2009/05/20 by Claudio Ottoni, Cristina Martínez‐Labarga, Eva‐Liis Loogväli +7 · 3 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Forensic and Genetic Research #Animal Diversity and Health Studies #Genetic diversity and population structure #Genetic diversity #Geography #Hypervariable region #Peninsula #Mitochondrial DNA #Population #Biological dispersal #Evolutionary biology #Phylogeography #Genetic variation #Biology #Demography #Genetics #Archaeology #Phylogenetics
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1469-1809.2009.00526.x
openalex publication_date 2009/05/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/05
The Tuaregs are a semi-nomadic pastoralist people of northwest Africa. Their origins are still a matter of debate due to the scarcity of genetic and historical data. Here we report the first data on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic characterization of a Tuareg sample from Fezzan (Libyan Sahara). A total of 129 individuals from two villages in the Acacus region were genetically analysed. Both the hypervariable regions and the coding region of mtDNA were investigated. Phylogeographic investigation was carried out in order to reconstruct human migratory shifts in central Sahara, and to shed light on the origin of the Libyan Tuaregs. Our results clearly show low genetic diversity in the sample, possibly due to genetic drift and founder effect associated with the separation of Libyan Tuaregs from an ancestral population. Furthermore, the maternal genetic pool of the Libyan Tuaregs is characterized by a major "European" component shared with the Berbers that could be traced to the Iberian Peninsula, as well as a minor 'south Saharan' contribution possibly linked to both Eastern African and Near Eastern populations.