Doctoral Dissertation Research: Genomics in a colonial setting

博士论文研究：殖民环境中的基因组学

• 批准号: 1826656
• 负责人: Deborah Bolnick
• 金额: $ 1.7万
• 依托单位: University of Connecticut
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-08-15 至 2022-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1826656&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Genomics; colonial

This project investigates how European colonization in the Americas shaped the genetic diversity and shifting demographic and social practices within settler populations. Although numerous studies have explored the effects of European colonialism on indigenous populations, less is known about the effects of colonization on the settlers themselves. This study combines archaeological, ethnohistorical, and genetic analyses to document changes in population structure and genetic demography in a population of colonial settlers and their modern-day descendants. The project will advance our understanding of how biological and social identities emerged in the colonial Americas, and also will expand the currently very limited colonial-era genomic data from the Americas. This project provides training in archaeological and anthropological genetic methods and research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students, and supports community and public science outreach. This study uses next-generation sequencing techniques, target capture, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays to assess genome-wide diversity and genetic ancestry in individuals excavated from the St. George's Caye cemetery and from contemporary Belizeans who trace at least one genealogical lineage back to 18th century British Honduras. The genetic data generated will be used to answer questions about the genetic ancestry of the populations, the degree of population continuity and change, and whether or not genetic inferences of identity reflect archaeological and self-reported understandings of identity in colonial and contemporary contexts. The project merges diverse research methodologies to shed light on the processes of identity formation and ethnogenesis in colonial contexts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目调查欧洲人在美洲的殖民如何影响移民人口的遗传多样性和不断变化的人口和社会习俗。尽管许多研究探索了欧洲殖民主义对土著人口的影响，但关于殖民主义对定居者本身的影响知之甚少。这项研究结合了考古学、民族史学和遗传学分析，记录了殖民定居者及其现代后代群体的人口结构和遗传人口统计学的变化。该项目将促进我们对生物和社会身份如何在殖民地美洲出现的理解，还将扩大目前非常有限的美洲殖民时代的基因组数据。该项目为本科生和研究生提供考古学和人类学遗传学方法和研究经验方面的培训，并支持社区和公共科学推广。这项研究使用下一代测序技术、靶标捕获和单核苷酸多态(SNP)阵列来评估从圣乔治墓地和当代伯利兹人挖掘出来的个体的基因组多样性和遗传祖先，这些人至少可以追溯到18世纪的英属洪都拉斯。产生的遗传数据将被用来回答以下问题：种群的遗传祖先、种群的连续性和变化程度，以及对身份的遗传推断是否反映了殖民和当代背景下对身份的考古和自我报告的理解。该项目融合了不同的研究方法，以阐明殖民背景下身份形成和民族起源的过程。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。