Mitogenomes illuminate the origin and migration patterns of the indigenous people of the Canary Islands

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209125
• Publication Date: 2019-03-20T17:39:36Z
• Authors: Rosa Fregel; Alejandra C. Ordóñez; Jonathan Santana-...; Vicente M. Cabrera; Javier Velasco-Vá...; Verónica Alberto; Marco A. Moreno-B...; Teresa Delgado-Da...; Amelia Rodríguez-...; Juan C. Hernández; Jorge Pais; Rafaela González-...; José M. Lorenzo-S...; Carlos Flores; M. Carmen Cruz-de...; Nuria Álvarez-Rod...; Beth Shapiro; Matilde Arnay; Carlos D. Bustamante
• Keywords: Colonization; 0301 basic medicine; History; Human Prehistoric Populations; General Science & Technology; Evolution; Science; Population; 930; Mtdna Variation; Middle East; 03 medical and health sciences; Africa, Northern; Sequence; Genetics; Ethnicity; Historical Studies; Humans; Northern; Exchanges; Heritage and Archaeology; Ancestry; Transients and Migrants; Genome; Ancient Dna; Q; Genetic Drift; R; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; DNA; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Biological Sciences; 15. Life on land; Mitochondrial; Mitochondria; Europe; Human Society; Phylogeography; Genetics, Population; Spain; Anthropology; Africa; Genome, Mitochondrial; Medicine; Sequence Analysis; 5505 Ciencias auxiliares de la historia; Research Article

The Canary Islands' indigenous people have been the subject of substantial archaeological, anthropological, linguistic and genetic research pointing to a most probable North African Berber source. However, neither agreement about exact point origin nor model for colonization islands has established. To shed light on these questions, we analyzed 48 ancient mitogenomes from 25 archaeological sites seven main islands. Most lineages observed in samples Mediterranean distribution, belong associated with Neolithic expansion Near East Europe (T2c, J2a, X3a…). This phylogeographic analysis Canarian mitogenomes, first its kind, shows that some are restricted Central Africa (H1cf, J2a2d T2c1d3), while others wider including both West Africa, and, cases, (U6a1a1, U6a7a1, U6b, X3a, U6c1). In addition, identify four new Canarian-specific (H1e1a9, H4a1e, J2a2d1a L3b1a12) whose coalescence dates correlate estimated time (1st millennia CE). Additionally, observe an asymmetrical distribution mtDNA haplogroups population, certain appearing more frequently closer continent. reinforces results based modern Y-chromosome data, evidence suggesting existence two distinct migrations. Comparisons between insular populations show had high diversity, were probably affected by drift and/or bottlenecks. spite observing interinsular differences survival lineages, populations, sole exception La Gomera, homogenous across islands, supporting theory extensive human mobility after European conquest.