Resolving the ancestry of Austronesian-speaking populations

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2016

Authors

Soares, PA (Author) Other; Trejaut, JA (Author) Other; Rito, T (Author) Other; Cavadas, B (Author) Other; Hill, C (Author) Other; Eng, KK (Author) Other; Mormina, M (Author) Other; Brandao, A (Author) Other; Fraser, RM (Author) Other; Wang, TY (Author) Other; Loo, JH (Author) Other; Snell, C (Author) Other; Ko, TM (Author) Other; Amorim, A (Author) FCUP; Pala, M (Author) Other; Macaulay, V (Author) Other; Bulbeck, D (Author) Other; Wilson, JF (Author) Other; Gusmao, L (Author) Other; Pereira, L (Author) Other; Oppenheimer, S (Author) Other; Lin, M (Author) Other; Richards, MB (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Human Genetics

Vol. 135

Pages: 309-326

ISSN: 0340-6717

Publisher: Springer Nature

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 49 Citations

Scopus - 53 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00K-3NM

DOI: 10.1007/s00439-015-1620-z

Abstract (EN): There are two very different interpretations of the prehistory of Island Southeast Asia (ISEA), with genetic evidence invoked in support of both. The "out-of-Taiwan" model proposes a major Late Holocene expansion of Neolithic Austronesian speakers from Taiwan. An alternative, proposing that Late Glacial/postglacial sea-level rises triggered largely autochthonous dispersals, accounts for some otherwise enigmatic genetic patterns, but fails to explain the Austronesian language dispersal. Combining mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome and genome-wide data, we performed the most comprehensive analysis of the region to date, obtaining highly consistent results across all three systems and allowing us to reconcile the models. We infer a primarily common ancestry for Taiwan/ISEA populations established before the Neolithic, but also detected clear signals of two minor Late Holocene migrations, probably representing Neolithic input from both Mainland Southeast Asia and South China, via Taiwan. This latter may therefore have mediated the Austronesian language dispersal, implying small-scale migration and language shift rather than large-scale expansion.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 18