Limited dispersal in mobile hunter-gatherer Baka Pygmies

Biol Lett. 2010 Dec 23;6(6):858-61. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0192. Epub 2010 Apr 28.

Abstract

Hunter-gatherer Pygmies from Central Africa are described as being extremely mobile. Using neutral genetic markers and population genetics theory, we explored the dispersal behaviour of the Baka Pygmies from Cameroon, one of the largest Pygmy populations in Central Africa. We found a strong correlation between genetic and geographical distances: a pattern of isolation by distance arising from limited parent-offspring dispersal. Our study suggests that mobile hunter-gatherers do not necessarily disperse over wide geographical areas.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Black People / genetics*
  • Cameroon
  • Emigration and Immigration
  • Ethnicity / genetics*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Microsatellite Repeats
  • Population Dynamics