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Modern Populations (modern + population)
Selected AbstractsQUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF SHAPE VARIATION IN TYPE AND MODERN POPULATIONS OF MERIDION (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE)JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 1 2001Kristina M. Rhode Subtle differences in valve morphology can indicate sexually isolated populations in diatoms (Bacillariophyceae). Shape descriptors, like Legendre coefficients, have been used to quantify differences in valve outline so that morphologically distinct groups can be recognized. Legendre coefficients were used as shape descriptors to quantify differences in valve outline among five populations in the genus Meridion Ag. Two novel populations of Meridion from North America, a North American population of M. constrictum Ralfs, type material for M. circulare (Greve.) Ag., and type material of M. constrictum were included in this analysis. Results of a principle components analysis and discriminate analyses on the shape descriptors of all five populations support the hypotheses that the two novel North American populations are undescribed taxa within Meridion and that the North American M. constrictum can be considered Meridion constrictum sensu stricto. A new taxon, Meridion hohii Rhode, is described. There appears to be greater diversity within the genus Meridion than is currently recognized. [source] Evolutionary, behavioural and molecular ecology must meet to achieve long-term conservation goalsMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 18 2009J. SCOTT KEOGH Founder populations in reintroduction programmes can experience a genetic bottleneck simply because of their small size. The influence of reproductive skew brought on by polygynous or polyandrous mating systems in these populations can exacerbate already difficult conservation genetic problems, such as inbreeding depression and loss of adaptive potential. Without an understanding of reproductive skew in a target species, and the effect it can have on genetic diversity retained over generations, long-term conservation goals will be compromised. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Miller et al. (2009a) test how founder group size and variance in male reproductive success influence the maintenance of genetic diversity following reintroduction on a long-term scale. They evaluated genetic diversity in two wild populations of the iconic New Zealand tuatara (Fig. 1), which differ greatly in population size and genetic diversity, and compared this to genetic diversity in multiple founder populations sourced from both populations. Population viability analysis on the maintenance of genetic diversity over 400 years (10 generations) demonstrated that while the loss of heterozygosity was low when compared with both source populations (1,14%), the greater the male reproductive skew, the greater the predicted losses of genetic diversity. Importantly however, the loss of genetic diversity was ameliorated after population size exceeded 250 animals, regardless of the level of reproductive skew. This study demonstrates that highly informed conservation decisions could be made when you build on a solid foundation of demographic, natural history and behavioural ecology data. These data, when informed by modern population and genetic analysis, mean that fundamental applied conservation questions (how many animals should make up a founder population?) can be answered accurately and with an eye to the long-term consequences of management decisions. Figure 1. ,Large adult male tuatara attacking a smaller male. Photo by Jeanine Refsnider. [source] Stable isotope analysis of modern human hair collected from Asia (China, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan)AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2010A.H. Thompson Abstract We report isotopic data (,2H, ,18O n = 196; ,13C, ,15N n = 142; ,34S n = 85) from human hair and drinking water (,2H, ,18O n = 67) collected across China, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan. Hair isotope ratios reflected the large environmental isotopic gradients and dietary differences. Geographic information was recorded in H and O and to a lesser extent, S isotopes. H and O data were entered into a recently developed model describing the relationship between the H and O isotope composition of human hair and drinking water in modern USA and pre-globalized populations. This has anthropological and forensic applications including reconstructing environment and diet in modern and ancient human hair. However, it has not been applied to a modern population outside of the USA, where we expect different diet. Relationships between H and O isotope ratios in drinking water and hair of modern human populations in Asia were different to both modern USA and pre-globalized populations. However, the Asian dataset was closer to the modern USA than to pre-globalized populations. Model parameters suggested slightly higher consumption of locally producedfoods in our sampled population than modern USA residents, but lower than pre-globalized populations. The degree of in vivo amino acid synthesis was comparable to both the modern USA and pre-globalized populations. C isotope ratios reflected the predominantly C3 -based regional agriculture and C4 consumption in northernChina. C, N, and S isotope ratios supported marine food consumption in some coastal locales. N isotope ratios