Description
Mitochondrial haplogroup V is a sister clade of H under HV, likely originating in the Iberian Peninsula during or shortly after the Last Glacial Maximum (~18,000 BCE). It expanded northward with post-glacial repopulation of Europe and today reaches its highest frequencies among the Saami of Scandinavia (~40%) and the Basques of northern Spain (~10%). V's distribution — concentrated at the geographic peripheries of Europe — reflects the post-glacial re-expansion from the Iberian refugium and the subsequent isolation of populations at the northern and western margins of the continent. V is rare outside of Europe.
Interesting Fact
The Saami of northern Scandinavia carry haplogroup V at frequencies around 40% — the highest of any population on Earth. This almost certainly reflects a severe founder effect when a small group of V-carrying post-glacial migrants expanded into the empty landscapes of northern Fennoscandia following the retreat of the ice sheets approximately 11,000 years ago.
Distribution by Ethnicity
| Ethnic distribution | Region | Frequency | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saami | Northern Europe | n=200 | |
| Basques | Western Europe | n=200 | |
| Cantabrians | Western Europe | n=150 | |
| Swedes | Northern Europe | n=400 | |
| Europeans (average) | Europe | n=5000 | |
| Finns | Northern Europe | n=400 |
Tags
References
- Torroni et al. (2001) — A signal, from human mtDNA, of postglacial recolonization in Europe. American Journal of Human Genetics 69(4), 844–852.
- Achilli et al. (2004) — The molecular dissection of mtDNA haplogroup H confirms that the Franco-Cantabrian glacial refuge was a major source for the European gene pool. American Journal of Human Genetics 75(5), 910–918.
- Soares et al. (2010) — The archaeogenetics of Europe. Current Biology 20(4), R174–R183.