CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by UCL Discovery Annu. Rev. Genom. Hum. Genet. 2017. 18:277–96. doi: 10.1146/annurev-genom-083115-022331 Copyright © 2017 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved Adhikari et al. The Genetic Diversity of the Americas Kaustubh Adhikari,1 Juan Camilo Chacón-Duque,1 Javier Mendoza-Revilla,1,2 Macarena Fuentes-Guajardo,1,3 and Andrés Ruiz-Linares1,4,5 1Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom 2 Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, 31, Perú 3 Departamento de Tecnología Médica, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 1000009, Chile. 4Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology and Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Fudan University, No 2005, Songhu Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai 200438, China;
[email protected] 5Laboratory of Biocultural Anthropology, Law, Ethics, and Health (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Etablissement Français du Sang, UMR-7268), Aix-Marseille University, 13824 Marseille, France Keywords admixture, African slavery, European colonialism, genetic variation, demographic history, Native Americans Abstract The history of the Americas involved the encounter of millions of Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans. A variable admixture of these three continental groups has taken place between them throughout the continent, influenced by demography and a range of social factors. These events have had a major influence on the genetic makeup of populations across the continent. Here, we summarize the demographic history of the region, highlight some social factors that affected historical admixture, and review major patterns of diversity across the Western Hemisphere based on genetic data.