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Due to its complex history of migrations and colonization of African, European, and Asian people, the Tunisian territory is an ideal area to study the effects of cultural change on the genetic structure of human populations. This study investigated genetic variation in the mitochondrial DNA of Tunisian populations to detect the possible impact of recent historical events on their gene pool. Two Arab and three Berber communities were analyzed using a comparison data set of 45 other populations comprising African, Arabian, Asian, European, and Near Eastern groups. Results were compared with those produced using a large panel of autosomal single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We observed a slight but important difference between the populations that inhabit the southern and central-northern areas of Tunisia. Furthermore, robust signatures of genetic isolation were detected in two Berber populations (Nouvelle Zraoua and Tamezret) and in the R’Baya people, a seminomadic Arab group. This investigation suggests that the genetic structure of investigated southern Tunisian populations retains signatures of historical events that occurred between the 7th and 17th centuries, particularly the trans-Saharan slave trade and the emigration of Berbers in remote areas of the south during the Arab conquest.
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Objectives Tunisia has been a crossroads for people from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East since prehistoric times. At present, it is inhabited by two main ethnic groups, Arabs and Berbers, and several minorities. This study aims to advance knowledge regarding their genetic structure using new population samplings and a genome-wide approach. Materials and Methods We investigated genomic variation, estimated ancestry components and dated admixture events in three Berber and two Arab populations from Southern Tunisia, mining a dataset including Middle Eastern, sub-Saharan, and European populations. Results Differences in the proportion of North African, Arabian, and European ancestries and the varying impact of admixture and isolation determined significant heterogeneity in the genetic structure of Southern Tunisian populations. Admixture time estimates show a multilayer pattern of admixture events, involving both ethno-linguistic groups, which started around the mid XI century and lasted for nearly five centuries. Discussion Our study provides evidence that the relationships between genetic and cultural diversity of old and new inhabitants of North Africa in southern Tunisia follow different patterns. The Berbers seem to have preserved a significant part of their common genomic heritage despite Islamization, Arab cultural influence, and linguistic diversity. Compared to Morocco and Algeria, southern Tunisian Arabs have retained a higher level of Arabian ancestry. This is more evident in the semi-nomad R'Baya, who have kept their original Bedouin lifestyle, than in the population from Douz, who have undergone multiple events of stratification and admixture.
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- Article de revue (2)
Année de publication
- Entre 2000 et 2026 (2)