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Paternal genetic affinity between Western Austronesians and Daic populations
1MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology and Center for Evolutionary Biology, School of Life Sciences and Institutes for Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China. LiHui.Fudan@gmail.com
BMC Evolutionary Biology
|May 17, 2008
Summary
Genetic studies reveal Austronesian origins. Indonesian and Taiwan aboriginal paternal lineages likely stem from Daic populations, challenging the Taiwan homeland hypothesis. These groups appear to have evolved independently.
Area of Science:
- Population genetics
- Human migration studies
- Linguistic anthropology
Background:
- Austronesian languages encompass Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
- Linguistic similarities suggest Taiwan as the homeland for Malayo-Polynesians, a debated hypothesis.
- Eastern Austronesians likely originated from Western Austronesians, with Daic populations as a potential headstream.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the paternal genetic origins of Austronesian-speaking populations.
- To test the Taiwan homeland hypothesis using Y-chromosome DNA markers.
- To elucidate the genetic relationships between Daic, Taiwan aboriginal, and Malayo-Polynesian groups.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 20 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 7 short tandem repeats (STRs) in Y chromosomes.
- Studied 1,509 Y chromosomes from 30 Daic, 23 Malayo-Polynesian, and 11 Taiwan aboriginal populations.
- Utilized admixture analyses and STR network analysis for haplogroup O1a.
Main Results:
- Daic populations show minimal Han Chinese genetic influence and form the largest proportion of Indonesian paternal lineages.
- Haplogroup O1a-M119 is prevalent in studied populations and nearly absent in others.
- STR network analysis indicates Indonesian lineages originated from Daic populations, not Taiwan aborigines.
Conclusions:
- Island Southeast Asian paternal lineages do not support a Taiwan origin.
- Both Taiwan aborigines and Indonesians likely derive from Daic populations, evolving independently.
- A genetic super-phylum including Taiwan aborigines, Daic, and Malayo-Polynesians is identifiable.
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