Haplogroup Q
Starting the Paleo-Indians period, a migration to the Americas across the Bering Strait (Beringia) by a small population carrying the Q-M242 mutation took place.[37] A member of this initial population underwent a mutation, which defines its descendant population, known by the Q-M3 (SNP) mutation.[38] These descendants migrated all over the Americas.[32]
Haplogroup Q-M3 is defined by the presence of the rs3894 (M3) (SNP).[3][35][39] The Q-M3 mutation is roughly 15,000 years old as that is when the initial migration of Paleo-Indians into the Americas occurred.[40][41] Q-M3 is the predominant haplotype in the Americas, at a rate of 83% in South American populations,[42] 50% in the Na-Dené populations, and in North American Eskimo-Aleut populations at about 46%.[34] With minimal back-migration of Q-M3 in Eurasia, the mutation likely evolved in east-Beringia, or more specifically the Seward Peninsula or western Alaskan interior. The Beringia land mass began submerging, cutting off land routes.[34][43][44]
Since the discovery of Q-M3, several subclades of M3-bearing populations have been discovered. An example is in South America, where some populations have a high prevalence of (SNP) M19 which defines subclade Q-M19.[42] M19 has been detected in (59%) of Amazonian Ticuna men and in (10%) of Wayuu men.[42] Subclade M19 appears to be unique to South American Indigenous peoples, arising 5,000 to 10,000 years ago.[42]
Haplogroup R1
Haplogroup R1 (Y-DNA) (specially R1b) is the second most predominant Y haplotype found among indigenous Amerindians after Q (Y-DNA).[48] The distribution of R1 is believed by some to be associated with the re-settlement of Eurasia following the last glacial maximum. One theory put forth is that R1 entered the Americas with the initial founding population,[49] suggesting prehistoric Amerindian immigration from Asia through Beringia[50][51] and correlating mostly with the frequency of haplogroups Q-M3 and P-M45*.[47] A second theory is that it was introduced during European colonization.[48] R1 is very common throughout all of Eurasia except East Asia and Southeast Asia. R1 (M173) is found predominantly in North American groups like the Ojibwe (50-79%), Seminole (50%), Sioux (50%), Cherokee (47%), Dogrib (40%) and Tohono O'odham (Papago) (38%).[48]
Haplogroup C-P39
Haplogroup C-M217 is mainly found in indigenous Siberians, Mongolians and Kazakhs. Haplogroup C-M217 is the most widespread and frequently occurring branch of the greater (Y-DNA) haplogroup C-M130. Haplogroup C-M217 descendant C-P39 is commonly found in today's Na-Dené speakers, with the highest frequency found among the Athabaskans at 42%.[37] This distinct and isolated branch C-P39 includes almost all the Haplogroup C-M217 Y-chromosomes found among all indigenous peoples of the Americas.[53] The Na-Dené groups are also unusual among indigenous peoples of the Americas in having a relatively high frequency of Q-M242 (25%).[34]
Some researchers feel that this may indicate that the Na-Dené migration occurred from the Russian Far East after the initial Paleo-Indian colonization, but prior to modern Inuit, Inupiat and Yupik expansions.
