Research Article

Distribution of Y chromosomes among native North Americans: A study of Athapaskan population history

  1. Ripan Singh Malhi1,*,
  2. Angelica Gonzalez-Oliver2,
  3. Kari Britt Schroeder3,
  4. Brian M. Kemp4,
  5. Jonathan A. Greenberg5,
  6. Solomon Z. Dobrowski6,
  7. David Glenn Smith3,7,
  8. Andres Resendez8,
  9. Tatiana Karafet9,
  10. Michael Hammer9,
  11. Stephen Zegura10,
  12. Tatiana Brovko11

Article first published online: 10 JUL 2008

DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.20883

Issue

American Journal of Physical Anthropology

American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Volume 137, Issue 4, pages 412–424, December 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Singh Malhi, R., Gonzalez-Oliver, A., Schroeder, K. B., Kemp, B. M., Greenberg, J. A., Dobrowski, S. Z., Smith, D. G., Resendez, A., Karafet, T., Hammer, M., Zegura, S. and Brovko, T. (2008), Distribution of Y chromosomes among native North Americans: A study of Athapaskan population history. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., 137: 412–424. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.20883

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL

  2. 2

    Departmento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico

  3. 3

    Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis

  4. 4

    Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman

  5. 5

    Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing, University of California, Davis

  6. 6

    Department of Forest Management, University of Montana, Missoula

  7. 7

    California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis

  8. 8

    Department of History, University of California, Davis

  9. 9

    Division of Biotechnology, University of Arizona, AZ

  10. 10

    Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona, AZ

  11. 11

    Trace Genetics (A DNAPrint Genomics Company), Richmond, CA

*Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 185 Davenport Hall, 607 Matthews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, USA

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 10 NOV 2008
  2. Article first published online: 10 JUL 2008
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 12 MAY 2008
  4. Manuscript Received: 2 FEB 2007

Funded by

  • National Science Foundation. Grant Number: 0422144
  • NIH. Grant Number: RR05090

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Keywords:

  • Y chromosome;
  • mitochondrial DNA;
  • founder effect;
  • european contact;
  • native American;
  • migration;
  • diffusion

Abstract

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. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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