Covariación y correlación fenotípica en humanos modernos.

JOSÉ ROLANDO, GONZÁLEZ; VAN DER MOLEN, SILVINA; HERNÁNDEZ MIQUEL,; GONZÁLEZ EMILI,

Biología de las Poblaciones humanas: diversidad, tiempo, espacio.

Ediciones de la Universidad de Oviedo

Lugar: Oviedo; Año: 2004; p. 543 - 551

If phenotypic patterns of covariance are found to be relatively stable, the most probable explanation is that genetic covariance matrices are also stable. Factors like morphological integration account for such stability. Morphological integration can be studied by analyzing the relationships among morphological traits. Correlation and covariance matrices between 47 cranial traits were obtained for 28 populations, and compared with design matrices representing functional and developmental constraints. Among-population differences in patterns of correlation and covariation were also tested for association with matrices of genetic and craniometric distances. Results indicate that correlation and covariance structure in our species is stable and that genetic and morphological distance matrices are highly correlated, but independent of covariance patterns. Correlation and covariation patterns were largely associated with functional and developmental factors, which probably account for the stability of covariance patterns.