Spearin Surname Project |
Where & When ... Temporal & Geographic Distribution Building a DNA Family Tree - using your genes to trace your ancestors back Right! Let's take stock! If we suppose that several people have joined your project (they have), each of them have received their results which have also been posted on the website (they have), your results are up there too (they are), and now, you're faced with a gaggle of haplotypes (you are). You can see perhaps that some of them match you exactly, some are off by a marker here or there, and some are not even close to you at all. So ... what do you do next? Let's try and answer that question ... bit by bit ... Chris Pomery writes an excellent step-by-step guide on how to sort or cluster a varied group of many different haplotypes into distinct genetic families or lineages and I reproduce it here (see http://www.daltongensoc.com/dnaproject/text.html#4): The process of clustering DNA results takes place in several stages. The first stage is to group all the participants by haplogroup. This is because men belonging to haplogroup R could only share a common ancestor with someone who is haplogroup Q some tens of thousands of years ago, well outside the range of genealogical research. The same is true of men defined as haplogroup R1a as compared to, say, members of haplogroup R1b. All members of a bona fide genetic family by definition will share the same haplogroup. With the haplogroup-based clusters established, the second stage of the analysis process is to compare the DNA signatures of all the participants in each haplogroup using the most reliable markers. The most reliable markers are those that are the slowest to mutate. The third stage is to use the remaining markers, generally described as fast-mutating, to further sub-divide the genetic families that became visible during the second stage. The fourth stage is to use those markers which express their result as a pair of numbers or as a sequence. There are specific issues relating to these markers which make them best suited to be used to further define existing clusters rather than to create them. The resulting genetic families are broad clusters of identical and near identical DNA results. The main conclusion one can draw from an individual's inclusion in a specific genetic family is that they are highly likely to share a common direct male-line ancestor with other members of that genetic family. Put another way, if they are able to research their family tree with perfect accuracy they should be able, eventually, to document the links that tie them to everyone else within the same genetic family and to end up looking at one big family tree. So the modal haplotype is the sequence of marker values that occur most commonly for each of the markers
in the participants tested to date. Although this should reflect
the most ancient haplotype from which the various branches of the genetic
family have evolved, this may not be the case if the sample is biased by having an "over-representation" of members from one particular family branch. However, it is a good starting point, the assumption being that this is the haplotype from which branched out all the other haplotypes in the group as a whole. Cladograms, Phylograms, & 'Mutation History' Family Trees It is also possible to use special computer software programmes to
generate cladograms, phylograms, or phylogenetic network diagrams. This type of
diagram has also been used to map other evolutionary events, such as the
evolution of animals, or the more distant changes in Y-DNA (haplogroups) going
back to the earliest common male ancestor (in Africa, 60,000 years ago). For some examples of phylograms, see Debbie Kennett's website and there are several videos on how to read phylograms and create your own at Chris Pomery gives a very useful overview of how phylograms can assist traditional genealogy in an very well-produced video He also provides a useful overview of the process of combining genetic genealogy with traditional genealogy The best guidance on how to generate phylograms is provided by David Ewing on the Ewing Surname Y-DNA Project website The first step in generating a DNA Family Tree is to calculate the haplotype of the
MDKA (Most Distant Known Ancestor) for each of the branches in the Family. This
is done by a process of 'triangulation', a concept borrowed from trigonometry
and geometry. Basically, this process compares the haplotypes of known cousins and if they are identical, then one concludes that the identical DNA has been passed on to both of them via their most recent common ancestor (MRCA). This is taken as confirmation that the haplotype of a pair of cousins has not mutated since the time
of their MRCA. Here's how it would work in the Spearin Surname Project: And that, in essence, is triangulation. A video explanation of triangulation can be found in the section on Interpreting Results. Once the
haplotype of the MDKA has been estimated for each of the various branches of
the family, it should be possible to work out through a logical process of
deduction, which mutation came first, and which mutations followed it. In this
way a 'Mutation History' Family Tree can be developed which can be superimposed
on top of the paper-based Family Trees (generated by traditional methods). Thus
ancestors earlier than each MDKA can be characterised by their mutations, and
calculated guestimates can be made regarding the nature of their relationship
with other branches. Phylograms can also be generated (to double-check this work) but the software (although freely available on the net) is not user-friendly and defies interpretation by any but the most phylogenetically-orientated minds. Furthermore, they serve as a guide rather than a definitive account of how and when mutations occurred. For an interesting discussion of the pros and cons of phylograms vs mutation history trees, see http://www.johnbrobb.com/Content/DNA/MutationHistoryTrees&FluxusDiagrams.pdf. The other drawback is that this modelling exercise is based on probability and uses a 'best fit' approach. The problem here is that there are going to be times when it just doesn't fit i.e. the 'best fit' is not always the correct fit. If anyone can, Genghis can Despite these potential drawbacks, this type of phylogenetic approach has produced some startling
revelations. In 2006, an article appeared in the American Journal of Human Genetics reporting that the same Y-chromosome haplotype had been identified in about 8% of men in a large region of Asia (about 0.5% of the male world population). The pattern of variation within the lineage was consistent with the theory that it originated in Mongolia about 1,000 years ago (several generations prior to the birth of Genghis Khan). The 25 Marker Y-DNA Profile of Genghis Khan according to Family Tree DNA is:
Irish Warlord spreads more than just the word In January 2006, geneticists in Trinity College Dublin suggested
that the 5th-century warlord 'Niall of the Nine Hostages' may have been the most fertile male
in Irish history. In northwest Ireland as many as 21.5% of men (8.3% in
Ireland in total) have the same Y-chromosome haplotype and
share a common male line ancestor roughly 1500 years ago. Below is their
25-marker Y-DNA ancestral haplotype, and by extrapolation, the haplotype of
Niall of the Nine Hostages. Thus the genetic evidence confirms
ancient fables about Niall and suggests that he may be the forefather of
approximately 3 million men in the world today (see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1380239/pdf/AJHGv78p334.pdf). DYS393 DYS390 DYS19 DYS391 DYS385a DYS385b DYS426 DYS388 DYS439 DYS389i 13 25 14 11 11 13 12 12 12 13 DYS389ii DYS458 DYS459a DYS459b DYS455 DYS454 DYS447 DYS437 DYS448 DYS449 29 17 9 10 11 11 25 15 18 30 DYS464a DYS464b DYS464c DYS464d 15 16 16 17 Join us today ... you could find out more than you ever imagined! Maurice
Gleeson
Lineages, clusters, genetic families
Ultimately, it should be
possible to map the earliest haplotype and estimate when and how the other
subgroups branched away from it. This map could be called a 'Mutation History' Family Tree, or a Y-DNA Family Tree, because it traces the 'descendants' of a particular Y-chromosome, but instead of identifying individuals by name and date of birth, it will characterise them by mutations in specific Y-DNA STR markers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-49T2p-SyQ
and http://wn.com/The_Joy_of_Phylogeny_How_To_Make_Your_Own_Phylogram.
at http://www.daltondatabank.org/PomeryFlashPresentationSlow/index.html.
at http://www.daltongensoc.com/dnaproject/text.html#4.
at http://www.ewingfamilyassociation.org/DNA_Project/DNA_ProjectResults/network/NetworkDiagramInstructions.html.Triangulation
Y-STR Name
385a
385b
388
389i
389ii
390
391
392
393
394
426
437
439
447
448
449
454
455
458
459a
459b
464a
464b
464c
464d
Haplotype
12
13
14
13
29
25
10
11
13
16
11
14
10
26
22
27
12
11
18
8
8
11
11
12
16
Oct 2011
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Last update: Oct 2011