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Intertribal gene flow between the Ye'cuana and Yanomama: Genetic analysis of an admixed village
Author(s) -
Long Jeffrey C.,
Smouse Peter E.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.1330610403
Subject(s) - allele , gene flow , biology , genetics , allele frequency , genetic variation , variation (astronomy) , evolutionary biology , gene , physics , astrophysics
Genetic exchange with a neighboring village of Ye'cuana Indians had introduced two alleles, Di a and ACP a , into the Yanomama Indian village of Borabuk. After several generations, these alleles had reached frequencies of 0.08 and 0.10, respectively. These frequencies are puzzling because they are higher in Borabuk than in the Ye'cuana village from which they were derived. Single allele estimates of ancestral proportions obtained from either of these traits are biologically unrealistic and suggest that admixture is not a good explanation for genetic variation in Borabuk. Nevertheless, multiallelic admixture models are seen to produce credible estimates of ancestral proportions and to explain a large amount of allele frequency variation in Borabuk. When these results are compared with expectations derived from a formal pedigree analysis, good agreement is seen. Comparison of single allele estimates of ancestral proportions obtained from alleles at 11 loci, with multiallelic estimates obtained from the same 11 loci and with the pedigree‐derived estimates, demonstrates the superiority of the multiallelic approach.