engleski

Genetic Heritage of the Island of Krk – a Maternal Perspective

The Island of Krk is the biggest and most populated Island in the Adriatic See. It has been inhabited since Upper Palaeolithic and during its long demographic and genetic history numerous ethnically different populations have lived on this Island, leaving their genetic legacy to many generations to come. Here we present genetic diversity and structure of contemporary Krk Islanders revealed by high resolution mitochondrial DNA analysis. We have analysed altogether 132 samples from adult autochthones inhabitants residing in seven different settlements and regions of the Krk Island. The results reviled relatively high level of haplogroup and haplotype diversity in the overall sample, pointing to numerous migration events and a dynamic gene flow throughout history. Even more pronounce is the influence of genetic drift (founder effect and periodical bottlenecks), seen through high frequencies of some otherwise rare haplogroups, such as W6, W3, H5 and I. On the level of settlements, many of the major European haplogroups were absent from mtDNA gene pool and their frequency shows even more pronounced deviation from average, as a consequence of evolutionary forces action. Recorded non-European haplogroups, such as A4, suggest infrequent, but still considerable gene flow from long-distance migrations. Filogenetic network revealed strong genetic intra Island isolation, mostly due to highly pronounce and prolonged practice of endogamy among Islanders and also as a result of some events in Island history, such as several epidemics. The results of this study gave insight into microevolutionary processes that shaped the current maternal gene pool of this northern Adriatic Island.

genetic structure; genetic isolate; mitochondrial DNA; Island of Krk

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