Genetic diversity in the lesser Antilles and its implications for the settlement of the Caribbean Basin

Torres, JB, Vilar, MG, Torres, GA, Gaieski, JB, Hernandez, RB, Browne, ZE, Stevenson, M, Walters, W, Schurr, TG, Adhikarla, S, Adler, CJ, Balanovska, E, Balanovsky, O, Bertranpetit, J, Clarke, AC, Comas, D, Cooper, A, Der Sarkissian, CSI, GaneshPrasad, AK, Haak, W et al (2015) Genetic diversity in the lesser Antilles and its implications for the settlement of the Caribbean Basin. Plos One, 10 (10). pp. 1-27. ISSN 1932-6203

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Abstract

Historical discourses about the Caribbean often chronicle West African and European influence to the general neglect of indigenous people's contributions to the contemporary region. Consequently, demographic histories of Caribbean people prior to and after European contact are not well understood. Although archeological evidence suggests that the Lesser Antilles were populated in a series of northward and eastern migratory waves, many questions remain regarding the relationship of the Caribbean migrants to other indigenous people of South and Central America and changes to the demography of indigenous communities post-European contact. To explore these issues, we analyzed mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome diversity in 12 unrelated individuals from the First Peoples Community in Arima, Trinidad, and 43 unrelated Garifuna individuals residing in St. Vincent. In this community- sanctioned research, we detected maternal indigenous ancestry in 42% of the participants, with the remainder having haplotypes indicative of African and South Asian maternal ancestry. Analysis of Y-chromosome variation revealed paternal indigenous American ancestry indicated by the presence of haplogroup Q-M3 in 28% of the male participants from both communities, with the remainder possessing either African or European haplogroups. This finding is the first report of indigenous American paternal ancestry among indigenous populations in this region of the Caribbean. Overall, this study illustrates the role of the region's first peoples in shaping the genetic diversity seen in contemporary Caribbean populations.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Genographic Consortium; Chromosomes, Human, Y; Humans; DNA, Mitochondrial; Genetics, Population; Phylogeny; Haplotypes; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Caribbean Region; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; Female; Male; Genetic Variation; Comparative Genomic Hybridization; Asian People; White People; Black People; Asian People; Black People; Caribbean Region; Chromosomes, Human, Y; Comparative Genomic Hybridization; DNA, Mitochondrial; Female; Genetic Variation; Genetics, Population; Haplotypes; Humans; Male; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; White People; 31 Biological Sciences; 4401 Anthropology; 3105 Genetics; 44 Human Society; Genetics; Minority Health; Asian People; Black People; Caribbean Region; Chromosomes, Human, Y; Comparative Genomic Hybridization; DNA, Mitochondrial; Female; Genetic Variation; Genetics, Population; Haplotypes; Humans; Male; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; White People; General Science & Technology
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology Q Science > QH Natural history > QH426 Genetics
Divisions:	Biological and Environmental Sciences (from Sep 19)
Publisher:	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date of acceptance:	10 September 2015
Date of first compliant Open Access:	12 September 2025
Date Deposited:	12 Sep 2025 08:50
Last Modified:	12 Sep 2025 09:00
DOI or ID number:	10.1371/journal.pone.0139192
Editors:	Calafell, F
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27147

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