| 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. |
