Ancient DNA analysis reveals temporal and geographical patterns of mitochondrial diversity in pre-Hispanic populations from Central Argentina

NORES, RODRIGO; TAVELLA, MARÍA PÍA; FABRA, MARIANA; DEMARCHI, DARÍO A.

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY

WILEY-LISS, DIV JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Año: 2022 vol. 34

1042-0533

bjectives: The study of the ancient populations of Central Argentina has a crucial importance for our understanding of the evolutionary processes in the Southern Cone of South America, given its geographic position as a crossroads. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the temporal and geographical patterns of genetic variation among the groups that inhabited the current territory of Córdoba Province during the Middle and Late Holocene. Methods: We analyzed the mitochondrial haplogroups of 74 individuals and 46 Hypervariable Region I (HVR-I) sequences, both novel and previously reported, from archeological populations of the eastern Plains and western Sierras regions of the province of Córdoba. The HVR-I sequences were also compared with other ancient groups from Argentina and with present-day populations from Central Argentina by pairwise distance analysis and identification of shared haplotypes. Results: Significant differences in haplogroup and haplotype distributions bet