Mitochondrial DNA Diversity of the Nangan Islanders Living in the Mazu Archipelago of the Taiwan Strait

Abstract

This study investigates the genetic relationship of the Mazu peoples on the east coast of China in the Taiwan Strait. Using partial and complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences, we compare Mazu with surrounding East Asia populations. Mazu shows no exclusive affinities with either Southeast or Northeast Asia. High genetic diversity and a very high number of exclusive haplogroups of various Asian origins suggest that Mazu resulted from a process of continuous resettlement that started when it first became an archipelago at the end of the last glacial maximum and that continued till the last century. As a result, genetic drift did not contribute to an exclusive Mazu profile. The structure of haplogroups that show signatures of the Neolithic era (N9a10a), or influx from Island Southeast Asia (F1a4a) suggest recent gene flows and Mazu relationship with it's pre-Neolithic era (presence of pre-E1a or R9/pre-F from Liangdao man) was not seen.