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27 |
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2 |
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337 |
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345 |
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1766378521489309696 |