Limited dispersal in mobile hunter-gatherer Baka Pygmies.

Paul Verdu (1) , Raphaël Leblois (2) , Alain Froment (3) , Sylvain Théry (1) , Serge Bahuchet (1) , François Rousset (4) , Evelyne Heyer (1) , Renaud Vitalis (1, 5)

1 EAE - Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie
2 ISYEB - Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité
3 PALOC - Patrimoines Locaux et Gouvernance
4 UMR ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier
5 UMR CBGP - Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations

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.

Domaines: Génétique des populations [q-bio.PE]

Paul Verdu, Raphaël Leblois, Alain Froment, Sylvain Théry, Serge Bahuchet, et al.. Limited dispersal in mobile hunter-gatherer Baka Pygmies.. Biology Letters, 2010, 6 (6), pp.858-861. ⟨10.1098/rsbl.2010.0192⟩. ⟨hal-00504086⟩