| Popis: |
We studied the diversity of Y-chromosomal haplogroup N-L666 in Southern Siberia, where this lineage itself is an approximate equivalent to N2-P43. The whole sample included 590 representatives of western, central, southern, southeastern and northeastern (Tojin) Tuvans, who identified themselves as one of 21 tribal groups, as well as Tofalars. The N-L666 subsample consisted of 138 individuals and was studied using 15 STR markers in two scales: local (considering the areal groups and tribal clans of Tuvans) and regional (in comparison with the populations of Southern and Western Siberia). Results. Two clusters of N-L666 STR haplotypes were identified: cluster A, specific for Tuvans and Tofalars (covering 19% and 16% of their gene pools respectively) and cluster B, widely scattered throughout Siberia from the West to the Transbaikalia (reaching ~30% in Tofalars). The ubiquity and a greater age of the cluster B favor the idea of its origin in the ancestral population – the ultimate source of the haplogroup N-L666 in Siberia – commonly alleged to be Samoyedic by language. On the contrary, the narrow geographic range and a relatively recent age of the cluster A indicate its formation in the area inhabited by Tuvans and Tofalars during the last thousand years. The emergence of subclusters A1, A2, B1 may be the result of demographic growth in the populations of Tuvans, southern Altaians and Khakas about 300-450 years ago. The spread of the same haplotypes, clusters and subclusters among different regional groups and clans of Tuvans indicates a common source of haplogroup N-L666 for them, which existed in the gene pool long before the separation of the studied populations. Conclusions. A specific cluster of haplogroup N-L666 in Tuvans was presumably founded by a representative of one of the Samoyedic tribes, whose numerous descendants participated in the formation of the Tuvans, Tofalars and southern Altaians over the last thousand years. |
