ISOLATION BY DISTANCE IN JAPAN AND SWEDEN COMPARED WITH OTHER COUNTRIES

Various populations give estimates of isolation by distance which appear consistent with other evidence and with the theory of Malecot. Japan and Sweden have relatively low measures of local kinship and isolation by distance, suggestive of high internal migration. Both parameters are greater for Belgium and Switzerland and higher still for Alpine Switzerland, with limited migration. Northeastern Brazil has a rather high level of local kinship, reflecting large family size, but relatively slow decline with distance under considerable internal migration. Deviation from Malecot’s theory is most apparent for the dimensionality parameter c, which is more consistent with migration in one than two dimensions. No population lias a much larger level of local kinship than the mean inbreeding coefficient estimated from close consanguineous marriage, suggesting that most inbreeding within a country is due to close consanguinity. © 1969 S. Karger AG, Basel.