ArticleProceedings. Biological sciences2009
Climate shaped the worldwide distribution of human mitochondrial DNA sequence variation.
Article in Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 62 papers.
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Who cites it
62 citing papers in PubMed, 151 citations in OpenAlex.
- Climate-associated natural selection in the human mitochondrial genome.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Reflections on the Human Genome Diversity Project: a conversation with Marcus W. Feldman, Henry T. Greely, and Mary-Claire King.Genetics · 2026Article
- Diverse mitogenomic variations contribute to population differentiation in Eurasian tree sparrows (Zoological research · 2026Article
- Article
- Revaluation of the genetic diversity-area relationship by integrating nucleotide and haplotype diversity.Current zoology · 2025Article
- Comparative mitogenomics reveals evolutionary drivers of Strongyloidea nematodes dwelling in gastrointestinal tract.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Genome-wide analysis in human populations reveals mitonuclear disequilibrium in genes related to neurological function.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Sequencing and characterizing human mitochondrial genomes in the biobank-based genomic research paradigm.Science China. Life sciences · 2025Review
- Leveraging Whole Genomes, Mitochondrial DNA and Haploblocks to Decipher Complex Demographic Histories: An Example From a Broadly Admixed Arctic Fish.Molecular ecology · 2025Article
- Air pollutants as modulators of mitochondrial quality control in cardiovascular disease.Physiological reports · 2024Review
- Mitogenomics clarifies the position of the Nearctic magpies (Current zoology · 2024Article
- Mutation pressure mediates a pattern of substitution rates with latitude and climate in carnivores.Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- Climate-driven mitochondrial selection in lacertid lizards.Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- Mitochondrial Genetics and Function as Determinants of Bone Phenotype and Aging.Current osteoporosis reports · 2023Review
- Review
- Whole genome analyses reveal novel genes associated with chicken adaptation to tropical and frigid environments.Journal of advanced research · 2023Article
- Article
- Impact of climate change on parasite infection of an important pollinator depends on host genotypes.Global change biology · 2023Article
- Variation in the Substitution Rates among the Human Mitochondrial Haplogroup U Sublineages.Genome biology and evolution · 2022Article
- Article
2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
There is an ongoing discussion in the literature on whether human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) evolves neutrally. There have been previous claims for natural selection on human mtDNA based on an excess of non-synonymous mutations and higher evolutionary persistence of specific mitochondrial mutations in Arctic populations. However, these findings were not supported by the reanalysis of larger datasets. Using a geographical framework, we perform the first direct test of the relative extent to which climate and past demography have shaped the current spatial distribution of mtDNA sequences worldwide. We show that populations living in colder environments have lower mitochondrial diversity and that the genetic differentiation between pairs of populations correlates with difference in temperature. These associations were unique to mtDNA; we could not find a similar pattern in any other genetic marker. We were able to identify two correlated non-synonymous point mutations in the ND3 and ATP6 genes characterized by a clear association with temperature, which appear to be plausible targets of natural selection producing the association with climate. The same mutations have been previously shown to be associated with variation in mitochondrial pH and calcium dynamics. Our results indicate that natural selection mediated by climate has contributed to shape the current distribution of mtDNA sequences in humans.
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