The Ancestry of Eastern Paraguay: A Typical South American Profile with a Unique Pattern of Admixture.

Filipa Simão,Alfredo Quiroz,Martin Bodner,Julyana Ribeiro,Leonor Gusmão,Walther Parson,Elizeu F Carvalho,Laura Catelli,Catarina Xavier,Ana Paula Ferreira,Carlos Vullo,Gabriela Huber,Verónica Gomes

doi:10.3390/genes12111788

Abstract

Immigrants from diverse origins have arrived in Paraguay and produced important demographic changes in a territory initially inhabited by indigenous Guarani. Few studies have been performed to estimate the proportion of Native ancestry that is still preserved in Paraguay and the role of females and males in admixture processes. Therefore, 548 individuals from eastern Paraguay were genotyped for three marker sets: mtDNA, Y-SNPs and autosomal AIM-InDels. A genetic homogeneity was found between departments for each set of markers, supported by the demographic data collected, which showed that only 43% of the individuals have the same birthplace as their parents. The results show a sex-biased intermarriage, with higher maternal than paternal Native American ancestry. Within the native mtDNA lineages in Paraguay (87.2% of the total), most haplogroups have a broad distribution across the subcontinent, and only few are concentrated around the Paraná River basin. The frequency distribution of the European paternal lineages in Paraguay (92.2% of the total) showed a major contribution from the Iberian region. In addition to the remaining legacy of the colonial period, the joint analysis of the different types of markers included in this study revealed the impact of post-war migrations on the current genetic background of Paraguay.

Highlights

Paraguay is a landlocked country in the central region of South America
A sex-biased intercontinental admixture has been recurrently described for American populations and attributed to the admixture patterns during the European colonial period (e.g., [34,91])
The ancestry results obtained in this study showed the same trend in eastern Paraguay, with high Native American maternal and European paternal heritages

Summary

Introduction

Paraguay is a landlocked country in the central region of South America. The country is divided by the Paraguay River into the eastern (or Paraneña) and the western ( known as Chaco) regions (Figure 1). The Guaranis that inhabited the western region lived a nomadic lifestyle, migrating in search of food, while the Guaranis living on the eastern part of the Paraguay River survived, mostly, from agriculture [1]. At the beginning of the 16th century, with the arrival of Spanish conquerors, political alliances were established with the Guarani natives living on the banks of Paraguay River. The admixture process began rapidly between Native American women and European men, and soon, the mestizos

Methods

Results

Conclusion