Genome-wide Ancestry Patterns in Rapanui Suggest Pre-European Admixture with Native Americans

Moreno-Mayar, J. Víctor; Rasmussen, Simon; Seguin-Orlando, Andaine; Rasmussen, Morten; Liang, Mason; Flåm, Siri Tennebø; Lie, Benedicte A.; Gilfillan, Gregor D.; Nielsen, Rasmus; Thorsby, E.; Willerslev, Eske; Malaspinas, Anna-Sapfo

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2014.09.057

Cited by 53 publications

(50 citation statements)

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“…Whether this reflects a post-settlement arrival of Amerindians to Easter Island and/or an eastern Polynesian return voyage to South America, remains unclear. Human ancient DNA studies have attested to the Rapanui people being of Polynesian descent (Hagelberg et al, 1994), yet recent research has identified Native American admixture-attributed to pre-European Native American contact (Moreno-Mayar et al, 2014;Thorsby, 2016). Technical and cultural concerns toward the sequencing, storage and interpretation of indigenous human DNA in the Pacific however, has limited access to human genetic material in this region, leaving such questions unresolved for the time being.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Pacific Rat Race to Easter Island: Tracking the Prehistoric Dispersal of Rattus exulans Using Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes

et al. 2017

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The location of the immediate eastern Polynesian origin for the settlement of Easter Island (Rapa Nui), remains unclear with conflicting archeological and linguistic evidence. Previous genetic commensal research using the Pacific rat, Rattus exulans; a species transported by humans across Remote Oceania and throughout the Polynesian Triangle, has identified broad interaction spheres across the region. However, there has been limited success in distinguishing finer-scale movements between Remote Oceanic islands as the same mitochondrial control region haplotype has been identified in the majority of ancient rat specimens. To improve molecular resolution and identify a pattern of prehistoric dispersal to Easter Island, we sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes from ancient Pacific rat specimens obtained from early archeological contexts across West and East Polynesia. Ancient Polynesian rat haplotypes are closely related and reflect the widely supported scenario of a central East Polynesian homeland region from which eastern expansion occurred. An Easter Island and Tubuai (Austral Islands) grouping of related haplotypes suggests that both islands were established by the same colonization wave, proposed to have originated in the central homeland region before dispersing through the south-eastern corridor of East Polynesia.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Pacific Rat Race to Easter Island: Tracking the Prehistoric Dispersal of Rattus exulans Using Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes

et al. 2017

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“…These observations, together with the evident lack of strong geographic barriers in the country, make presentday Denmark an interesting setting for studying the genetic history of small populations with a glorious past. In recent years, there has been an explosion of human genetic studies that contributed substantially to the characterization of worldwide variation patterns (Lao et al 2008;Li et al 2008;Novembre et al 2008;Reich et al 2009;Busby et al 2015); the reconstruction of population history in regions with poor/nonexistent historical records (Moreno-Estrada et al 2014;Moreno-Mayar et al 2014); the study of local and global patterns of admixture in multiethnic societies (Bryc et al 2015); and the study of admixture with other hominin species as well as its use in elucidating human dispersals (Green et al 2010;Reich et al 2011). The increased power of high-throughput genotype data and computational methods has also boosted the emergence of many single-country genomic projects in Europe (Jakkula et al 2008;Price et al 2009; Genome of the Netherlands Consortium 2014; Karakachoff et al 2015;Leslie et al 2015) and the release of useful data to the public (Welter et al 2014).…”

