The relative role of drift and selection in shaping the human skull - PubMed (original) (raw)
The relative role of drift and selection in shaping the human skull
Lia Betti et al. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2010 Jan.
Abstract
Human populations across the world vary greatly in cranial morphology. It is highly debated to what extent this variability has accumulated through neutral processes (genetic drift) or through natural selection driven by climate. By taking advantage of recent work showing that geographic distance along landmasses is an excellent proxy for neutral genetic differentiation, we quantify the relative role of drift versus selection in an exceptionally large dataset of human skulls. We show that neutral processes have been much more important than climate in shaping the human cranium. We further demonstrate that a large proportion of the signal for natural selection comes from populations from extremely cold regions. More generally, we show that, if drift is not explicitly accounted for, the effect of natural selection can be greatly overestimated.
Similar articles
- Climate signatures in the morphological differentiation of worldwide modern human populations.
Hubbe M, Hanihara T, Harvati K. Hubbe M, et al. Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2009 Nov;292(11):1720-33. doi: 10.1002/ar.20976. Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2009. PMID: 19718714 - Random genetic drift, natural selection, and noise in human cranial evolution.
Roseman CC. Roseman CC. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2016 Aug;160(4):582-92. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22918. Epub 2016 Jan 28. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2016. PMID: 26817417 - Were neandertal and modern human cranial differences produced by natural selection or genetic drift?
Weaver TD, Roseman CC, Stringer CB. Weaver TD, et al. J Hum Evol. 2007 Aug;53(2):135-45. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2007.03.001. Epub 2007 May 23. J Hum Evol. 2007. PMID: 17512036 - Baboon biogeography, divergence, and evolution: Morphological and paleoecological perspectives.
Elton S, Dunn J. Elton S, et al. J Hum Evol. 2020 Aug;145:102799. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102799. Epub 2020 Jun 28. J Hum Evol. 2020. PMID: 32619882 Review. - Genetic drift, selection and the evolution of the mutation rate.
Lynch M, Ackerman MS, Gout JF, Long H, Sung W, Thomas WK, Foster PL. Lynch M, et al. Nat Rev Genet. 2016 Oct 14;17(11):704-714. doi: 10.1038/nrg.2016.104. Nat Rev Genet. 2016. PMID: 27739533 Review.
Cited by
- Bioclimatic and masticatory influences on human cranial diversity verified by analysis of 3D morphometric homologous models.
Matsumura H, Friess M, Kouchi M, Tanijiri T, Stringer C, Garcia G, Hanihara T, Moiseyev V, Suzuki D. Matsumura H, et al. Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 4;14(1):26663. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-76715-0. Sci Rep. 2024. PMID: 39496664 Free PMC article. - Disparate and parallel craniofacial climatic adaptations in native populations of Asia, North America, and South America.
Evteev A, Syutkina T, Grosheva A, Santos P, Ghirotto S, Hanihara T, Hubbe M, Menéndez LP. Evteev A, et al. J Anat. 2024 Nov;245(5):699-724. doi: 10.1111/joa.14115. Epub 2024 Aug 26. J Anat. 2024. PMID: 39183681 Free PMC article. - Factors influencing cranial variation between prehistoric Japanese forager populations.
Buck LT, Menéndez LP, De Groote I, Hassett BR, Matsumura H, Stock JT. Buck LT, et al. Archaeol Anthropol Sci. 2024;16(1):3. doi: 10.1007/s12520-023-01901-6. Epub 2023 Dec 13. Archaeol Anthropol Sci. 2024. PMID: 38098511 Free PMC article. - Joint multi-ancestry and admixed GWAS reveals the complex genetics behind human cranial vault shape.
Goovaerts S, Hoskens H, Eller RJ, Herrick N, Musolf AM, Justice CM, Yuan M, Naqvi S, Lee MK, Vandermeulen D, Szabo-Rogers HL, Romitti PA, Boyadjiev SA, Marazita ML, Shaffer JR, Shriver MD, Wysocka J, Walsh S, Weinberg SM, Claes P. Goovaerts S, et al. Nat Commun. 2023 Nov 16;14(1):7436. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43237-8. Nat Commun. 2023. PMID: 37973980 Free PMC article. Review. - Evaluation of the (hu)MANid program for sex and ancestry estimation in a diverse, contemporary CT scan-based sample.
Farhi M, Tomas N, Marion I, Avenetti D, Atsawasuwan P, da Fonseca M, Al Atabbe M, Nicholas CL. Farhi M, et al. J Forensic Sci. 2023 Jan;68(1):242-251. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15176. Epub 2022 Nov 15. J Forensic Sci. 2023. PMID: 36380482 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
- BB/C007123/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom
- BB/C007123/2/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom
- G0800681/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources