Description

Haplogroup Z1 is a subclade of Z, itself a rare M-derived haplogroup distributed across Siberia, East Asia, and some European populations. Z1 is found in populations of Siberia, Korea, and Finland, and the presence of Z lineages in both Siberia and Scandinavia (particularly the Saami) has been interpreted as evidence of ancient population contact between northeastern Siberia and the circum-Arctic peoples of Europe. Z has been associated with early circum-Arctic populations and those who expanded along the coastal tundra environments north of the Last Glacial Maximum ice sheets.

Interesting Fact

The presence of haplogroup Z (including Z1) in both northeastern Siberia and among the Saami of Scandinavia has been used to argue for ancient contacts between Siberian and Scandinavian populations — possibly linked to the late Paleolithic or Mesolithic spread of cultures around the Arctic fringe. The Saami carry Z at ~1–2%, a frequency remarkable for a haplogroup otherwise concentrated in Siberia, pointing to an ancient gene flow event from the east.

Distribution by Ethnicity

Ethnic distributionRegionFrequencySample
Evenks (Siberia)Siberia
15%
n=100
KoreansEast Asia
2%
n=600
SaamiNorthern Europe
2%
n=200
JapaneseEast Asia
1.5%
n=1000
FinnsNorthern Europe
0.5%
n=400

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References

  1. Derenko et al. (2007) — Mitochondrial DNA variation in two South Siberian Aboriginal populations. Human Biology 79(4), 349–373.
  2. Malyarchuk et al. (2010) — The peopling of Europe from the mitochondrial haplogroup U5 perspective. PLOS ONE 5(4), e10285.