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Testing evolutionary hypotheses about human biological adaptation using cross-cultural comparison.

Ruth Mace1, Fiona Jordan, Clare Holden

  • 1Department of Anthropology, University College London, Gower St, WC1E 6BT, London, UK. r.mace@ucl.ac.uk

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology
|October 7, 2003
PubMed
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Human populations adapt to diverse environments, with gene-culture co-evolution influencing traits like lactose digestion and sex ratio at birth. Lower sex ratios at birth correlate with high fertility, suggesting an evolved response to physiological costs.

Area of Science:

  • Human evolutionary biology
  • Population genetics
  • Anthropology

Background:

  • Human populations exhibit physiological variation across diverse environments.
  • Evolutionary hypotheses about human adaptation can be tested using physiological data.
  • Phylogenetic comparative methods account for population history to identify selective pressures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test adaptive hypotheses explaining global variation in human physiological traits.
  • To investigate the role of gene-culture co-evolution in human adaptation.
  • To examine the evolutionary drivers of lactose digestion capacity and sex ratio at birth.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of physiological data from diverse human populations.
  • Application of phylogenetic comparative methods to assess evolutionary selection.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of correlations between environmental variables, cultural traits, and physiological variation.

    • Main Results:

    • Global variation in adult lactose digestion capacity is linked to environmental factors and population history.
    • Lower than average sex ratio at birth is associated with high fertility rates.
    • Evidence suggests sex ratio variation has evolved in response to physiological costs of male births in high-fertility populations.

    Conclusions:

    • Phylogenetic comparative methods are valuable for testing evolutionary hypotheses of human adaptation.
    • Gene-culture co-evolution may play a significant role in shaping human physiological traits.
    • Sex ratio at birth variation represents an adaptive evolutionary response to fertility-related physiological costs.