Out of Arabia—The settlement of Island Soqotra as revealed by mitochondrial and Y chromosome genetic diversity

2008/11/14 by Viktor Černý, Luı́sa Pereira, Martina Kujanová +4 · 55 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · #Anthropology #Biology #Chromosome #Computer science #Demography #Diversity (politics) #Evolutionary biology #Forensic and Genetic Research #Gene #Genetic diversity #Genetic diversity and population structure #Genetics #Geography #Mitochondrial DNA #Pharmacological Effects of Medicinal Plants #Settlement (finance) #Sociology #World Wide Web

paper · doi:10.1002/ajpa.20960

published in American Journal of Physical Anthropology 138(4), 439-447 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2008/11/14 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

The Soqotra archipelago is one of the most isolated landmasses in the world, situated at the mouth of the Gulf of Aden between the Horn of Africa and southern Arabia. The main island of Soqotra lies not far from the proposed southern migration route of anatomically modern humans out of Africa approximately 60,000 years ago (kya), suggesting the island may harbor traces of that first dispersal. Nothing is known about the timing and origin of the first Soqotri settlers. The oldest historical visitors to the island in the 15th century reported only the presence of an ancient population. We collected samples throughout the island and analyzed mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosomal variation. We found little African influence among the indigenous people of the island. Although the island population likely experienced founder effects, links to the Arabian Peninsula or southwestern Asia can still be found. In comparison with datasets from neighboring regions, the Soqotri population shows evidence of long-term isolation and autochthonous evolution of several mitochondrial haplogroups. Specifically, we identified two high-frequency founder lineages that have not been detected in any other populations and classified them as a new R0a1a1 subclade. Recent expansion of the novel lineages is consistent with a Holocene settlement of the island approximately 6 kya.

Citations

• Quaternary environmental change in New Zealand: a review
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Cited by

• Genetic diversity on the Comoros Islands shows early seafaring as major determinant of human biocultural evolution in the Western Indian Ocean
• The Arabian Cradle: Mitochondrial Relicts of the First Steps along the Southern Route out of Africa
• Population history of the Red Sea—genetic exchanges between the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa signaled in the mitochondrial DNA HV1 haplogroup
• In search of the genetic footprints of Sumerians: a survey of Y-chromosome and mtDNA variation in the Marsh Arabs of Iraq
• Haplogroup I (mtDNA) [wikipedia]
• Haplogroup J (Y-DNA) [wikipedia]
• Haplogroup T (mtDNA) [wikipedia]

Related

• Mitochondrial DNA structure in the Arabian Peninsula
• Genetic Stratigraphy of Key Demographic Events in Arabia
• Population history of the Red Sea—genetic exchanges between the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa signaled in the mitochondrial DNA HV1 haplogroup
• Saudi Arabian Y-Chromosome diversity and its relationship with nearby regions
• Y-Chromosome and mtDNA Genetics Reveal Significant Contrasts in Affinities of Modern Middle Eastern Populations with European and African Populations