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Ancient DNA from a pre‐Columbian Amerindian population
Author(s) -
Stone Anne C.,
Stoneking Mark
Publication year - 1993
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.1330920405
Subject(s) - mitochondrial dna , ancient dna , lineage (genetic) , biology , population , evolutionary biology , zoology , archaeology , genetics , geography , demography , gene , sociology
Ancient DNA was obtained from skeletal remains from the Norris Farms #36 cemetery, a pre‐Columbian archeological site in central Illinois that dates to A. D. 1300. Four mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers were analyzed that delineate the four primary mtDNA lineages found in contemporary Amerindian populations. mtDNA types were determined for 50 individuals; 49 belonged to one of these four lineages. One lineage occurred only in males, suggesting an immigration of maternally related males into this community. There was no significant spatial patterning of mtDNA lineages within the cemetery. This survey of ancient DNA variation in a preColumbian population supports the view that the initial colonization of the New World comprised just four primary mtDNA lineages. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.