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confidence: 99%

Nationwide Genomic Study in Denmark Reveals Remarkable Population Homogeneity

et al. 2016

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Denmark has played a substantial role in the history of Northern Europe. Through a nationwide scientific outreach initiative, we collected genetic and anthropometrical data from 800 high school students and used them to elucidate the genetic makeup of the Danish population, as well as to assess polygenic predictions of phenotypic traits in adolescents. We observed remarkable homogeneity across different geographic regions, although we could still detect weak signals of genetic structure reflecting the history of the country. Denmark presented genomic affinity with primarily neighboring countries with overall resemblance of decreasing weight from Britain, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and France. A Polish admixture signal was detected in Zealand and Funen, and our date estimates coincided with historical evidence of Wend settlements in the south of Denmark. We also observed considerably diverse demographic histories among Scandinavian countries, with Denmark having the smallest current effective population size compared to Norway and Sweden. Finally, we found that polygenic prediction of self-reported adolescent height in the population was remarkably accurate (R 2 = 0.639 6 0.015). The high homogeneity of the Danish population could render population structure a lesser concern for the upcoming large-scale gene-mapping studies in the country.KEYWORDS human population genetics; population structure; admixture; polygenic risk score; genetic prediction D ENMARK has played a substantial role in the history of Northern Europe. Like Swedes and Norwegians, Danes are historically linked to the Vikings-the Germanic Norse seafarers whose commercial and military operations marked the Viking Age in European history . Through a series of invasions, conquests, and alliances, the Danish Vikings established settlements as far as in Britain, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, and even Canada. Denmark's long-lasting historical bond with Sweden and Norway is nicely exemplified in the formation of the Kalmar Union, a state that brought together the three Scandinavian nations from 1397 to 1523 as a response to Germany's expansionist tendency to the north (Derry 2000).Denmark's historical complexity is contrasted by the country's small current size-both in terms of geographic area (43,000 km 2 ) and population (5,614 million inhabitants)-a fact even further contrasted by the notable compartmentalization of the Danish linguistic map in 30 dialectal areas (http:// dialekt.ku.dk/). These observations, together with the evident lack of strong geographic barriers in the country, make presentday Denmark an interesting setting for studying the genetic history of small populations with a glorious past. In recent years, there has been an explosion of human genetic studies that contributed substantially to the characterization of worldwide variation patterns (Lao et al. 2008;Li et al. 2008;Novembre et al. 2008;Reich et al. 2009;Busby et al. 2015); the reconstruction of population history in regions with poor/nonexistent histori...

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“…This study focused on genetic data derived from 27 modern Rapa Nui. By assaying for genetic variability across the nuclear genome Moreno-Mayar et al [104] were able to disentangle portions of the genomes showing shared sequences with Polynesia, as expected, as well as the Americas and Europe. Further, by modeling demographic scenarios, the authors were able to estimate that the likely timing of the admixture between Rapa Nui and Native Americans pre-dated Europeans.…”

Section: Modern Dnamentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Here, we focus on three high-profile cases of new claims that support Jones and Klar's model of Polynesian-American contact: (1) direct evidence for transfer of the domesticated chicken (Gallus gallus) from Polynesia to South America [96][97][98][99][100][101][102]; and, (2) skulls of two Polynesians within collections of human remains attributed to a Native American group in Central-Eastern Brazil (Botocudo) [103]; and, (3) full genomic study of modern Rapa Nui indicating pre-European contact admixture with Native Americans [104].…”

Section: Long-distance Contacts Between Polynesians and Native Americasmentioning

confidence: 91%

Dispersal, Isolation, and Interaction in the Islands of Polynesia: A Critical Review of Archaeological and Genetic Evidence

Horsburgh

McCoy

2017

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Integration of archaeology, modern genetics, and ancient DNA holds promise for the reconstruction of the human past. We examine the advances in research on the indigenous peoples of Polynesia to determine: (1) what do archaeological and genetic data (ancient and modern DNA) tell us about the origins of Polynesians; and, (2) what evidence is there for long-distance travel and contacts between Polynesians and indigenous populations of the Americas? We note that the general dispersal pattern of founding human populations in the remote islands of the Pacific and long-distance interaction spheres continue to reflect well-established models. New research suggests that the formation of an Ancestral Polynesia Culture in Western Polynesia may have involved differential patterns of dispersal followed by significant later migrations. It has also been suggested that the pause between the settlement of Western and Eastern Polynesia was centuries longer than currently thought, followed by a remarkably rapid pulse of island colonization. Long-distance travel between islands of the Pacific is currently best documented through the sourcing of artifacts, while the discovery of admixture of Native American DNA within the genome of the people from Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is strong new evidence for sustained contacts between Polynesia and the Americas.

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Genome-wide Ancestry Patterns in Rapanui Suggest Pre-European Admixture with Native Americans

Abstract: These genetic results can be explained by one or more pre-European trans-Pacific contacts.

Cited by 53 publications

References 42 publications

The Pacific Rat Race to Easter Island: Tracking the Prehistoric Dispersal of Rattus exulans Using Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes

The Pacific Rat Race to Easter Island: Tracking the Prehistoric Dispersal of Rattus exulans Using Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes

Nationwide Genomic Study in Denmark Reveals Remarkable Population Homogeneity

Dispersal, Isolation, and Interaction in the Islands of Polynesia: A Critical Review of Archaeological and Genetic Evidence

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