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Abstract
Background: The population of the island of Cres presents one of the few persisting Eastern Adriatic isolates and is thereby suitable for human population differentiation analyses.
Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the genetic structure of the island of Cres with respect to its eight sub-populations and to compare the genetic variation of the island of Cres with other Eastern Adriatic islands and the Croatian mainland.
Subjects and methods: Fifteen AmpFlSTR identifiler loci were analysed in a sample group of 122 unrelated autochthonous individuals from the island of Cres, Croatia.
Results: Analysis of STR polymorphisms revealed genetic homogeneity among sub-populations of the island of Cres and small but significant levels of genetic heterogeneity among geographically distant Eastern Adriatic islands.
Conclusion: Despite a considerable degree of genetic homogeneity among the studied Eastern Adriatic islands, small but significant differentiation between distant islands indicates geographic sub-structuring which follows the isolation by distance model. This study is supportive of the notion that STR markers are useful for genetic differentiation between larger and geographically more distant regions.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Irena Martinović Klarić, PhD, Marijana Peričić Salihović, PhD, and Stašo Forenbaher PhD, for helpful discussions and valuable comments and suggestions. We are grateful to the inhabitants of the island of Cres and to all the donors for providing blood samples.
Declaration of interest: This study was supported by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia (Grants no. 196-1962766-2751 to P.R., 062-19627660309 to M.K. and 309-1300855-2738 to D.M.). The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.