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- Baas, Pauline, et al.
(author)
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Population-level assessment of genetic diversity and habitat fragmentation in critically endangered Grauer's gorillas
- 2018
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In: American Journal of Physical Anthropology. - : Wiley. - 0002-9483 .- 1096-8644. ; 165:3, s. 565-575
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: The critically endangered Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) has experienced an estimated 77% population decline within a single generation. Although crucial for informed conservation decisions, there is no clear understanding about population structure and distribution of genetic diversity across the species' highly fragmented range. We fill this gap by studying several core and peripheral Grauer's gorilla populations throughout their distribution range.Materials and Methods: We generated genetic profiles for a sampling of an unstudied population of Grauer's gorillas from within the species' core range at 13 autosomal microsatellite loci and combined them with previously published and newly generated data from four other Grauer's gorilla populations, two mountain gorilla populations, and one western lowland gorilla population.Results: In agreement with previous studies, the genetic diversity of Grauer's gorillas is intermediate, falling between western lowland and mountain gorillas. Among Grauer's gorilla populations, we observe lower genetic diversity and high differentiation in peripheral compared with central populations, indicating a strong effect of genetic drift and limited gene flow among small, isolated forest fragments.Discussion: Although genetically less diverse, peripheral populations are frequently essential for the long-term persistence of a species and migration between peripheral and core populations may significantly enrich the overall species genetic diversity. Thus, in addition to central Grauer's gorilla populations from the core of the distribution range that clearly deserve conservation attention, we argue that conservation strategies aiming to ensure long-term species viability should include preserving peripheral populations and enhancing habitat connectivity.
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- Budd, Chelsea, et al.
(author)
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The Aquatic Neolithic : isotope, aDNA, radiocarbon, and osteological data analysis reveal asynchronous behavior in early prehistoric human societies of Ukraine
- 2020
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In: American Journal of Physical Anthropology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0002-9483 .- 1096-8644. ; 171:S69, s. 40-40
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In Europe the characterization of the Neolithic period is traditionally dominated by the advent of agro-pastoralism. Neolithic populations in the Dnieper Valley region of south-central Ukraine are notably divergent from this trend. From the Epi-Palaeolithic-Neolithic periods (ca. 10,000 - 6000 cal BC), evidence for the adoption of agro-pastoral technologies is absent from archaeological assemblages. It is not until the Eneolithic period (ca. 4500 cal BC) that we observe the beginnings of a transition to farming in the Dnieper region. One hypothesis suggests that spikes in aridity propagated a hunting crisis in Mesolithic populations, which prompted a delay in the transition and the reshaped of Mesolithic subsistence practices to focus on freshwater aquatic resources to supplement terrestrial herbivores such as boar and deer.This research presents 300+ human and faunal samples (including 80 unpublished results), using multi-disciplinary techniques such as DNA analysis and various isotope applications, alongside osteological analysis, to provide holistic individual life histories. The results show long-term continuation of ܪshing practices from the Epi-Palaeolithic to Neolithic periods - no distinct shift from hunting to ܪshing practices took place. DNA results show the predominance of indigenous hunter-gatherers, with limited genetic inclusions from proximal Anatolian farming populations. Thus, despite the availability of plentiful dietary resources and the westward inܫuence of extra-local farming populations, the prehistoric communities of the Dnieper region remained resistant to change and resilient in terms of their subsistence strategies, with freshwater resources providing a ‘buffer’ against any perceived impacts from climate variability.
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- Coutinho, Alexandra, et al.
(author)
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Later Stone Age human hair from Vaalkrans Shelter, Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, reveals genetic affinity to Khoe groups
- 2021
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In: American Journal of Physical Anthropology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0002-9483 .- 1096-8644. ; 174:4, s. 701-713
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Previous studies show that the indigenous people of the southern Cape of South Africa were dramatically impacted by the arrival of European colonists starting ~400 years ago and their descendants are today mixed with Europeans and Asians. To gain insight on the occupants of the Vaalkrans Shelter located at the southernmost tip of Africa, we investigated the genetic make-up of an individual who lived there about 200 years ago. We further contextualize the genetic ancestry of this individual among prehistoric and current groups. From a hair sample excavated at the shelter, which was indirectly dated to about 200 years old, we sequenced the genome (1.01 times coverage) of a Later Stone Age individual. We analyzed the Vaalkrans genome together with genetic data from 10 ancient (pre-colonial) individuals from southern Africa spanning the last 2000 years. We show that the individual from Vaalkrans was a man who traced ~80% of his ancestry to local southern San hunter–gatherers and ~20% to a mixed East African-Eurasian source. This genetic make-up is similar to modern-day Khoekhoe individuals from the Northern Cape Province (South Africa) and Namibia, but in the southern Cape, the Vaalkrans man's descendants have likely been assimilated into mixed-ancestry “Coloured” groups. The Vaalkrans man's genome reveals that Khoekhoe pastoralist groups/individuals lived in the southern Cape as late as 200 years ago, without mixing with non-African colonists or Bantu-speaking farmers. Our findings are also consistent with the model of a Holocene pastoralist migration, originating in Eastern Africa, shaping the genomic landscape of historic and current southern African populations.
