Assortative mating for phenotypic characteristics in a Zapotec community in Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

Assortative mating for age and several anthropometric characteristics is considered in a sample of 68-70 husband-wife pairs from a rural Zapotec-speaking community in the Valley of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Conditions in the community with a population of approximately 1700 indicate chronic, mild-to-moderate undernutrition as reflected in high infant mortality rates, smaller body size of school children, and delayed biological maturation. Phenotypic assortative mating, as expressed in husband-wife correlations, is significant for age (r = 0-96), stature (r = O-35) and grip strength (r = 0-29), but is not significant for body weight (r = 0-01), arm circumference (r = 0-07), the estimated midarm muscle circumference (r = 0-003), Quetelet's index (r = 0-02), and the ponderal index (r = 0-11). Controlling for age of husband and wife reduces the correlations for stature (r = 0-24) and grip strength (r = 0-12), but increases those for arm circumference (r = 0-21) and estimated midarm muscle circumference (r = 0-16). Grouping the spouses into younger (under 30 years of age) and older (30 years and older) results in significant spouse correlations for age, stature, arm circumference and estimated midarm muscle circumference in the younger group and for only age and fatness in the older group.

Familial similarity in body size in an isolated Zapotec-speaking community in the valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico: Estimated genetic and environmental effects

“…In addition, spouse correlations based on the path analysis (Table IV) are considerably higher than previously reported (Malina et al 1983b). Height (0.21) was expected to be highest of all sibling correlations based on previous work with these data, but it was one of the smallest.…”

“…It was possible to segregate environmental effects and quantitatively control for them in this economically and genetically isolated community. (Malina et al 1983b); B, second order controlling for age (Malina et al 1983b); C, zero order, present analysis; D, path correlation after holding spousal ages constant and adjusting for environment (see Table I). …”

“…The data used in the current study were based on a survey in 1978; most of the data have been previously reported , 1983a, 1983b, 1987. The community is located in the Valley of Oaxaca in southern Mexico; it had approximately 1700 inhabitants in 1978.…”

Ancestry-related assortative mating in Latino populations

“…If the spouse trait correlation is 0.6 (a reasonably high value), then for a spouse ancestry correlation of 0.3 (Puerto Ricans), the trait-ancestry correlation is 0.7; for a spouse ancestry correlation of 0.4 (Mexicans), the trait-ancestry correlation is 0.8. Previous studies on assortative mating in Latin American groups have retrieved correlation coefficients of 0.29 to 0.46 for education level, 0.48 for skin reflectance, 0.07 to 0.18 for eye and hair color, and 0.16 to 0.24 for different anthropometric measurements [17,18,21]. …”

The role of conditioning on heterosexual and homosexual partner preferences in rats

“…cultural/religious beliefs), and personality characteristics (e.g. introversion/extroversion) that are somewhat similar to one’s own (Luo & Klohnen, 2005; Malina, Selby, Buschang, Aronson, & Little, 1983; Salces, Rebato, & Susanne, 2004), which would naturally result from the fact that people are more likely to interact harmoniously with others with similar attitudes/manerisms.…”