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Diversity and genetic structure analysis of three Amazonian Amerindian populations from Colombia
Braga, Yamid; Arias, Leonardo & Barreto, Guillermo
Abstract
Introduction: In the departments of the Vaupés and Guaviare, in southeastern Colombia, in a transitional area between
Amazonia and the eastern plains, inhabit indigenous groups belonging to the Tukanoan (East) and Guahiban linguistic
families. Although some studies have dealt with the culture and the cosmology description of these groups, little research
has been done on the biological diversity and genetic relationships of such groups.
Objective: To estimate the diversity, the structure, and the genetic relationships of one Guahiban and two Tukanoan groups
of the Colombian Amazonian region.
Methods: Samples were collected (n = 106) from unrelated individuals belonging to the Vaupés native indigenous communities.
The DNA was extracted and nine autosomal microsatellites were typed. Several measures of diversity, FST, pairwise
FST, and population di"erentiation between groups were calculated. Finally, it was estimated the genetic distances of the
groups studied in relation with other Amazonian, Andean and Central American indigenous people.
Results: 1. The genetic diversity found stands within the range of other Amazonian populations, whereas compared to the
mestizo and afro-descendant Colombian populations, such diversity showed to be lower. 2. The structure and population
di"erentiation tests showed two clusters; one consisting of the Vaupés Tukanoan and Guaviare Tukanoan groups, and a
second one formed by the Guayabero. 3. Tukanoan groups are found to be closer related to the Brazilian Amazonian populations
than to the Guayabero.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the Guayabero group from Guaviare, are genetically di"erentiated from
those Tukanoan groups of the Vaupés and Guaviare.
Keywords
Amazonia,East Tucanos,Guahiba,Indians of South America, microsatellite repeats, genetic variation, Guaviare,Vaupés
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