Abstract

PASCHETTA, Carolina  and  GONZALEZ-JOSE, Rolando. Canalización e integración morfológica en poblaciones humanas modernas de diferentes contextos culturales y orígenes geográficos. Rev Arg Antrop Biol [online]. 2012, vol.14, n.1, pp.101-112. ISSN 1514-7991.

The adult phenotype is the result of a complex network of interactions between the genotype and the environment. Among the factors that contribute to establish the adult phenotype, developmental processes are particularly important in determining patterns of variation at different organization levels within the individual. In this work, two products of such developmental processes, canalization and morphological integration, are evaluated at different skull regions or modules in six modern human populations differing in their life-style and geographic origins. Canalization is defined as the resistance of a population to respond to environmental or genetic differences by increasing the variation in their phenotypes. Morphological integration is defined as the interrelationship degree in the expression of different characters. Results indicate that the neurocranium and the base are the most canalized of the studied structures, whereas structures related to mastication tend to show differing levels of canalization. Morphological integration is most evident in the temporal fossa and the temporo mandibular joint. In general, these results indicate that variable levels of canalization and morphological integration can arise as a response to different environmental stimuli like life strategy and/or diet hardness.

Keywords : Geometric morphometrics; Craniofacial variability; Developmental processes.

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