Amerindian and nonAmerindian autosome molecular variability--a test analysis.

Analysis of 404 microsatellites, and 2-9 site haplotypes obtained considering 17 loci, all of them widely distributed over the human chromosomes and retrieved from two large data banks, yielded basically the same results. Colonization of the Americas may have led to some loss of genetic variability, but the range of differences found among five Native American populations was two times higher than those found between the most variable Amerindian (Maya) and a control Yoruba sample. Differentiation within the continent and the relatively recent history of these groups should be always considered in any discussion of Native American genetic variability.