The Genetic Structure of the Utah Mormons: Migration Analysis

Document Type

Article

Authors

L B. Jorde, University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

Abstract

Parent-offspring migration patterns of 450,390 individuals born in Utah from 1876 to 1945 are examined. Malecot’s migration matrix approach is used to derive matrices of inter-subdivision genetic kinship coefficients, which are then analyzed for temporal and spatial variation. Generally, the kinship coefficients are very low; this may be a factor influencing the apparently low rate of birth defects in Utah. Due to low rates of genetic drift and high rates of gene flow, Wright’s FSt value is quite low (.00003041). This indicates little genetic heterogeneity in Utah. Analysis of the eigenvectors of the kinship matrices and a geographic distance matrix demonstrates that geographic distance plays an important role in determining the spatial variation in kinship coefficients.

Recommended Citation

Jorde, L B. (1982) "The Genetic Structure of the Utah Mormons: Migration Analysis," Human Biology: Vol. 54: Iss. 3, Article 14.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol54/iss3/14