The Continental Population Structure Of Europe

Bibliographic Data

ID7635238
AuthorsRobert R Sokal (corresponding author), R Sokal (corresponding author)
Year1991
Volume20
Issue1
Pages119-140
Publication date1991-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAnnual Review of Anthropology (BOOK_SERIES)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0084-6570 • E-ISSN: 1545-4290
PublisherAnnual Reviews (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1146/annurev.an.20.100191.001003
OpenAlexW2172785606
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited23

Structure in populations refers to inhomogeneity of various population proper­ ties. These inhomogeneities may range over demographic, morphological , genetic, cultural , and social variables. Population structure is of inherent interest from a descriptive point of view, but its principal importance is that it leads to inferences about the processes that have engendered the structure and permits us to support or reject various hypotheses about the populations concerned. Most population structure is studied with respect to spatial di­ mensions, temporal structure being more difficult to observe. The types of structure observed and inferences drawn depend on the scale at which observations are taken. Small-scale studies of single villages or relatively small regions, which predominate in the literature, address questions of inbreeding, mating patterns, local selection, genetic drift, and similar prob­ lems of great interest to population geneticists. Large-scale studies have been relatively rarely carried out, partly because data adequate for such studies are hard to accumulate, and partly because the types of questions answered at this scale differ from those fashionable in recent decades in population genetics (7) . These questions concern large-scale genetic differences, ethnic origins and admixtures, and the effect of unique events in history. Such studies have been made on various continents and parts thereof (e.g . 13a, 26, 44, 49, 50)

Economic geography · Geography · Population · Population structure · Sociology · Demography · Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock · Genetic diversity and population structure · Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals · Geology · Global Health Care Issues · Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management · Urbanization and City Planning