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Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts

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Published on: January 29, 2018

Human birthweight evolution across contrasting environments.

F Thomas¹, A T Teriokhin, E V Budilova

¹Centre d'Etude sur le Polymorphisme des Micro-Organismes CEPM/UMR CNRS-IRD 9926 Equipe: Evolution des Systèmes Symbiotiques, IRD, Montpellier Cedex, France. fthomas@mpl.ird.fr

Journal of Evolutionary Biology

|May 20, 2004

Summary

Human birthweight variability is influenced by local evolutionary pressures. Countries with high parasitic disease prevalence show higher birthweights than predicted, supporting adaptive responses.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Human ecology
Demography

Background:

Human birthweight exhibits significant global variation.
Understanding the drivers of this variation is crucial for evolutionary and demographic studies.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the hypothesis that local selective pressures drive human birthweight variability.
To explore the adaptive significance of birthweight in response to different fitness-reducing risks.

Main Methods:

Development of an agent-based model to simulate evolutionary selection on life history strategy.
Comparative analysis of birthweight data across 89 countries.

Main Results:

Optimal birthweight is contingent on the predominant local fitness-reducing risk (somatic diseases, parasitic diseases, or environmental conditions).
Selection favors larger children when somatic or infectious/parasitic diseases are primary risks.
Environmental risks reduce selective pressure for high birthweight.

Conclusions:

Global birthweight variation is significantly shaped by adaptive evolutionary responses to local conditions.
Empirical data supports theoretical predictions, particularly the elevated birthweight in highly parasitized regions.