Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
BMC Evol Biol. 2012 Feb 23;12:24. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-24.
The trans-Atlantic slave trade dramatically changed the demographic makeup of the New World, with varying regions of the African coast exploited differently over roughly a 400 year period. When compared to the discrete mitochondrial haplotype distribution of historically appropriate source populations, the unique distribution within a specific source population can prove insightful in estimating the contribution of each population. Here, we analyzed the first hypervariable region of mitochondrial DNA in a sample from the Caribbean island of Jamaica and compared it to aggregated populations in Africa divided according to historiographically defined segments of the continent's coastline. The results from these admixture procedures were then compared to the wealth of historic knowledge surrounding the disembarkation of Africans on the island.
In line with previous findings, the matriline of Jamaica is almost entirely of West African descent. Results from the admixture analyses suggest modern Jamaicans share a closer affinity with groups from the Gold Coast and Bight of Benin despite high mortality, low fecundity, and waning regional importation. The slaves from the Bight of Biafra and West-central Africa were imported in great numbers; however, the results suggest a deficit in expected maternal contribution from those regions.
When considering the demographic pressures imposed by chattel slavery on Jamaica during the slave era, the results seem incongruous. Ethnolinguistic and ethnographic evidence, however, may explain the apparent non-random levels of genetic perseverance. The application of genetics may prove useful in answering difficult demographic questions left by historically voiceless groups.
跨大西洋奴隶贸易极大地改变了新世界的人口构成，在大约 400 年的时间里，非洲不同地区的海岸受到了不同程度的剥削。与历史上适当来源人群的离散线粒体单倍型分布相比，特定来源人群内的独特分布可以在估计每个人群的贡献方面提供有价值的见解。在这里，我们分析了来自牙买加加勒比岛屿的样本中的线粒体 DNA 的第一高变区，并将其与根据非洲大陆海岸线的历史定义部分划分的非洲聚合人群进行了比较。然后，将这些混合程序的结果与围绕非洲人在该岛登陆的丰富历史知识进行了比较。
与之前的发现一致，牙买加的母系几乎完全是西非血统。混合分析的结果表明，尽管死亡率高、生育率低且区域进口减少，但现代牙买加人与来自黄金海岸和贝宁湾的群体关系更为密切。来自比夫拉湾和西非中部的奴隶大量进口；然而，结果表明这些地区的预期母系贡献不足。
当考虑到奴隶时代奴隶制度对牙买加造成的人口压力时，结果似乎不一致。然而，民族语言学和民族学证据可以解释遗传持久性的明显非随机水平。遗传学的应用可能有助于回答历史上沉默群体留下的困难人口问题。
