Climatic influences on human body size and proportions: Ecological adaptations and secular trends

Katzmarzyk, Peter T.; Leonard, William R.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1096-8644(199808)106:4<483::aid-ajpa4>3.0.co;2-k

Cited by 314 publications

(197 citation statements)

References 85 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

184

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Both Bergmann's and Allen's rules refer to the relationship between surface area and body mass, which tends to be higher in species inhabiting hot climates and lower in species from cold climates. Within humans, stature, limb lengths, body mass, and body linearity show approximate clinal distributions, varying with mean annual temperatures (Roberts 1978;Eveleth and Tanner 1990;Katzmarzyk and Leonard 1998). Human body mass and the ratio of sitting height to stature appear to be negatively correlated with mean temperatures (Roberts 1978).…”

Section: Variation In Human Phenotype and Among Negrito Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Skeletal Phenotype of “Negritos” from the Andaman Islands and Philippines Relative to Global Variation among Hunter-Gatherers

Stock

2013

Human Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The "negrito hypothesis" suggests that populations of small-bodied foragers in South and Southeast Asia who share common phenotypic characteristics may also share a common, ancient origin. The key defining characteristics of the "negrito" phenotype, small body size, dark skin, and tightly curled hair, have been interpreted as linking these populations to sub-Saharan Africans. The underlying assumption of this interpretation is that the observed phenotypic similarities likely reflect shared ancestry rather than phenotypic convergence. Current genetic evidence is inconclusive, as it both demonstrates that negrito populations have genetic affinities with neighboring populations but also rare and ancient variation that suggests considerable isolation. This study investigates the skeletal phenotype of Andaman Islanders and Aeta foragers from the Philippines in the context of the phenotypic variation among other hunter-gatherers globally, to test whether they show a common, unique physique apart from small body size. Particular emphasis is placed on the comparison of negrito phenotypes to African, Asian, and Australian hunter-gatherer diversity to investigate phenotypic similarities to other populations globally. The results demonstrate that despite sharing small adult stature, the Andaman Islanders and Aeta show variation in body dimensions. In particular, the Andaman Islanders share a pattern of narrow bi-iliac breadth and short upper limbs with the Khoisan (Later Stone Age Southern Africans), whereas the Aeta and Efé show broader bi-iliac breadths relative to lower limb lengths. Although general similarities in size and proportions remain between the Andamanese and Aeta, differences in humero-femoral indices and arm length between these groups and the Efé demonstrate that there is not a generic "pygmy" phenotype. Our interpretations of negrito origins and adaptation must account for this phenotypic variation. Abstract The "negrito hypothesis" suggests that populations of smallbodied foragers in South and Southeast Asia who share common phenotypic characteristics may also share a common, ancient origin. The key defining characteristics of the "negrito" phenotype, small body size, dark skin, and tightly curled hair, have been interpreted as linking these populations to sub-Saharan Africans. The underlying assumption of this interpretation is that the observed phenotypic similarities likely reflect shared ancestry rather than phenotypic convergence. Current genetic evidence is inconclusive, as it both demonstrates that negrito populations have genetic affinities with neighboring populations but also rare and ancient variation that suggests considerable isolation. This study investigates the skeletal phenotype of Andaman Islanders and Aeta foragers from the Philippines in the context of the phenotypic variation among other hunter-gatherers globally, to test whether they show a common, unique physique apart from small body size. Particular emphasis is placed on the comparison of negrito phenotypes to African, As...

show abstract

Section: Variation In Human Phenotype and Among Negrito Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Skeletal Phenotype of “Negritos” from the Andaman Islands and Philippines Relative to Global Variation among Hunter-Gatherers

Stock

2013

Human Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is perfectly possible that Flores was inhabited by a small-bodied hominid species between 100,000 and 18,000 years ago. It is well established that human body size tends to decrease with decreasing latitude, accompanied by increasing average annual temperature, and is particularly small in warm, humid climates at low latitudes (Roberts, 1953;Ruff, 1994;Katzmarzyk and Leonard, 1998). Furthermore, a skeleton from an adult human ''pygmoid'' with an estimated age of about 30 years and a height of only 146 cm has been reported from the separate cave site of Liang Toge on Flores (Verhoeven, 1958;Jacob, 1967).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Flores hominid: New species or microcephalic dwarf?

et al. 2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The proposed new hominid ''Homo floresiensis'' is based on specimens from cave deposits on the Indonesian island Flores. The primary evidence, dated at $ 18,000 y, is a skull and partial skeleton of a very small but dentally adult individual (LB1). Incomplete specimens are attributed to eight additional individuals. Stone tools at the site are also attributed to H. floresiensis. The discoverers interpreted H. floresiensis as an insular dwarf derived from Homo erectus, but others see LB1 as a small-bodied microcephalic Homo sapiens. Study of virtual endocasts, including LB1 and a European microcephalic, purportedly excluded microcephaly, but reconsideration reveals several problems. The cranial capacity of LB1 ($ 400 cc) is smaller than in any other known hominid < 3.5 Ma and is far too small to derive from Homo erectus by normal dwarfing. By contrast, some associated tools were generated with a prepared-core technique previously unknown for H. erectus, including bladelets otherwise associated exclusively with H. sapiens. The single European microcephalic skull used in comparing virtual endocasts was particularly unsuitable. The specimen was a cast, not the original skull (traced to Stuttgart), from a 10-year-old child with massive pathology. Moreover, the calotte does not fit well with the rest of the cast, probably being a later addition of unknown history. Consideration of various forms of human microcephaly and of two adult specimens indicates that LB1 could well be a microcephalic Homo sapiens. This is the most likely explanation for the incongruous association of a small-brained recent hominid with advanced stone tools.

show abstract

“…Human morphology such as body mass, body mass index (BMI), nasal size, hair texture and density, lip size and thinness, relative sitting height (RSH) and surface area/body mass ratio have been reported shaped by climate adaptation [91]. Among all these characteristics, skin pigmentation is perhaps the most conspicuous one, with darkerskinned populations concentrated in the tropics, and lighter-skinned populations in higher latitudes [92,93].…”

Section: Human Adaptation To High-latitude Climatesmentioning

confidence: 99%