Y-chromosomal analysis of clan structure of Kalmyks, the only European Mongol people, and their relationship to Oirat-Mongols of Inner Asia

Abstract

Kalmyks, the only Mongolic-speaking population in Europe, live in the southeast of the European Plain, in Russia. They adhere to Buddhism and speak a dialect of the Mongolian language. Historical and linguistic evidence, as well a shared clan names, suggests a common origin with Oirats of western Mongolia; yet, only a limited number of genetic studies have focused on this topic. Here we compare the paternal genetic relationship of Kalmyk clans with ethnographically related groups from Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and China, within the context of their neighbouring populations. A phylogeny of 37 high-coverage Y-chromosome sequences, together with further genotyping of larger sample sets, reveals that all the Oirat-speaking populations studied here, including Kalmyks, share, as a dominant paternal lineage, Y-chromosomal haplogroup C3c1-M77, which is also present in several geographically distant native Siberian populations. We identify a subset of this clade, C3c1b-F6379, specifically enriched in Kalmyks as well as in Oirat-speaking clans in Inner Asia. This sub-clade coalesces at around 1500 years before present, before the Genghis Khan era, and significantly earlier than the split between Kalmyks and other Oirat speakers about 400 years ago. We also show that split between the dominant hg C variant among Buryats—C3-M407—and that of C3-F6379, took place in the Early Upper Palaeolithic, suggesting an extremely long duration for the dissipation of hg C3-M217 carriers across northern Eurasia, which cuts through today’s major linguistic phyla.

Genetic insights into the social organisation of the Avar period elite in the 7th century AD Carpathian Basin

“…3, S4). Based on the Y-STR and SNP results we conclude that most Avar N-Tat chromosomes probably originated from a common source population of people living in Southern Siberia and Mongolia 18,19 .…”

“…According to the study by Ilumäe et al 18 , the frequency peak of N-F4205 (N3a5-F4205) chromosomes is close to the Transbaikal region of Southern Siberia and Mongolia. A recent Y-SNP study of Central Asian populations by Balinova et al found this N-F4205 subhaplogroup also frequent (52.2%) among the nomadic herder Tsaatans (Dukha or Duhalar people), living in Mongolia and the Tuva Republic 19 . We conclude based on our STR network that most Avar N-Tat chromosomes probably originated from a common source population of people living in the Mongolian and Baikal area, in line with the results of Ilumäe et al 18 .…”

“…S5). According to Balinova et al, subhaplogroup Q1a2-M25 constitutes 43.5% of paternal lineages of the Tsaatans population 19 .…”

Anthropological features of Sart-kalmaks of Issyk-Kul and Kalmyks of Kalmykia

“…Âûñîêèé óðîâåíü ìåaeãðóïïîâîé èçìåí÷èâîñòè ïî öåëîìó ðÿäó àíòðîïîìåòðè÷åñêèõ ïðèçíàêîâ, õàðàêòåðèçóþùèõ ìîðôîëîãè÷åñêèé ñòàòóñ êàëìûêîâ è ñàðò-êàëìàêîâ, ïîäòâåðaeäàåòñÿ äàííûìè ãåíåòè÷åñêîãî àíàëèçà [Áàëèíîâà ñ ñîàâò., 2016;Balinova et al, 2019].…”

“…Åñëè ðàññìàòðèâàòü âñå èçó-÷åííûå ïîïóëÿöèè â öåëîì, ìîaeíî êîíñòàòèðîâàòü, ÷òî áîëåå 50% âûáîðêè ïðèíàäëåaeàò ðàç-ëè÷íûì âåòâÿì ãàïëîãðóïïû Ñ3: C3 (xC3c'i, C3f1), C3c1a-Z32870, C3c'i-L1373, C3c-Ì48, C3c1b-F6379, C3h-F914 (Ì401), Ñ3c1a1-B469, C3f1-Ì407.  êàëìûöêèõ è ìîíãîëüñêèõ ïîïóëÿöèÿõ ýòà ãàïëîãðóïïà ñîñòàâëÿåò 62,5%, à ñàìîé ðàñïðîñòðàíåííîé ãàïëîãðóïïîé èç Ñ3 ÿâëÿåòñÿ C3c1b-F6379 -40,3%, êîòîðóþ ìîaeíî ñ÷èòàòü îéðàòñêîé âåòêîé [Balinova et al, 2019].…”