South-Amerindian Craniofacial Morphology: Diversity and Implications on Amerindian Evolution

MARINA SARDI,; RAMÍREZ ROZZI, FERNANDO; GONZÁLEZ-JOSÉ, ROLANDO; HECTOR PUCCIARELLI,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Año: 2005 vol. 128 p. 747 - 756

0002-9483

The most compelling models concerning the peopling of the Americas consider that Amerindians constitute a homogeneous population in biological terms. The aim of the present study is to assess the homogeneity of the craniofacial morphology of South American Amerindians in a worldwide context. Forty-three linear variables were analyzed on crania derived from American, Asian, Australo-Melanesian, European, South-Saharan African and Polynesian regions. In order to understand morphologic diversity among Amerindians of South America regarding the non-Amerindian groups, variation has been estimated using regions and local populations as the units of analysis. Variances and FST values were calculated for each unit respectively. Both analyses indicate that the morphologic variation in southern Amerindians is extremely high, in contrast with the presumed biological homogeneity. Some issues which could explain this high variation as a result of micro evolutionary processes as well as others linked to the origin of Amerindians are discussed.