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Ch. 20 - Population Genetics and Evolution at the Population, Species, and Molecular Levels
Sanders - Genetic Analysis: An Integrated Approach 3rd Edition
Sanders3rd EditionGenetic Analysis: An Integrated ApproachISBN: 9780135564172Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksSanders 3rd EditionCh. 20 - Population Genetics and Evolution at the Population, Species, and Molecular LevelsProblem D.9
Chapter 20, Problem D.9

How can ancient DNA provide insight into past migrations that analyses of extant human genomes fail to uncover?

Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand that ancient DNA (aDNA) refers to genetic material extracted from the remains of organisms that lived in the past, often thousands of years ago, providing a direct snapshot of genetic variation at specific points in history.
Recognize that analyses of extant (currently living) human genomes only reflect the genetic diversity of present-day populations, which may have been shaped by recent migrations, genetic drift, and admixture events, potentially obscuring older migration patterns.
Learn that by comparing ancient DNA sequences with those of modern populations, researchers can identify genetic lineages and population structures that no longer exist or are rare today, revealing migration events that left little or no trace in modern genomes.
Use ancient DNA to track changes in allele frequencies over time and to detect the arrival or disappearance of genetic variants associated with specific geographic regions, thereby reconstructing migration routes and timings more accurately.
Combine ancient DNA data with archaeological and environmental evidence to build a comprehensive picture of human migration history, overcoming limitations of studies based solely on extant genomes.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Ancient DNA (aDNA) Analysis

Ancient DNA refers to genetic material extracted from archaeological and historical specimens. It allows direct study of past populations, revealing genetic information that predates modern groups. This helps reconstruct evolutionary history and population dynamics that are not evident from living genomes alone.
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Limitations of Extant Human Genome Analysis

Analyses of modern human genomes reflect only surviving lineages and recent admixture events, potentially missing extinct or rare ancestral populations. Genetic drift, bottlenecks, and gene flow can obscure signals of ancient migrations, making it difficult to fully reconstruct past demographic events using only current genomes.
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Population Migration and Genetic Signatures

Migrations leave distinct genetic markers such as haplogroups and allele frequency shifts in populations. Ancient DNA can capture these signatures directly from past individuals, providing clearer evidence of migration routes, timing, and interactions between groups that may be diluted or lost in modern populations.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
Catastrophic events such as loss of habitat, famine, or overhunting can push species to the brink of extinction and result in a genetic bottleneck. What happens to allele frequencies in a species that experiences a near-extinction event, and what is expected to happen to allele frequencies if the species recovers from near extinction?
Textbook Question

Describe how selection at a locus can result in a loss of polymorphism surrounding the locus.

Textbook Question
George Udny Yule was wrong in suggesting that an autosomal dominant trait like brachydactyly will increase in frequency in populations. Explain why Yule was incorrect.
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Textbook Question

Denisovans are known from bones found in Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains in Siberia, but traces of their DNA are found in Australians and Melanesians, whose ancestors likely migrated across Asia much farther to the south. How can these geographic differences be reconciled?

Textbook Question

The ability to taste the bitter compound phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) is an autosomal dominant trait. The inability to taste PTC is a recessive condition. In a sample of 500 people, 360 have the ability to taste PTC and 140 do not. Calculate the frequency of the recessive allele.

Textbook Question

The ability to taste the bitter compound phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) is an autosomal dominant trait. The inability to taste PTC is a recessive condition. In a sample of 500 people, 360 have the ability to taste PTC and 140 do not. Calculate the frequency of the dominant allele.