Origins, admixture dynamics and homogenization of the African gene pool in the Americas

Abstract

The Transatlantic Slave Trade transported more than 9 million Africans to the Americas between the early 16th and the mid-19th centuries. We performed genome-wide analysis of 6,267 individuals from 22 populations and observed an enrichment in West-African ancestry in northern latitudes of the Americas, whereas South/East African ancestry is more prevalent in southern South-America. This pattern results from distinct geographic and geopolitical factors leading to population differentiation. However, we observed a decrease of 68% in the African gene pool between-population diversity within the Americas when compared to the regions of origin from Africa, underscoring the importance of historical factors favoring admixture between individuals with different African origins in the New World. This is consistent with the excess of West-Central Africa ancestry (the most prevalent in the Americas) in the US and Southeast-Brazil, respect to historical-demography expectations. Also, in most of the Americas, admixture intensification occurred between 1,750 and 1,850, which correlates strongly with the peak of arrivals from Africa. This study contributes with a population genetics perspective to the ongoing social, cultural and political debate regarding ancestry, race, and admixture in the Americas.\n\nSignificance StatementDifferently from most genetic studies, that have estimated the overall African ancestry in the Americas, we perform a finer geographic analysis and infer how different African groups contributed to North-, South-American and Caribbean populations, in the context of geographic and geopolitical factors. We also perform a formal comparison of information from demographic history records of the Transatlantic Slave Trade with inferences based on genomic diversity of current populations. Our approach reveals the distinct regional African ancestry roots of different populations from North-, South-America and the Caribe and other important aspects of the historical process of mestizaje and its dynamics in the American continent.