The possible role of social selection in the distribution of major haplotypes of Y-chromosome haplogroup C3 in Central Asian populations

Abstract

There is a strong connection between social selection and birth rate of the descendants, whose fathers had achieved high social status during the expansion of the Mongol Empire and associated historical events. We suppose this major ancestral haplotype to be the “proto-Mongolian haplotype”, inherited by Genghis Khan and his descendants. It can be assumed that the four common haplotypes also spread as a result of positive social selection, because some clans were endowed with a number of privileges and high status during the Mongol expansion.