Abstract
The present study was carried out in the Indo-European speaking tribal population groups of Southern Gujarat, India to investigate and reconstruct their paternal population structure and population histories. The role of language, ethnicity and geography in determining the observed pattern of Y haplogroup clustering in the study populations was also examined. A set of 48 bi-allelic markers on the non-recombining region of Y chromosome (NRY) were analysed in 284 males; representing nine Indo-European speaking tribal populations. The genetic structure of the populations revealed that none of these groups was overtly admixed or completely isolated. However, elevated haplogroup diversity and FST value point towards greater diversity and differentiation which suggests the possibility of early demographic expansion of the study groups. The phylogenetic analysis revealed 13 paternal lineages, of which six haplogroups: C5, H1a*, H2, J2, R1a1* and R2 accounted for a major portion of the Y chromosome diversity. The higher frequency of the six haplogroups and the pattern of clustering in the populations indicated overlapping of haplogroups with West and Central Asian populations. Other analyses undertaken on the population affiliations revealed that the Indo-European speaking populations along with the Dravidian speaking groups of southern India have an influence on the tribal groups of Gujarat. The vital role of geography in determining the distribution of Y lineages was also noticed. This implies that although language plays a vital role in determining the distribution of Y lineages, the present day linguistic affiliation of any population in India for reconstructing the demographic history of the country should be considered with caution.
Highlights
India is the second most populous country in the world with a population of 1.21 billion [1]
Keeping the above in view, we present an analysis based on the study of 48 bi-allelic markers in nine Indo-European speaking tribal groups of Southern Gujarat which lies in the western part of India
The main objectives of the study were (a) to study the distribution of Y haplogroups; (b) to study the relative influence of language, geography or ethnicity on the genetic structure of populations using the pattern of Y haplogroup clustering and (c) to relate the observed pattern of Y haplogroup clustering with the Y chromosome lineages which arrived in India largely from the Northern corridor at different points of time
Summary
India is the second most populous country in the world with a population of 1.21 billion [1]. About 4,635 different population groups are spread across the country [2]. The tribal groups of India belong to four broad linguistic families: Austro-Asiatic, Dravidian, Indo-European and Tibeto-Burman [9]. The Indo-European and Dravidian speaking populations are considered to be the major contributors to the development of Indian culture and society [10]. Both Austro-Asiatic and Dravidian speaking tribes belong to the primary pre-historic populations of India [7,11]. Tibeto-Burman speakers include many tribal populations but their geographical distribution is largely restricted to the North-Eastern region of India. The country’s unique location gives rise to a great variety of environmental conditions and associated biodiversity [12] which in turn has attracted people from all over the globe
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