suggested a relatively low consumption of animal-derived products compared to western populations. Am J Phys Anthropol 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Comparison of IL10 and IL2 genotypes of Turkish population with other populationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMMUNOGENETICS, Issue 2 2009A. C. Yaz Summary The human genome has been shaped by evolutionary and historical forces. Therefore, genetic polymorphisms are useful tools not only to understand the susceptibility to disease in modern populations, but the history of ancestral populations as well. For this purpose, data on genetic polymorphisms such as human leucocyte antigen, mitochondrial DNA sequence variability and the frequencies of TAP1 and TAP2 gene variants in Turkey have been reported previously. Here we have used interleukin (IL)-10 (,592C/A, ,819T/C, ,1082G/A) and IL-2 (,330T/G) as genetic markers to study the relationship between Turkish population and other populations. [source] Quantification of dental caries by osteologists and odontologists,a validity and reliability study,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 5 2010C. Liebe-Harkort Abstract As in modern populations, dental caries in early populations is linked to diet and general health. In order to record not only advanced disease states with frank cavitation of teeth but also early lesions, indicating the presence of the disease in a population, it is important that the archaeologist can correctly detect and classify lesions of varying severity. The present study compares and contrasts quantification of dental caries by osteologists and odontologists. Four osteologists and four odontologists undertook visual and radiographic inspection of 61 teeth from three different sources: medieval, 19th century and modern. Separate sets of criteria were applied to disclose observer confidence in detecting a lesion and in estimating lesion extent. For validation of visual assessments, the teeth were sectioned. Radiographic assessments were validated by a specialist in dental radiography. The results disclosed that the odontologists in general showed greater sensitivity than the osteologists, correctly identifying carious lesions, but the osteologists had higher specificity, correctly identifying healthy teeth. Thus, the osteologists tend to overlook carious lesions (under-diagnosis), while the odontologists tend to incorrectly record lesions in healthy teeth (over-diagnosis). For both osteologists and odontologists, correct assessment was poorer for radiographs than for visual inspection. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Schmorl's nodes: clinical significance and implications for the bioarchaeological recordINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2008K. J. Faccia Abstract Back pain is one of the major contributors to disability and loss of productivity in modern populations. However, osteological correlates of back pain are often absent or, as yet, unidentified. As bioarchaeologists depend on osteological evidence to interpret quality of life in the past, back pain, with its profound effects on modern populations, is largely overlooked in archaeological samples. This study addresses this shortcoming in bioarchaeological analysis by exploring the relationship between a defined vertebral osteological lesion, the Schmorl's node, and its effect on quality of life in a clinical population. Using patient insight, healthcare practitioner diagnoses and MR imaging analyses, this study investigates: (1) Schmorl's nodes and sociodemographic factors; (2) the number, location and quantitative aspects (e.g. length, depth, area) of Schmorl's nodes, and how these influence the reporting of pain; (3) the dynamic effects of Schmorl's nodes, in combination with other variables, in the reporting of pain; and (4) the perception and impact of pain that patients attribute to Schmorl's nodes with regard to quality-of-life issues. The results of this study indicate that Schmorl's nodes located in the central portion of the vertebral body are significantly associated with patient reporting of pain, and that the presence of osteophytes, in the affected vertebral region, may increase the likelihood that an individual will report pain. This finding provides bioarchaeologists with an osteological correlate to begin interpreting the presence and impact of pain in archaeological populations, with implications for scoring Schmorl's nodes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A case of bilateral scapholunate advanced collapse in a Romano-British skeleton from AncasterINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 3 2006A. M. Roberts Abstract Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the wrist (radiocarpal joint) is relatively uncommon in modern Western populations, usually occurring as a result of trauma. Clinically, scapholunate advanced collapse (SLAC) is the most common pattern of DJD seen in the wrist, involving a progressive destruction of the radioscaphoid and then the capitolunate joint. There is only one report of SLAC wrist in the palaeopathological literature. In this paper, we report on another ancient case of bilateral SLAC wrists, found in a Roman skeleton from Ancaster, Lincolnshire. The osteological analysis of ANC 01 217 skeleton determined that this was an elderly but robust adult (50+ years) male, about 165,cm tall. The bones were sufficiently well preserved to allow inspection of joint surfaces. The bones were also