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a-b ridge count in a Basque population: fluctuating asymmetry and comparison with other populations
M I Arrieta1, B Martinez, M Nuñez
1Departamento de Biología Animal y Genética, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao, Spain.
Abstract:
We have analyzed the a-b ridge count and its fluctuating asymmetry in a sample (331 males and 290 females) from the Basque region of Alava province, Spain. Significant bimanual differences in the a-b ridge count are apparent only for females, and the sexual differences are significant for both hands. A comparison of the results in the Alava Basque population with results for other Basque populations showed sexual dimorphism. The results for fluctuating asymmetry do not support the hypothesis that if the regression of fluctuating asymmetry on the right and left hands is quadratic, the fluctuating asymmetry is a result of developmental homeostasis. Our data seem to indicate also that the factors that determine the a-b ridge count are canalized in females and males in the same way.