## 3 Results
We performed a comprehensive adaptive sampling analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype relationships using multiple computational approaches to characterize the genetic structure within our dataset. Our analysis revealed distinct patterns of genetic relatedness among five identified haplotypes, each present at an identical frequency of 3.2% in the sampled population. Five distinct mtDNA haplotypes were identified (Table 5), each occurring at a frequency of 3.2% in the sample population. The genetic structure of these haplotypes is characterized by specific nucleotide variants at key positions in the mitochondrial genome, as illustrated in Image 1. All five haplotypes share the G>A mutation at position 1468, suggesting this may be a conserved variant in this population or lineage. Primary Haplotype Clusters  
Cluster A: Haplotypes 2 and 5 (Distance: 0.33)  
Cluster B: Haplotypes 3 and 4 (Distance: 0.50)  
Outlier: Haplotype 1 (Most distant from other haplotypes)  
The hierarchical clustering analysis (Figure 8A) identified two major branches in the phylogenetic structure of mtDNA haplotypes. The first branch includes Haplotypes 1, 2, and 3, while the second contains Haplotypes 4 and 5. This clustering pattern suggests the presence of at least two distinct maternal lineages in the population. The haplotype distance matrix (Figure 8B) provides quantitative support for these relationships, revealing two primary clusters within the dataset. Haplotypes 2 and 5 form the closest pair with a genetic distance of only 0.33, indicating they likely share a recent common ancestor. Similarly, Haplotypes 3 and 4 form another distinct cluster with a moderate genetic distance of 0.50. Haplotype 1 appears most divergent, particularly from Haplotype 4 (distance = 1.00), suggesting it may represent a more distant lineage. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline
**Haplotype ID** & **Frequency (\%)** & **Key Variant Positions** \\ \hline Haplotype 1 & 3.2 & 308 C\textgreater{}T, 309 C\textgreater{}T, 691 G\textgreater{}A, 929 G\textgreater{}C, 1385 A\textgreater{}C, 1407 A\textgreater{}C, 1468 G\textgreater{}A \\ \hline Haplotype 2 & 3.2 & 308 C\textgreater{}T, 309 C\textgreater{}T, 1347 A\textgreater{}G, 1468 G\textgreater{}A \\ \hline Haplotype 3 & 3.2 & 409 G\textgreater{}A, 929 G\textgreater{}C, 1347 A\textgreater{}G, 1468 G\textgreater{}A \\ \hline Haplotype 4 & 3.2 & 308 C\textgreater{}T, 309 C\textgreater{}T, 409 G\textgreater{}A, 691 G\textgreater{}A, 929 G\textgreater{}C, 1347 A\textgreater{}G, 1385 A\textgreater{}C, 1407 A\textgreater{}C, 1468 G\textgreater{}A \\ \hline Haplotype 5 & 3.2 & 308 C\textgreater{}T, 409 G\textgreater{}A, 546 G\textgreater{}A, 691 G\textgreater{}A, 929 G\textgreater{}C, 1347 A\textgreater{}G, 1468 G\textgreater{}A \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 5: Mitochondrial DNA haplotype analysis results using AS data. Summary of haplotype characteristics. To visualize these relationships in a reduced dimensional space, we conducted multidimensional scaling analysis (Figure 8C). The resulting plot provides a two-dimensional representation of the genetic relationships, where the spatial distribution of points corresponds to genetic similarity. The positioning of haplotypes in this plot aligns with the clusters identified in the dendrogram, with Haplotypes 2 and 5 positioned relatively closely compared to others. Examination of the variant patterns across specific nucleotide positions (Figure 8D) reveals that Haplotype 4 contains the highest number of variants, displaying characteristic mutations at positions 308, 309, 409, 691, 929, 1347, 1385, 1407, and 1468. This suggests Haplotype 4 may be the most derived form. In contrast, Haplotype 2 exhibits the fewest variants, primarily at positions 308, 309, 1347, and 1468, potentially representing a more ancestral lineage or a lineage that experienced less mutational pressure.