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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ftucl:oai:eprints.ucl.ac.uk.OAI2:1319125 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, NJR Wang, S Ruiz-Linares, A Excoffier, L 2010-02 http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1319125/ unknown OXFORD UNIV PRESS MOL BIOL EVOL , 27 (2) 337 - 345. (2010) human settlement colonization Amerindians approximate Bayesian computation model choice DNA-SEQUENCE DATA NEW-WORLD Y-CHROMOSOMES MODERN HUMANS POPULATION-GENETICS SOUTH-AMERICA ORIGIN HISTORY SINGLE Article 2010 ftucl 2013-11-10T04:40:11Z 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Bering Strait University College London: UCL Discovery Bering Strait |
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University College London: UCL Discovery |
op_collection_id |
ftucl |
language |
unknown |
topic |
human settlement colonization Amerindians approximate Bayesian computation model choice DNA-SEQUENCE DATA NEW-WORLD Y-CHROMOSOMES MODERN HUMANS POPULATION-GENETICS SOUTH-AMERICA ORIGIN HISTORY SINGLE |
spellingShingle |
human settlement colonization Amerindians approximate Bayesian computation model choice DNA-SEQUENCE DATA NEW-WORLD Y-CHROMOSOMES MODERN HUMANS POPULATION-GENETICS SOUTH-AMERICA ORIGIN HISTORY SINGLE Ray, N Wegmann, D Fagundes, NJR 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 |
topic_facet |
human settlement colonization Amerindians approximate Bayesian computation model choice DNA-SEQUENCE DATA NEW-WORLD Y-CHROMOSOMES MODERN HUMANS POPULATION-GENETICS SOUTH-AMERICA ORIGIN HISTORY SINGLE |
description |
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 |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ray, N Wegmann, D Fagundes, NJR Wang, S Ruiz-Linares, A Excoffier, L |
author_facet |
Ray, N Wegmann, D Fagundes, NJR 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 UNIV PRESS |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1319125/ |
geographic |
Bering Strait |
geographic_facet |
Bering Strait |
genre |
Bering Strait |
genre_facet |
Bering Strait |
op_source |
MOL BIOL EVOL , 27 (2) 337 - 345. (2010) |
_version_ |
1766378529571733504 |