Matrilineal fertility inheritance detected in hunter-gatherer populations using the imbalance of gene genealogies.

Michael G B Blum; Evelyne Heyer; Olivier François; Fréderic Austerlitz

hal-00370262, version 1

Matrilineal fertility inheritance detected in hunter-gatherer populations using the imbalance of gene genealogies.

Michael G B Blum ^1, 2, Evelyne Heyer ³, Olivier François ^1, 4, 5, Fréderic Austerlitz ^2, 6, 7

PLoS Genetics 2, 8 (2006) e122

Abstract: Fertility inheritance, a phenomenon in which an individual's number of offspring is positively correlated with his or her number of siblings, is a cultural process that can have a strong impact on genetic diversity. Until now, fertility inheritance has been detected primarily using genealogical databases. In this study, we develop a new method to infer fertility inheritance from genetic data in human populations. The method is based on the reconstruction of the gene genealogy of a sample of sequences from a given population and on the computation of the degree of imbalance in this genealogy. We show indeed that this level of imbalance increases with the level of fertility inheritance, and that other phenomena such as hidden population structure are unlikely to generate a signal of imbalance in the genealogy that would be confounded with fertility inheritance. By applying our method to mtDNA samples from 37 human populations, we show that matrilineal fertility inheritance is more frequent in hunter-gatherer populations than in food-producer populations. One possible explanation for this result is that in hunter-gatherer populations, individuals belonging to large kin networks may benefit from stronger social support and may be more likely to have a large number of offspring.

1: Techniques de l'Ingénierie Médicale et de la Complexité (TIMC)
CNRS : UMR5525 – Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble I
2: Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution (ESE)
CNRS : UMR8079 – Université Paris XI - Paris Sud – Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural des Eaux et Forêts
3: Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie (EAE)
CNRS : UMR5145 – Université Paris VII - Paris Diderot
4: Laboratoire de Modélisation et Calcul (LMC - IMAG)
CNRS : UMR5523 – Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble I – Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG)
5: MISTIS (INRIA Rhône-Alpes)
INRIA
6: Laboratoire d'Evolution et Systématique des végétaux
Université Paris XI - Paris Sud
7: Université Paris 11, Paris Sud (UP11)
Université Paris XI - Paris Sud – Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique

hal-00370262, version 1
http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00370262
oai:hal.archives-ouvertes.fr:hal-00370262
From: Olivier Francois <>
Submitted on: Tuesday, 24 March 2009 08:52:19
Updated on: Wednesday, 25 March 2009 12:13:48

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PubMed: 16933997

PubMed Central: 1526766

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.0020122

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%% hal-00370262, version 1
%% http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00370262
@article{blum:hal-00370262,
    hal_id = {hal-00370262},
    url = {http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00370262},
    title = {{Matrilineal fertility inheritance detected in hunter-gatherer populations using the imbalance of gene genealogies.}},
    author = {Blum, Michael G B and Heyer, Evelyne and Fran{\c c}ois, Olivier and Austerlitz, Fr{\'e}deric},
    abstract = {{Fertility inheritance, a phenomenon in which an individual's number of offspring is positively correlated with his or her number of siblings, is a cultural process that can have a strong impact on genetic diversity. Until now, fertility inheritance has been detected primarily using genealogical databases. In this study, we develop a new method to infer fertility inheritance from genetic data in human populations. The method is based on the reconstruction of the gene genealogy of a sample of sequences from a given population and on the computation of the degree of imbalance in this genealogy. We show indeed that this level of imbalance increases with the level of fertility inheritance, and that other phenomena such as hidden population structure are unlikely to generate a signal of imbalance in the genealogy that would be confounded with fertility inheritance. By applying our method to mtDNA samples from 37 human populations, we show that matrilineal fertility inheritance is more frequent in hunter-gatherer populations than in food-producer populations. One possible explanation for this result is that in hunter-gatherer populations, individuals belonging to large kin networks may benefit from stronger social support and may be more likely to have a large number of offspring.}},
    language = {English},
    affiliation = {Techniques de l'Ing{\'e}nierie M{\'e}dicale et de la Complexit{\'e} - TIMC , Ecologie, Syst{\'e}matique et Evolution - ESE , Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie - EAE , Laboratoire de Mod{\'e}lisation et Calcul - LMC - IMAG , MISTIS - INRIA Rh{\^o}ne-Alpes , Laboratoire d'Evolution et Syst{\'e}matique des v{\'e}g{\'e}taux , Universit{\'e} Paris 11, Paris Sud - UP11},
    pages = {e122},
    journal = {PLoS Genetics},
    volume = {2},
    number = {8 },
    audience = {international },
    doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.0020122 },
    year = {2006},
    month = Aug,
}

%F hal-00370262, version 1
%0 Journal Article
%U http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00370262
%2 SDV:GEN:GPO
%T Matrilineal fertility inheritance detected in hunter-gatherer populations using the imbalance of gene genealogies.
%A Blum, Michael G B
%A Heyer, Evelyne
%A François, Olivier
%A Austerlitz, Fréderic
%+ Techniques de l'Ingénierie Médicale et de la Complexité - TIMC , Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution - ESE , Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie - EAE , Laboratoire de Modélisation et Calcul - LMC - IMAG , MISTIS - INRIA Rhône-Alpes , Laboratoire d'Evolution et Systématique des végétaux , Université Paris 11, Paris Sud - UP11
%X Fertility inheritance, a phenomenon in which an individual's number of offspring is positively correlated with his or her number of siblings, is a cultural process that can have a strong impact on genetic diversity. Until now, fertility inheritance has been detected primarily using genealogical databases. In this study, we develop a new method to infer fertility inheritance from genetic data in human populations. The method is based on the reconstruction of the gene genealogy of a sample of sequences from a given population and on the computation of the degree of imbalance in this genealogy. We show indeed that this level of imbalance increases with the level of fertility inheritance, and that other phenomena such as hidden population structure are unlikely to generate a signal of imbalance in the genealogy that would be confounded with fertility inheritance. By applying our method to mtDNA samples from 37 human populations, we show that matrilineal fertility inheritance is more frequent in hunter-gatherer populations than in food-producer populations. One possible explanation for this result is that in hunter-gatherer populations, individuals belonging to large kin networks may benefit from stronger social support and may be more likely to have a large number of offspring.
%G English
%R 10.1371/journal.pgen.0020122
%J PLoS Genetics
%2 international
%8 2006-08-04
%2 2006-06-21
%V 2
%N 8
%P e122
%K Allelic Imbalance; Animals; Computer Simulation; Databases, Genetic; Fertility; Genetics, Population; Humans; Inheritance Patterns; Mice; Models, Genetic; Pedigree; Population Growth; Reproducibility of Results; Research Design; Time Factors

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