This study presents genetic data for nine Native American populations from northern North America. Analyses of genetic variation focus on the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Using mitochondrial, Y chromosomal, and autosomal DNA variants, we aimed to more closely address the relationships of geography and language with present genetic diversity among the regional PNW Native American populations. Patterns of genetic diversity exhibited by the three genetic systems were consistent with our hypotheses: genetic variation was more strongly explained by geographic proximity than by linguistic structure. Our findings were corroborated through a variety on analytic approaches, with the unrooted trees for the three genetic systems consistently separating inland from coastal PNW populations. Furthermore, analyses of molecular variance support the trends exhibited by the unrooted trees, with geographic partitioning of PNW populations (FCT = 19.43%, p = 0.010 ± 0.009) accounting for over twice as much of the observed genetic variation as linguistic partitioning of the same populations (FCT = 9.15%, p = 0.193 ± 0.013). These findings demonstrate a consensus with previous PNW population studies examining the relationships of genome-wide variation, mitochondrial haplogroup frequencies, and skeletal morphology with geography and language.

Aim To determine newest the most accurate allele frequencies for 15 short tandem repeat (STR) loci in the Bosnian and Herzegovinian population, calculate statistical parameters, and compare them with the relevant data for seven neighboring populations. Methods Genomic DNA was obtained from buccal swabs of 1000 unrelated individuals from all regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Genotyping was performed using PowerPlex® 16 System to obtain allele frequencies for 15 polymorphic STR loci including D3S1358, TH01, D21S11, D18S51, Penta E, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, D16S539, CSF1PO, Penta D, vWA, D8S1179, TPOX, and FGA. The calculated allele frequencies were also compared with the data from neighboring populations. Results The highest detected value of polymorphism information content (PIC) was detected at the PentaE locus, whereas the lowest value was detected at the TPOX locus. The power of discrimination (PD) values had similar distribution, with Penta E showing the highest PD of 0.9788. While D18S51 had the highest value of power of exclusion (PE), the lowest PE value was detected at the TPOX locus. Conclusion Upon comparison of Bosnian and Herzegovinian population data with those of seven neighboring populations, the highest allele frequency differentiation was noticed between Bosnian and Herzegovinian and Turkish population at 5 loci, the most informative of which was Penta E. The neighbor-joining dendrogram constructed on the basis of genetic distance showed grouping of Slovenian, Austrian, Hungarian, and Croatian populations. Bosnian and Herzegovinian population was between the mentioned cluster and Serbian population. To determine more accurate distribution of allelic frequencies and forensic parameters, our study included 1000 unrelated individuals from all regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and our findings demonstrated the applicability of these markers in both forensics and future population genetic studies.

Raspberry cultivars are clonally propagated and therefore all plants belonging to a single cultivar represent the same genotype. Cultivar integrity of raspberry plantlings placed on the market in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is based on examining of morphological traits, which is not a reliable tool for genetic identification. In this study plantlings declared as cultivar ‘Polana’ were genotyped using seven microsatellites, in order to gain preliminary insight into the genetic integrity of raspberry plantlings marketed in B&H. Plant tissue (leaves) from 10 raspberry plants were randomly sampled from a batch of plantlings sold by major fruit nursery in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Along with these samples, four reference cultivars with confirmed identity (‘Polka’, ‘Autumn Bliss’, ‘Heritage’ and ‘Polana’) were also included in the study. Seven primer pairs amplified 31 alleles, or on average 4.4 alleles per locus. UPGMA cluster analysis, based on the Jaccard similarity coefficient, revealed that among the ten samples declared as ‘Polana’ plantlings only five were genetically identical to any of the other samples. The cluster analyses also exposed that none of the ten samples declared as ‘Polana’ seedlings were in fact identical or even closely related to the ‘Polana’ reference cultivar or any of the other reference cultivars. These findings clearly show that the genetic identity of primocane raspberry plantlings , currently sold in Bosnia and Herzegovina, needs to be tested using objective and reliable methods rather than simple morphologic observation.

. Apple genetic resources in Norway are currently conserved within a number of local clonal archives. However, during establishment of these ex situ collections, primary focus was not on capturing as much of the diversity as possible, but instead on preserving cultivars of particular importance to specific fruit-growing areas. To identify redun- dancies within the collection as well as to assess the genetic diversity and structure of apple germplasm currently being conserved in Norway, eight microsatellites were used in genetic characterization of 181 apple accessions. Overall, 14 cases of synonym or possibly mislabeled accessions were identified, as well as several homonyms and duplicates within and among the analyzed collections. The information obtained should contribute to overall better management of the preserved germplasm. Bayesian analysis of genetic structure revealed two major clusters, one containing most of the foreign cultivars, while the other consisted mainly of traditional Scandinavian cultivars, but also some very winter-hardy genotypes such as ‘Charlamovsky’, ‘Gravenstein’, ‘Transparente Blanche’, and ‘Wealthy’. Analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) detected a signifi- cant genetic differentiation among the clusters ( f CT = 0.077; P < 0.01).

UDK: 582.675.1:575(497.6) Helleborus multifidus Vis. is endemic Illyric-Adriatic species with distribution range in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania. Although few studies reported different taxonomic categories for H. multifidus, this one is the first using molecular-genetic markers (trnL region and matK of chloroplast DNA and nuclear ITS1 and ITS2 region) for genetic characterization of H. multifidus presented at three localites in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results revealed that PCR-RFLP on trnL intron was not informative for testing inter- or intrapopulation diversity. Contrary, analysis of matK, ITS1 and ITS2 sequences showed differences between populations from Trebinje region and Kupreško polje, pointing to the need to include additional analyses in order to confirm these findings.

The focus of this study was on genetic diversity of TB horse population raised in B&H. Genomic DNA was genotyped by using 17 microsatellite markers. A total of 103 alleles were detected. The average number of alleles per locus was 6.059 and effective number of alleles was 3.293. Means of observed and expected heterozygosity were calculated 0.645 and 0.696, respectively. The average PIC values was 0.649 and inbreeding coefficient was 0.090. Based on all observed parameters, ASB2 locus showed the highest genetic diversity while locus HMS2 was the least diverse. These results suggest that the population of TB horses from B&H is not affected by substantial loss of genetic diversity, indicating the presence of reasonably high level of genetic variability.

Modern Bosnia and Herzegovina is a multinational and multi-religious country, situated in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula in South-eastern Europe. According to recent archaeological fi ndings, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been occupied by modern humans since the Palaeolithic period. The structure of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s human populations is very complex and specifi c, due to which it is interesting for various population-genetic surveys. The population of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been the focus of bio-anthropological and population genetics studies since the 19th century. The fi rst known bio-anthropological analyses of Bosnia-Herzegovina population were primarily based on the observation of some phenotypic traits. Later examinations included cytogenetic and DNA based molecular markers. The results of all studies which have been done up to date showed no accented genetic difference among the populations (based on geographical regions) with quite high diversity within them. Human population of Bosnia and Herzegovina is closely related to other populations in the Balkans. However, there are still many interesting features hidden within the existing diversity of local human populations that are still waiting to be discovered and described.