Finding the "Scot" in the Scottish-American: An Investigation of Scottish Identity through Mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome Markers

Abstract

Individuals from Scotland began migrations to the Americas in the 1600s and, despite admixture, continue to celebrate their Scottish roots. Molecular markers were used to answer the following: 1) do individuals who claim a Scottish identity have maternal or paternal markers found in Scotland; 2) which of these markers are more successful in determining a Scottish ancestry? Of the study's participants, 60 percent shared HVS-I haplotypes with Scotland. However, analyses based on Tajima and Nei's distances indicated that these haplotypes are found throughout Europe due to historical migrations. Seventy-seven percent of males shared a haplotype with Scotland based on five Y-STR loci. Slatkin's RST analyses, as well as clan and surname distributions, showed a stronger Scottish paternal genetic input in this study, in agreement with historical records of higher rates of male versus female migration. These results indicate that ethnic identity can be detected through genetic markers.