Investigating the genetic history of the Central and Southern Plains

对古代个体基因组的研究改变了美洲的考古学研究。但目前对这一早期历史的理解还远远没有完成，因为从包括今天美国在内的整个地区的土著居民中获得的基因组数据有限。这项研究由一个后代部落的代表和研究人员共同开发，通过对古代个体的基因组和稳定同位素的表征来推进知识。研究结果提供了至关重要的见解，美洲的初始人口，美国中部地区的人口历史之前和之后不久，欧洲接触，以及埋葬处理的方式可能反映了生物亲属关系。该项目有助于研究生的教育，并为许多本科生提供研究经验。该项目的成果将与部落历史知识相结合，为参与部落和公众制作教育材料。最后，科学家和部落代表在该项目中采取的合作方法有助于制定遗传学研究的最佳实践建议。近年来，美洲各地古代个体的基因组测序已经开始揭示一个极其复杂的人口历史的轮廓。但是，抽样的差距，包括几乎完全缺乏来自当今美国中部地区的数据，限制了对这段历史的理解。通过古代DNA对美洲最初人口的问题进行了深入的研究，这意味着在美国存在的少数古代基因组中，大多数都来自美洲最古老遗址的单个个体。几乎没有完整的基因组存在于最近的背景下，这些背景提供了关于几乎所有美洲原住民人口所经历的深刻人口变化的信息。这种数据的缺乏意味着现有的人口历史模型，特别是对人口分裂日期和有效人口规模的估计可能是不准确的。该项目是部落代表和调查人员之间的研究合作，收集了大平原古代民族的第一个基因组规模数据。这些数据涉及三个主要目标：（1）使用该地区接触前土著个体的基因组测试美洲最初人口的模型，（2）调查该地区的人口历史，（3）调查多个地点的丧葬待遇，亲属关系和流动性之间的关系。该项目由生物人类学计划和刺激竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The study of genomes from ancient individuals has transformed archaeological studies in the Americas. But current understanding of this early history is far from complete, owing to limited genomic data available from Indigenous populations throughout the regions that comprise the present-day United States. This research, jointly developed by representatives of a descendent tribe and investigators, advances knowledge through characterization of genomes and stable isotopes from ancient individuals. Findings provide critically important insights into the initial peopling of the Americas, the population history of central US regions prior to and shortly after European contact, and the way burial treatment may have reflected biological kinship. The project contributes to the education of a graduate student and provides research experiences for numerous undergraduate students. Results from this project will be integrated with tribal historic knowledge to produce educational materials for the participating tribe and the general public. Finally, the collaborative approach taken in this project between scientists and tribal representatives aids in the development of best practice recommendations for genetics research. In recent years genomes sequenced from ancient individuals throughout the Americas have started to reveal the contours of an extremely complex population history. But sampling gaps, including a nearly complete lack of data from the central portions of the present-day United States, limit the understanding of this history. An intense research focus on questions regarding the initial peopling of the Americas through ancient DNA means that of the few ancient genomes that exist from the United States, most are from single individuals from the very oldest sites in the Americas. Few complete genomes exist from more recent contexts that are informative about the profound demographic changes that nearly all Native American populations experienced. This lack of data means that existing models of population history—and particularly estimates of dates for population splits and effective population sizes—are likely inaccurate. This project, a research collaboration between tribal representatives and investigators, collects the first genomic-scale data from ancient peoples of the Great Plains. Three major objectives are being addressed with these data: (1) Test models for the initial peopling of the Americas using genomes from pre-contact Indigenous individuals of the region, (2) Investigate population histories of the region, (3) Investigate the relationship between mortuary treatment, kinship, and mobility at multiple sites. This project is jointly funded by the Biological Anthropology Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.