Testing the existence of an unadmixed ancestor from a specific population t generations ago

Abstract

The ancestry of each locus of the genome can be estimated (local ancestry) based on sequencing or genotyping information together with reference panels of ancestral source populations. The length of those ancestry-specific genomic segments are commonly used to understand migration waves and admixture events. In short time scales, it is often of interest to determine the existence of the most recent unadmixed ancestor from a specific population t generations ago. We built a hypothesis test to determine if an individual has an ancestor belonging to a target ancestral population t generations ago based on these lengths of the ancestry-specific segments at an individual level. We applied this test on a data set that includes 20 Uruguayan admixed individuals to estimate for each one how many generations ago the most recent indigenous ancestor lived. As this method tests each individual separately, it is particularly suited to small sample sizes, such as our study or ancient genome samples.