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Genetic perspectives on prehistoric social practices Brigitte Pakendorf MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Social practices and genetics? Social practices can have an effect on the number of offspring a person has can be detected with genetic methods Holds especially true for social practices that affect one of the sexes more than the other: polygyny, residency patterns, ‘upward’ social mobility
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Benefits of mtDNA and Y chromosome exclusively maternal and paternal inheritance, respectively no recombination
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The benefits of studying mtDNA and Y- chromosomal markers: Y (non-sex) chromosome mtDNA Y-chromosome
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Benefits of mtDNA and Y chromosome → mutations accumulate with time alone → possibility of defining related lineages (= haplogroups), i.e. shared mutations indicate shared ancestry (if mutations are rare!!) → complementary studies of population history (female vs male) are possible
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Types of mutations SNPs = Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms – individual base changes (e.g. T C): slow mutation rate STRs = Short Tandem Repeats – change in number of repeat sequence of bases (e.g. [AGCT] 16 [AGCT] 17 ): very high mutation rate
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Socially conditioned prehistoric events 1.Residence patterns 2.Sex-biased migrations 3.Polygamy 4.‘Upward’ social mobility
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1) Residence patterns Matrilocality: the groom settles with the wife’s family after marriage mixing of Y- chromosomes, mtDNA’s stay put Patrilocality: the bride settles with the husband’s family after marriage mixing of mtDNA’s, Y-chromosomes stay put Prediction: in patrilocal groups, mtDNA diversity should be higher than Y-chromosomal diversity, and vice versa for matrilocal groups
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Oota et al. (2001) Nature Genetics 29: 20 - 21 Genetic diversity in Thailand hill tribes
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Melanesian mtDNA Asian mtDNA Other mtDNA 2) Sex-biased migrations: Pacific Kayser et al. (2006) Mol Biol Evol. 23: 2234-44. Map courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.
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Melanesian Y-DNA Asian Y-DNA Other Y-DNA 2) Sex-biased migrations: Pacific Kayser et al. (2006) Mol Biol Evol. 23: 2234-44. Map courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.
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Polynesian mtDNA: 94% Asian origin 2) Sex-biased migrations: Pacific Polynesian Y: 66% Melanesian origin Potentially due to matrilocality of Austronesian- speakers Melanesian men incorporated into Austronesian- speaking society prior to further migration to Polynesia Kayser et al. (2006) Mol Biol Evol. 23: 2234-44.
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2) Sex-biased migrations: male conquerors Closely-related Y-chromosomal lineage identified in 16 Central Asian populations Zerjal et al. (2003): Am J Hum Gen. 72: 717–721
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2) Sex-biased migrations: male conquerors Zerjal et al. (2003): Am J Hum Gen. 72: 717–721
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2) Sex-biased migrations: male conquerors Closely-related Y-chromosomal lineage identified in 16 Central Asian populations Dated to ~ 700-1300 years BP Most likely origin in Mongolia (highest diversity) Zerjal et al. (2003): Am J Hum Gen. 72: 717–721
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2) Sex-biased migrations: male conquerors Distribution of Mongolian Y-chromosomal lineage; shaded area = extent of Mongol Empire at time of Chinggis Khan’s death Zerjal et al. (2003): Am J Hum Gen. 72: 717–721
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2) Sex-biased migrations: male conquerors Y-lineage with one male ancestor ~ 1000 years ago widespread in Central Asia spread with Mongol Empire ruling clans = Chinggis Khan’s sons and grandsons ‘Chinggis Khan’s Y-chromosome’ Zerjal et al. (2003): Am J Hum Gen. 72: 717–721
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3) Polygamy (polygyny) Polygyny: few men have many wives, and many men may have no wife at all Prediction: (severely) reduced Y-chromosomal diversity
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Kayser et al. (2003): Am J Hum Genet 72:281-302 Y-chromosomal SNP frequencies in New Guinea
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Y-chromosomal and mtDNA diversity, West New Guinea Group (N Y/ N mtDNA) Y-SNP diversity Y-STR diversity HVR1 diversity Dani (12/21).167 ±.134.455 ±.170.98 ±.02 Una (46/50)0.749 ±.061.96 ±.01 Ketengban (19/22) 0.608 ±.127.81 ±.07 Citak (28/39).267 ±.107.860 ±.056.92 ±.03 Kayser et al. (2003): Am J Hum Genet 72:281-302
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Social practices of Bantu-speaking groups? Can genetic studies inform us about the prehistoric social practices of Bantu-speaking groups (intermarriage with hunter-gathering populations, patrilocality)?
