Consanguinity Avoidance and Genotype Frequencies in Human Populations

Document Type

Article

Authors

Paul W. Leslie, The Pennsylvania State University, and State University of New York, Binghamton
Jean Walters MacCluer, The Pennsylvania State University
Bennett Dyke, The Pennsylvania State Unviersity

Abstract

A model is developed which predicts the effects of complex mating patterns on genotype distributions. Avoidance and preference of specified consanguineous mating types are treated probabilistically; any combination of avoided and preferred matings may be specified and any degree of preference or avoidance may be included. Application of the model is illustrated with data from the Northside French population of St. Thomas,U.S. Virgin Islands. It is shown that in Northside the long-term effects of consanguinity avoidance are small compared with the opposing, cumulative effects of finite population size. However, relatively small changes in mating rules can have substantial effects on heterozygosity for as long as most human populations may be expected to remain isolated.

Erratum

See document "Errata from 52-3"

Recommended Citation

Leslie, Paul W.; MacCluer, Jean Walters; and Dyke, Bennett (1978) "Consanguinity Avoidance and Genotype Frequencies in Human Populations," Human Biology: Vol. 50: Iss. 3, Article 7.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol50/iss3/7