The population structure of Arbereshe from genetic and cultural evidences: a paternal perspective

Among the several factors affecting the genetic makeup of human populations, language represents a crucial component, potentially acting as a genetic barrier separating different ethnic groups. The Albanian-speaking Arbërëshe are one of the largest linguistic minorities in Italy, whose origin is generally connected with population movements of Albanians occurred between the 15th and the 16th centuries, mainly linked to the invasion of Balkans by the Ottoman Empire. Actually, the presence of these populations in Italy is the complex result of several migration waves (at least eight), whether coming directly from Albania or arrived in Italy after intermediate steps in Greece (Peloponnese). Originating from a restricted number of founders and having preserved their isolation from the surrounding populations, Arbërëshe groups are characterized by high levels of within village endogamy and inbreeding, and marked differentiation among different villages. Furthermore, despite many scholars generally agree that Arbërisht (language spoken by Arbërëshe) belongs to the Tosk dialect group, the Albanian spoken in Italy is actually not completely homogeneous among all Arbërëshe communities. History, identity and culture of each Arbërëshe group are therefore the distinct product of different origin and migration processes, as well as of different degrees of isolation or interaction with surrounding populations, over five centuries of independent evolution. In this context, we used a micro-geographic approach aimed at comparing different linguistic isolates with their geographic neighbors and putative source populations, to facilitate the reconstruction of historical and micro-evolutionary processes shaping current population genetic structure, particularly focusing on the role of culture vs. geography. For this purpose more than 500 samples from Arbërëshe of Sicily and Calabria, together as samples from both Sicily/South-Italy and the Balkans, have been analyzed for Y-chromosome diversity by using 32 SNPs and 17 STRs. The comparison with Italian and Balkan genetic landscapes will allow to 1) describe the genetic structure of Arbërëshe communities and evaluate the degree of isolation or admixture of each group, 2) investigate the genetic ancestry of each isolate by assessing the genetic connection with putative source populations. Preliminary results reveal high levels of within-population genetic variability and a marked genetic differentiation between the two Arbërëshe group. Accordingly, comparison with Italian and Balkan populations suggests distinct origins and different degrees of admixture. Ongoing analysis on this dataset, together with the maternal perspective, will help to shed light on factors affecting the gene-culture co-evolution processes in these model-populations.