Barriers to gene flow estimated by surname distribution in Italy

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1809.1993.tb00894.x
• Publication Date: 2007-09-28T09:58:58Z
• Authors: G. ZEI; G. BARBUJANI; A. LISA; O. FIORANI; P. MENOZZI; E. SIRI; L. L. CAVALLI‐SFORZA
• Keywords: Endogamy; Inheritance; Similarity (geometry); Variation (astronomy); Multifactorial Inheritance

Summary Surname distributions were studied in order to reconstruct human migration patterns. Zones of sharp change surname frequencies ‐ presumably barriers gene flow detected by the statistical technique wombling (Barbujani et al. 1989), using data from consanguineous marriages (1910‐64) collected 280 Italian dioceses which we grouped into 80 provinces. The 28 observed boundaries compared with physical (geographical) and cultural (linguistic) barriers, 57 alleles same territorial subdivisions. Genetic had similar locations, as expected given analogy inheritance mechanism genes surnames. Physical seemed be main cause reduction. However, factors alone (e.g. linguistic ones) also determined that delimited areas homogeneous (and surname) frequency probably due increased endogamy. similarity between spatial patterns surnames, languages supports hypothesis co‐evolution genetic variation.