Three major dispersals shaped the genetic diversity of the indigenous peoples of South America. (IMAGE)
Caption
From left to right, each panel represents one of these dispersals.
The circles indicate the approximate location of ancient individuals or current populations, and the arrows signal the dispersal routes. The left panel shows the first dispersal (>9,000 years ago) and the initial divisions among the ancestors of the indigenous Americans: Northerners (NNA) and Southerners (SNA), and, within the latter, two branches (SNA1 and SNA2). It also includes the contribution of the hypothetical Y Population. The central panel shows the second dispersal (<9,000 years), associated mainly with SNA2, which partially replaced previous populations, although some groups with contributions from the Y Population persisted. Several regions show genetic continuity over thousands of years (shaded areas).
The right panel shows the third dispersal (<1,300 years), associated with Mesoamerican populations, which contributed extensively to South America and the Caribbean. These populations mixed with groups from the first dispersal (including contributions from Population Y) and, in the Andes and the Southern Cone, primarily with populations from the second dispersal, maintaining genetic continuity for up to 9,000 years in these regions
Credit
Marcos Araújo Castro e Silva
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