Genetic Structure of the Western and Eastern African Sahel/Savannah Belt and the Role of Nomadic Pastoralists as Inferred from the Variation of D-Loop Mitochondrial DNA Sequences

Čížková, Martina; Munclinger, Pavel; Diallo, Mame Yoro; Kulichová, Iva; Mokhtar, Mohammed G.; Dème, Alioune; Pereira, Luı́sa; Černý, Viktor

doi:10.13110/humanbiology.89.4.02

Cited by 17 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The highest overall values of mtDNA haplotype diversity were found in West, North and East regions of Africa, except for nomadic or semi-nomadic groups, namely the Tuareg and the Fulani, which present the lowest values of diversity (Supplementary Table S3 ), as previously reported 30 . In contrast, MNPD values are higher in populations from East and Southeast Africa, with populations from the West region, and in particular the Nigerian groups, showing intermediate MNPD values.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

Impact of patrilocality on contrasting patterns of paternal and maternal heritage in Central-West Africa

Nguidi,

Gomes,

Vullo

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite their ancient past and high diversity, African populations are the least represented in human population genetic studies. In this study, uniparental markers (mtDNA and Y chromosome) were used to investigate the impact of sociocultural factors on the genetic diversity and inter-ethnolinguistic gene flow in the three major Nigerian groups: Hausa (n = 89), Yoruba (n = 135) and Igbo (n = 134). The results show a distinct history from the maternal and paternal perspectives. The three Nigerian groups present a similar substrate for mtDNA, but not for the Y chromosome. The two Niger–Congo groups, Yoruba and Igbo, are paternally genetically correlated with populations from the same ethnolinguistic affiliation. Meanwhile, the Hausa is paternally closer to other Afro-Asiatic populations and presented a high diversity of lineages from across Africa. When expanding the analyses to other African populations, it is observed that language did not act as a major barrier to female-mediated gene flow and that the differentiation of paternal lineages is better correlated with linguistic than geographic distances. The results obtained demonstrate the impact of patrilocality, a common and well-established practice in populations from Central-West Africa, in the preservation of the patrilineage gene pool and in the affirmation of identity between groups.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

Impact of patrilocality on contrasting patterns of paternal and maternal heritage in Central-West Africa

Nguidi,

Gomes,

Vullo

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previously, data from microsatellite and insertion/deletion markers of Fulani participants from Cameroon revealed nonnegligible non-African ancestry in the Fulani and genetic affinities with Chadic and Central Sudanicspeaking populations 32 . Genome-wide studies have further confirmed Western Eurasian and North African genetic admixture in the Fulani of around 20% [33][34][35] , which is consistent with the proportion identified in mtDNA studies 23,29 . This non-sub-Saharan admixture in the Fulani gene pool has also 4 been highlighted by analyses of the LCT gene, which has undergone positive selection in the Fulani…”

supporting

confidence: 82%

“…Further investigations have revealed the emergence of mtDNA sub-haplogroups specific to the Fulani, such as U5b1b1b and H1cb1 28 . Mitochondrial DNA studies of local Sahelian populations (both farmers and pastoralists) also revealed less gene flow between western Sahelian pastoralists (represented here mainly by Fulani) and their sedentary neighbors than the gene flow observed between eastern Sahelian pastoralists (represented here mainly by Arabic-speaking groups) and their sedentary neighbors 29 . These observations are intriguing because Arabic-speaking populations arrived in the Sahel belt relatively recently 30 , while the Fulani have been part of the western Sahel belt for a more extended period.…”

mentioning

confidence: 79%

Population History and Admixture of the Fulani People from the Sahel

Fortes-Lima,

Diallo,

Janoušek

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryThe Fulani people, one of the most important pastoralist groups in sub-Saharan Africa, are still largely underrepresented in population genomic research. They speak a Niger-Congo language called Fulfulde or Pulaar and live in scattered locations across the Sahel/Savannah Belt, from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Chad. According to historical records, their ancestors spread from Futa Toro in the Middle Senegal Valley to Futa-Jallon in Guinea, and then eastward into the Sahel belt over the past 1500 years. However, the earlier history of this traditionally pastoral population has not been well studied. To uncover the genetic structure and ancestry of this widespread population, we gathered genome-wide genotype data from 460 individuals across 18 local Fulani populations, along with comparative data from both modern and ancient worldwide populations. This represents the most geographically wide-scaled genome-wide study of the Fulani to date. We revealed a genetic component closely associated with all local Fulani populations, suggesting a shared ancestral component possibly linked to the beginning of African pastoralism in the Green Sahara. Comparison to ancient DNA results also identified the presence of an ancient Iberomaurusian associated component across all Fulani groups, providing novel insights into their deep genetic history. Additionally, our genetic data indicate a later Fulani expansion from the western to the eastern Sahel, characterized by a clinal pattern and admixture with several other African populations north of the equator.

show abstract

“…In short, it demonstrates the effects of sedentism and patrilocality in farming populations. Moreover, a study of gene flow between pastoralists and farmers suggested that pastoralists have a lower effective population size because they lose their females by an asymmetric matrimonial pattern (Čížková et al, 2017). Interestingly, this pattern has been found also in other African populations that maintain a different lifestyle (Verdu et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexually dimorphic traits are associated with subsistence strategy in African faces from the Sahel/Savannah belt

Kleisner,

Pokorný,

Černý

2023

American J Hum Biol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectivesPrevious research revealed that in some African populations, food‐production strategies are associated with facial shape. Nomadic pastoralists living in the African Sahel/Savannah belt have a different facial morphology than their sedentary neighbors. We investigated whether the lifestyle associated with a subsistence pattern has an impact on sexual dimorphism in the facial structure.MethodsWe employed several methods from geometric morphometrics and demonstrated such effect in four ethnically distinct populations that share the same geographic space.ResultsWe show that the facial traits which correlate with a subsistence strategy are systematically associated with levels of facial sex‐typicality. In particular, we found that faces with more pronounced pastoralist features have on average more masculine facial traits and that this effect is more pronounced in men than in women.ConclusionsIn general, though, the magnitude of overall facial dimorphism does not differ between pastoralists and farmers. Pastoralists (in contrast to farmers) tend to have a more masculine facial morphology but facial differences between the sexes are in both groups the same.

show abstract

Genetic Structure of the Western and Eastern African Sahel/Savannah Belt and the Role of Nomadic Pastoralists as Inferred from the Variation of D-Loop Mitochondrial DNA Sequences

Cited by 17 publications

References 13 publications

Impact of patrilocality on contrasting patterns of paternal and maternal heritage in Central-West Africa

Impact of patrilocality on contrasting patterns of paternal and maternal heritage in Central-West Africa

Population History and Admixture of the Fulani People from the Sahel

Sexually dimorphic traits are associated with subsistence strategy in African faces from the Sahel/Savannah belt

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About