radiographed. Osteoarthritis (OA) was diagnosed according to accepted palaeopathological criteria: principally the presence of eburnation on a joint surface. Eburnation was found at the articular surfaces of the wrist joint and numerous intercarpal joints bilaterally. The pattern of joints affected matched modern clinical descriptions of SLAC wrist. Radiographic changes characteristic of OA were identifiable at the wrist joint, but not at the intercarpal joints. This case proves that SLAC wrist is identifiable in dry bones, but the discrepancy between the observational and radiographic findings highlights the problems encountered when attempting to compare disease in archaeological versus modern populations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The use of size,frequency diagrams to characterize prehistoric fish catches and to assess human impact on inshore fisheriesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1-2 2001Foss Leach Abstract Archaeological collections of fish bones from previously excavated sites in New Zealand are being re-examined and selected bones measured in order to estimate original fish size, reconstruct prehistoric fish catches and assess human impact on the fishery over the course of about 800 years of New Zealand prehistory. Several problems hamper this research, such as small sample sizes, lack of significant stratigraphy at many sites, inconsistent field collection strategies and failure to retain all of the material after initial analysis. Although some common fish species show a significant decline in mean size between pre-European and early historic samples on the one hand, and modern populations on the other, we have found little support for the common belief that there was a decline in mean fish size during the pre-European period. We have observed increases over time in the mean size of snapper (Pagrus auratus), blue cod (Parapercis colias) and undifferentiated species of Labridae from several sites scattered throughout New Zealand. Distinguishing between changes in fish population structures owing to natural processes, such as surface sea water changes, and those which are the result of human over-fishing is not simple, because both processes can operate simultaneously. We draw on modern fish quota management models to separate these processes. Important factors for each species are inshore biomass and the recruitment rate at different temperature regimes. In the case of blue cod, we find that there are signs in the catch diagrams of changes in fishing technology, and that 30,80% of catches are undersized fish in terms of modern management criteria. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Os incae: variation in frequency in major human population groupsJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 2 2001TSUNEHIKO HANIHARA The variation in frequency of the Inca bone was examined in major human populations around the world. The New World populations have generally high frequencies of the Inca bone, whereas lower frequencies occur in northeast Asians and Australians. Tibetan/Nepalese and Assam/Sikkim populations in northeast India have more Inca bones than do neighbouring populations. Among modern populations originally derived from eastern Asian population stock, the frequencies are highest in some of the marginal isolated groups. In Central and West Asia as well as in Europe, frequency of the Inca bone is relatively low. The incidence of the complete Inca bone is, moreover, very low in the western hemisphere of the Old World except for Subsaharan Africa. Subsaharan Africans show as a whole a second peak in the occurrence of the Inca bone. Geographical and ethnographical patterns of the frequency variation of the Inca bone found in this study indicate that the possible genetic background for the occurrence of this bone cannot be completely excluded. Relatively high frequencies of the Inca bone in Subsaharan Africans indicate that this trait is not a uniquely eastern Asian regional character. [source] Loss of genetic diversity in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) associated with the fur trade of the 18th and 19th centuriesMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 10 2002Shawn Larson Abstract Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) populations experienced widespread reduction and extirpation due to the fur trade of the 18th and 19th centuries. We examined genetic variation within four microsatellite markers and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) d -loop in one prefur trade population and compared it to five modern populations to determine potential losses in genetic variation. While mtDNA sequence variability was low within both modern and extinct populations, analysis of microsatellite allelic data revealed that the prefur trade population had significantly more variation than all the extant sea otter populations. Reduced genetic variation may lead to inbreeding depression and we believe sea otter populations should be closely monitored for potential associated negative effects. [source] Sex differentials in frailty in medieval EnglandAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Sharon N. DeWitte Abstract In most modern populations, there are sex differentials in morbidity and mortality that favor women. This study addresses whether such female advantages existed to any appreciable degree in medieval Europe. The analyses presented here examine whether men and women with osteological stress