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Upward social mobility Ethnographic assumption: agriculturalist men may marry hunter-gatherer women, but not vice versa Prediction: introgression of ‘hunter-gatherer mtDNA’ but not Y-chromosomes in agricultural populations
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Upward social mobility ‘Khoisan-specific’ haplogroups mtDNA L0dY-chr. A-M51 Southern African Bantu speakers Southern African Bantu-speakers
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Upward social mobility ‘Khoisan-specific’ haplogroups mtDNA L0dY-chr. A-M51 Southern African Bantu speakers 4-7% Southern African Bantu-speakers Pereira et al. (2001): Ann Hum Genet 65: 439-458 Salas et al. (2002): Am J Hum Genet. 71: 1082–1111
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Upward social mobility ‘Khoisan-specific’ haplogroups mtDNA L0dY-chr. A-M51 Southern African Bantu speakers 4-7% Southern African Bantu-speakers 3-7% Pereira et al. (2001): Ann Hum Genet 65: 439-458 Salas et al. (2002): Am J Hum Genet. 71: 1082–1111 Wood et al. (2005): Eur J Hum Genet 13: 867-876
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Upward social mobility Potentially intriguing finding: 1) the social ideal is not always adhered to 2) shift of language and identity of small groups of Khoisan-speakers in Southern Africa
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Upward social mobility ‘Khoisan-specific’ haplogroups mtDNA L0dY-chr. A-M51 Southern African Bantu speakers 4-7% Southern African Bantu-speakers 3-7% Pereira et al. (2001): Ann Hum Genet 65: 439-458 Salas et al. (2002): Am J Hum Genet. 71: 1082–1111 Wood et al. (2005): Eur J Hum Genet 13: 867-876
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Upward social mobility ‘Khoisan-specific’ haplogroups mtDNA L0dY-chr. A-M51 Mozambique Bantu speakers 4-7%?? South Africa Bantu-speakers ??3-7% Pereira et al. (2001): Ann Hum Genet 65: 439-458 Salas et al. (2002): Am J Hum Genet. 71: 1082–1111 Wood et al. (2005): Eur J Hum Genet 13: 867-876
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Upward social mobility Caveat: groups not really comparable South African Nguni populations (Zulus, Xhosa) are known to have been in close contact with Khoisan speakers (‘borrowing’ of clicks)
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Patrilocality in Bantu-speakers? Prediction: in patrilocal groups, mtDNA diversity should be higher than Y-chromosomal diversity
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Haplogroup diversity values in some Bantu-speaking groups Tishkoff et al. (2007): Mol Biol Evol 24: 2180-2195; Pereira et al. (2001): Ann Hum Genet 65: 439-458 Salas et al. (2002): Am J Hum Genet. 71: 1082–1111; Wood et al. (2005): Eur J Hum Genet 13: 867-876 Quintana-Murci et al. (2008): PNAS 105: 1596–1601; De Filippo et al. unpublished
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Social practices of Bantu-speaking groups? Reduced Y-chromosomal diversity appears indicative of patrilocal post-marital residence
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Data are not comparable ‘West Central Africa’ mtDNA = 20 groups from Cameroon and Gabon Y-chromosome = 3 groups from Cameroon ‘Southern Africa’ mtDNA = ~ 20 different populations from Mozambique Y-chromosome = Sotho-Tswana, Zulu and Xhosa from South Africa
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Data are not comparable practically no comparable data available for mtDNA and Y-chromosome in the same Bantu- speaking groups
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Conclusions Genetic analyses can provide some insights into prehistoric social practices These may be of help for historical linguists in search of explanations for patterns of linguistic diversity (e.g. contact-induced change) However, comparable studies of both mtDNA and Y-chromosomal diversity in ethno- linguistically well-defined groups are needed
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Acknowledgements Cesare de Filippo for Bisa and Kunda data Mark Stoneking for discussion
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