CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Proportionality of phenotypic and geneticdistance is of crucial importance to adequately focus onpopulation history and structure, and it depends on theproportionality of genetic and phenotypic covariance. Constancyof phenotypic covariances is unlikely without constancyof genetic covariation if the latter is a substantialcomponent of the former. If phenotypic patterns are foundto be relatively stable, the most probable explanation isthat genetic covariance matrices are also stable. Factorslike morphological integration account for such stability.Morphological integration can be studied by analyzing therelationships among morphological traits. We presenthere a comparison of phenotypic correlation and covariancestructure among worldwide human populations. Correlationand covariance matrices between 47 cranial traitswere obtained for 28 populations, and compared with designmatrices representing functional and developmentalconstraints. Among-population differences in patterns ofcorrelation and covariation were tested for associationwith matrices of genetic distances (obtained after an examinationof 10 Alu-insertions) and with Mahalanobisdistances (computed after craniometrical traits). All matrixcorrelations were estimated by means of Mantel tests.Results indicate that correlation and covariance structurein our species is stable, and that among-group correlation/covariance similarity is not related to genetic or phenotypicdistance. Conversely, genetic and morphological distancematrices were highly correlated. Correlation andcovariation patterns were largely associated with functionaland developmental factors, which probably accountfor the stability of covariance patterns. Am J Phys Anthropol123:6977, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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