markers faced the same risks of death in medieval London. The sample used for this study comes from the East Smithfield Black Death cemetery in London. The benefit of using this cemetery is that most, if not all, individuals interred in East Smithfield died from the same cause within a very short period of time. This allows for the analysis of the differences between men and women in the risks of mortality associated with osteological stress markers without the potential confounding effects of different causes of death. A sample of 299 adults (173 males, 126 females) from the East Smithfield cemetery was analyzed. The results indicate that the excess mortality associated with several osteological stress markers was higher for men than for women. This suggests that in this medieval population, previous physiological stress increased the risk of death for men during the Black Death to a greater extent than was true for women. Alternatively, the results might indicate that the Black Death discriminated less strongly between women with and without pre-existing health conditions than was true for men. These results are examined in light of previous analyses of East Smithfield and what is known about diet and sexually mediated access to resources in medieval England. Am J Phys Anthropol 143:285,297, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Oral health and frailty in the medieval English cemetery of St Mary GracesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Sharon N. DeWitte Abstract The analysis of oral pathologies is routinely a part of bioarcheological and paleopathological investigations. Oral health, while certainly interesting by itself, is also potentially informative about general or systemic health. Numerous studies within modern populations have shown associations between oral pathologies and other diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and pulmonary infections. This article addresses the question of how oral health was associated with general health in past populations by examining the relationship between two oral pathologies (periodontal disease and dental caries) and the risk of mortality in a cemetery sample from medieval England. The effects of periodontitis and dental caries on risk of death were assessed using a sample of 190 individuals from the St Mary Graces cemetery, London, dating to ,AD 1350,1538. The results suggest that the oral pathologies are associated with elevated risks of mortality in the St Mary Graces cemetery such that individuals with periodontitis and dental caries were more likely to die than their peers without such pathologies. The results shown here suggest that these oral pathologies can be used as informative indicators of general health in past populations. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Lumbar vertebral morphology and isthmic spondylolysis in a British medieval populationAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Carol V. Ward Abstract The British medieval population from Wharram Percy, England, has a greater prevalence of isthmic spondylolysis (11.9% of skeletons, 8.5% at the L5 level) than in modern populations (3%,6%). This may in part be due to differences in activity patterns between groups. However, Ward and Latimer (Spine 30 [2005] 1808,1814) proposed that the likelihood of developing and maintaining spondylolytic defects is also influenced by a lack of sufficient increase in mediolateral separation between articular processes in the lowest lumbar segments, given the human lumbar lordosis. Here, we demonstrate that spondylolytic individuals from Wharram Percy tend to have a less pronounced difference between mediolateral facet joint spacing of adjacent segments in the lowest lumbar region than do unaffected individuals, as seen in modern clinical and skeletal populations. These comparisons suggest that regardless of lifestyle, insufficient mediolateral increase in facet spacing predisposes people to spondylolytic defects, and so interfacet spacing patterns may have predictive utility in a clinical context. We also compare the Wharram Percy sample to a modern sample from the Hamann Todd collection with a typically modern prevalence rate. Data do not support the hypothesis that the Wharram Percy individuals had a less pronounced interfacet increase than the Hamann Todd, although they do have narrower lumbar facet spacing at the lowest three levels. Further investigation of anatomical variation underlying population-specific prevalence rates needs to be conducted. Am J Phys Anthropol 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Brief communication: Bone remodeling rates in Pleistocene humans are not slower than the rates observed in modern populations: A reexamination of Abbott et al. (1996)AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Margaret Streeter Abstract Bone histomorphometry has been applied to the lower limb cortical bone of Pleistocene humans to establish age at death and to determine bone remodeling rates (Abbott et al.: Am J Phys Anthropol 226 (1996) 307,313). Both of these procedures require the determination of osteon density and mean osteon size. Previous analyses of Middle and Late Pleistocene human lower limb bones have produced bone remodeling rates that are slower than those determined in a more recent archeological sample. Recalculation of the data reported in Abbott et al.: Am J Phys Anthropol 226 (1996) 307,313) has revealed mathematical errors in the remodeling rates reported for the Pleistocene humans. The corrected remodeling rates for the Pleistocene group are similar to the values obtained in the more recent comparative sample. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Broken ribs: Paleopathological analysis of costal fractures in the human identified skeletal collection from the Museu Bocage, Lisbon, Portugal (late 19th to middle 20th centuries)AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Vítor Matos Abstract Although rarely reported in the anthropological literature, rib fractures are commonly found during the analysis of human skeletal remains of past and modern populations. This lack of published data precludes comparison between studies and restricts an accurate understanding either of the mechanisms involved in thoracic injuries or their impact on past societies. The present study aimed: 1) to report rib fracture prevalence in 197 individuals, 109 males, and 88 females, with ages at death ranging from 13 to 88 years old, from the Human Identified Skeletal Collection, Museu Bocage, Portugal (late 19th-middle 20th centuries); 2) to test the hypothesis that a higher prevalence of rib stress fractures existed in the 133 individuals who died from respiratory diseases, in a period before antibiotics. The macroscopic analysis revealed 23.9% (n = 47) of individuals with broken ribs. 2.6% (n = 124) out of 4,726 ribs observed were affected. Males presented more rib fractures, and a significantly higher prevalence was noted for older individuals. Fractures were more frequently unilateral (n = 34), left sided (n = 19) and mainly located on the shaft of ribs from the middle thoracic wall. Nineteen individuals presented adjacent fractured ribs. Individuals who died from pulmonary diseases were not preferentially affected. However, a higher mean rate of fractures was found in those who died from pneumonia, a scenario still common nowadays. Since rib involvement in chest wall injury and its related outcomes are important issues both for paleopathology and forensic anthropology, further investigations are warranted. Am J Phys Anthropol 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Jomon skeletons from the Funadomari site, Hokkaido, and its implication for the origins of Native AmericanAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Noboru Adachi Abstract Ancient DNA recovered from 16 Jomon skeletons excavated from Funadomari site, Hokkaido, Japan was analyzed to elucidate the genealogy of the early settlers of the Japanese archipelago. Both the control and coding regions of their mitochondrial DNA were analyzed in detail, and we could securely assign 14 mtDNAs to relevant haplogroups. Haplogroups D1a, M7a, and N9b were observed in these individuals, and N9b was by far the most predominant. The fact that haplogroups N9b and M7a were observed in Hokkaido Jomons bore out the hypothesis that these haplogroups are the (pre-) Jomon contribution to the modern Japanese mtDNA pool. Moreover, the fact that Hokkaido Jomons shared haplogroup D1 with Native Americans validates the hypothesized genetic affinity of the Jomon people to Native Americans, providing direct evidence for the genetic relationships between these populations. However, probably due to the small sample size or close consanguinity among the members of the site, the frequencies of the haplogroups in Funadomari skeletons were quite different from any modern populations, including Hokkaido Ainu, who have been regarded as the direct descendant of the Hokkaido Jomon people. It appears that the genetic study of ancient populations in northern part of Japan brings important information to the understanding of human migration in northeast Asia and America. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Button osteoma: Its etiology and pathophysiologyAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2002Vered Eshed Abstract The present study investigates a circumscribed bony overgrowth on the cranial vault, known as button osteoma (BtO) and referred to here as button lesion (BtL). We discuss its anthropological implications. Data on its histology, location, and population distribution (by age, race, and gender) are provided. Microscopically, BtL is composed of well-organized dense lamellated bone which is poorly vascularized and with very few osteocytes. It forms a dome-shaped roof over an underlying diploeized area which includes the ectocranial table. The frequency of BtL is similar in modern (37.6%) and archaeological (41.1%) populations, in blacks, whites, males, and females, and correlates with age. It is rare in nonhuman primates. Fifty-five percent of the human skulls studied by us had BtL only on the parietal, 23.6% on the frontal, and 3.6% on the occipital bones. Fifteen percent had BtL on both the frontal and parietal bones. No lateral preference was found. Most skulls with BtL (64.1%) had only one lesion, 20.4% had two BtL, and 15.4% demonstrated multiple BtL. The average number of button osteomas on an affected skull was 1.97. The frequency of large osteomas (0.5,1.0 cm) was similar in young and old age groups. The demographic characteristics of BtL, mainly its high frequency among ancient and modern populations, its independence of sex and race, its scarcity in other primates, and the fact that its macro- and microstruture are indicative of an hamartoma (and not an osteoma or exostosis) suggest an evolutionary background to the phenomenon. Am J Phys Anthropol 118:217,230, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||