This study aims to portray genetic differences of mtDNA lineages between populations of two remote and isolated eastern Adriatic islands in order to show how microevolutionary processes can form different population structures. We investigated populations of two geographically distinct islands, the Island of Susak in north-eastern Adriatic which was compared to a mid-eastern Island of Dugi otok. Both islands are open-sea islands and remote to mainland, both are divided from mainland by other islands, and both have been influenced by nearest mainland and/or other islands at the time of peopling. We analysed 149 mtDNAs based on high resolution analysis of SNPs from the control and coding region (64 from Susak and 85 from Dugi otok). Results show a relatively high diversity of haplogroups on Dugi otok: 6 haplogroups and 24 subhaplogroups (41.2% of H haplogroups, 20% of J haplogroups, 18.8 of U haplogroups and 13% of other haplogroups). Susak, however, revealed only 3 haplogroups and 9 subhaplogroups (34.4% of H7 subhaplogroup, and 65.6% in total of H haplogroups, 32.8 of T haplogroups and 1.6% of W haplogroups). Haplotype analysis showed 40 different haplotypes on Dugi otok, and, consequently to haplogroup analysis, Susak showed only 16 different haplotypes. Also, results revealed some private haplotypes found only on these islands, and not in other populations of Croatia and South-Eastern Europe. We wanted to emphasise events such as founder effect, bottleneck, isolation and various historical, geographical and sociocultural factors as means in shaping of genetic history of contemporary populations on Eastern Adriatic islands. |
