The trans-Saharan slave trade - clues from interpolation analyses and high-resolution characterization of mitochondrial DNA lineages
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A proportion of 1/4 to 1/2 of North African female pool is made of typical sub-Saharan lineages, in higher frequencies as geographic proximity to sub-Saharan Africa increases. The Sahara was a strong geographical barrier against gene...
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| Format: | Article |
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BMC
2010-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Evolutionary Biology |
| Online Access: | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/138 |
| _version_ | 1828141184890961920 |
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| author | Kandil Mostafa Fernandes Verónica Costa Marta D Harich Nourdin Pereira Joana B Silva Nuno M Pereira Luísa |
| author_facet | Kandil Mostafa Fernandes Verónica Costa Marta D Harich Nourdin Pereira Joana B Silva Nuno M Pereira Luísa |
| author_sort | Kandil Mostafa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A proportion of 1/4 to 1/2 of North African female pool is made of typical sub-Saharan lineages, in higher frequencies as geographic proximity to sub-Saharan Africa increases. The Sahara was a strong geographical barrier against gene flow, at least since 5,000 years ago, when desertification affected a larger region, but the Arab trans-Saharan slave trade could have facilitate enormously this migration of lineages. Till now, the genetic consequences of these forced trans-Saharan movements of people have not been ascertained.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The distribution of the main L haplogroups in North Africa clearly reflects the known trans-Saharan slave routes: West is dominated by L1b, L2b, L2c, L2d, L3b and L3d; the Center by L3e and some L3f and L3w; the East by L0a, L3h, L3i, L3x and, in common with the Center, L3f and L3w; while, L2a is almost everywhere. Ages for the haplogroups observed in both sides of the Saharan desert testify the recent origin (holocenic) of these haplogroups in sub-Saharan Africa, claiming a recent introduction in North Africa, further strengthened by the no detection of local expansions.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The interpolation analyses and complete sequencing of present mtDNA sub-Saharan lineages observed in North Africa support the genetic impact of recent trans-Saharan migrations, namely the slave trade initiated by the Arab conquest of North Africa in the seventh century. Sub-Saharan people did not leave traces in the North African maternal gene pool for the time of its settlement, some 40,000 years ago.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:20:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a8666cf722e34ee4a923bb59bb1bdeb6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2148 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:20:13Z |
| publishDate | 2010-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Evolutionary Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-a8666cf722e34ee4a923bb59bb1bdeb62022-12-22T04:07:19ZengBMCBMC Evolutionary Biology1471-21482010-05-0110113810.1186/1471-2148-10-138The trans-Saharan slave trade - clues from interpolation analyses and high-resolution characterization of mitochondrial DNA lineagesKandil MostafaFernandes VerónicaCosta Marta DHarich NourdinPereira Joana BSilva Nuno MPereira Luísa<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A proportion of 1/4 to 1/2 of North African female pool is made of typical sub-Saharan lineages, in higher frequencies as geographic proximity to sub-Saharan Africa increases. The Sahara was a strong geographical barrier against gene flow, at least since 5,000 years ago, when desertification affected a larger region, but the Arab trans-Saharan slave trade could have facilitate enormously this migration of lineages. Till now, the genetic consequences of these forced trans-Saharan movements of people have not been ascertained.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The distribution of the main L haplogroups in North Africa clearly reflects the known trans-Saharan slave routes: West is dominated by L1b, L2b, L2c, L2d, L3b and L3d; the Center by L3e and some L3f and L3w; the East by L0a, L3h, L3i, L3x and, in common with the Center, L3f and L3w; while, L2a is almost everywhere. Ages for the haplogroups observed in both sides of the Saharan desert testify the recent origin (holocenic) of these haplogroups in sub-Saharan Africa, claiming a recent introduction in North Africa, further strengthened by the no detection of local expansions.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The interpolation analyses and complete sequencing of present mtDNA sub-Saharan lineages observed in North Africa support the genetic impact of recent trans-Saharan migrations, namely the slave trade initiated by the Arab conquest of North Africa in the seventh century. Sub-Saharan people did not leave traces in the North African maternal gene pool for the time of its settlement, some 40,000 years ago.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/138 |
| spellingShingle | Kandil Mostafa Fernandes Verónica Costa Marta D Harich Nourdin Pereira Joana B Silva Nuno M Pereira Luísa The trans-Saharan slave trade - clues from interpolation analyses and high-resolution characterization of mitochondrial DNA lineages BMC Evolutionary Biology |
| title | The trans-Saharan slave trade - clues from interpolation analyses and high-resolution characterization of mitochondrial DNA lineages |
| title_full | The trans-Saharan slave trade - clues from interpolation analyses and high-resolution characterization of mitochondrial DNA lineages |
| title_fullStr | The trans-Saharan slave trade - clues from interpolation analyses and high-resolution characterization of mitochondrial DNA lineages |
| title_full_unstemmed | The trans-Saharan slave trade - clues from interpolation analyses and high-resolution characterization of mitochondrial DNA lineages |
| title_short | The trans-Saharan slave trade - clues from interpolation analyses and high-resolution characterization of mitochondrial DNA lineages |
| title_sort | trans saharan slave trade clues from interpolation analyses and high resolution characterization of mitochondrial dna lineages |
| url | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/138 |
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