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B-M226 (YFull B2b2)
Haplogroup B-M226 is a major downstream clade under B-M112, forming a parallel lineage to B-M192. It is prominent among Central African rainforest foragers and likely originated within long-term forest refugia during the Late Pleistocene. B-M226 demonstrates a pattern of regional differentiation that reflects ancient population structure preserved primarily in isolated forest habitats.
B-M226 is found in Cameroon, Gabon and northern Democratic Republic of Congo, with notable presence among Baka and related groups. It also appears in pockets of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi due to historical interactions between rainforest and Great Lakes populations. Low-level representation in Angola and Zambia reflects ancient contact between Central African foragers and southern savanna communities.
B-M226 includes several derived branches that correspond to distinct rainforest forager subgroups. Although not as deeply sampled as B-M192, the clade exhibits strong geographic clustering, with region-specific lineages that mirror linguistic and cultural fragmentation among Central African foragers.
B-M226 adds important resolution to the internal structure of B-M112. Together with B-M192, it helps reconstruct ancient demographic patterns among forest-dwelling African populations, whose histories are often underrepresented in broader models dominated by agricultural expansions.