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- Coutinho, Alexandra, et al.
(author)
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The Neolithic Pitted Ware culture foragers were culturally but not genetically influenced by the Battle Axe culture herders
- 2020
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In: American Journal of Physical Anthropology. - : Wiley. - 0002-9483 .- 1096-8644. ; 172:4, s. 638-649
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ObjectivesIn order to understand contacts between cultural spheres in the third millennium BC, we investigated the impact of a new herder culture, the Battle Axe culture, arriving to Scandinavia on the people of the sub‐Neolithic hunter‐gatherer Pitted Ware culture. By investigating the genetic make‐up of Pitted Ware culture people from two types of burials (typical Pitted Ware culture burials and Battle Axe culture‐influenced burials), we could determine the impact of migration and the impact of cultural influences.MethodsWe sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 25 individuals from typical Pitted Ware culture burials and from Pitted Ware culture burials with Battle Axe culture influences in order to determine if the different burial types were associated with different gene‐pools.ResultsThe genomic data show that all individuals belonged to one genetic population—a population associated with the Pitted Ware culture—irrespective of the burial style.ConclusionWe conclude that the Pitted Ware culture communities were not impacted by gene‐flow, that is, via migration or exchange of mates. These different cultural expressions in the Pitted Ware culture burials are instead a consequence of cultural exchange.
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- Felton, Annika
(author)
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Fermented food consumption in wild nonhuman primates and its ecological drivers
- 2021
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In: American Journal of Physical Anthropology. - : Wiley. - 0002-9483 .- 1096-8644. ; 175, s. 513-530
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives Although fermented food use is ubiquitous in humans, the ecological and evolutionary factors contributing to its emergence are unclear. Here we investigated the ecological contexts surrounding the consumption of fruits in the late stages of fermentation by wild primates to provide insight into its adaptive function. We hypothesized that climate, socioecological traits, and habitat patch size would influence the occurrence of this behavior due to effects on the environmental prevalence of late-stage fermented foods, the ability of primates to detect them, and potential nutritional benefits.Materials and methods We compiled data from field studies lasting at least 9 months to describe the contexts in which primates were observed consuming fruits in the late stages of fermentation. Using generalized linear mixed-effects models, we assessed the effects of 18 predictor variables on the occurrence of fermented food use in primates.Results Late-stage fermented foods were consumed by a wide taxonomic breadth of primates. However, they generally made up 0.01%-3% of the annual diet and were limited to a subset of fruit species, many of which are reported to have mechanical and chemical defenses against herbivores when not fermented. Additionally, late-stage fermented food consumption was best predicted by climate and habitat patch size. It was more likely to occur in larger habitat patches with lower annual mean rainfall and higher annual mean maximum temperatures.Discussion We posit that primates capitalize on the natural fermentation of some fruits as part of a nutritional strategy to maximize periods of fruit exploitation and/or access a wider range of plant species. We speculate that these factors contributed to the evolutionary emergence of the human propensity for fermented foods.
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- Fibiger, Linda, et al.
(author)
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Patterns of violence-related skull trauma in neolithic southern scandinavia
- 2013
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In: American Journal of Physical Anthropology. - : Wiley. - 0002-9483. ; 150:2, s. 190-202
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article examines evidence for violence as reflected in skull injuries in 378 individuals from Neolithic Denmark and Sweden (3,9001,700 BC). It is the first large-scale crossregional study of skull trauma in southern Scandinavia, documenting skeletal evidence of violence at a population level. We also investigate the widely assumed hypothesis that Neolithic violence is male-dominated and results in primarily male injuries and fatalities. Considering crude prevalence and prevalence for individual bones of the skull allows for a more comprehensive understanding of interpersonal violence in the region, which is characterized by endemic levels of mostly nonlethal violence that affected both men and women. Crude prevalence for skull trauma reaches 9.4% in the Swedish and 16.9% in the Danish sample, whereas element-based prevalence varies between 6.2% for the right frontal and 0.6% for the left maxilla, with higher figures in the Danish sample. Significantly more males are affected by healed injuries but perimortem injuries affect males and females equally. These results suggest habitual male involvement in nonfatal violence but similar risks for both sexes for sustaining fatal injuries. In the Danish sample, a bias toward front and left-side injuries and right-side injuries in females support this scenario of differential involvement in habitual interpersonal violence, suggesting gendered differences in active engagement in conflict. It highlights the importance of large-scale studies for investigating the scale and context of violence in early agricultural societies, and the existence of varied regional patterns for overall injury prevalence as well as gendered differences in violence-related injuries. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2013. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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- Gavrus-Ion, Alina, et al.
(author)
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Measuring fitness heritability : Life history traits versus morphological traits in humans
- 2017
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In: American Journal of Physical Anthropology. - : Wiley. - 0002-9483 .- 1096-8644. ; 164:2, s. 321-330
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ObjectivesTraditional interpretation of Fisher's Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection is that life history traits (LHT), which are closely related with fitness, show lower heritabilities, whereas morphological traits (MT) are less related with fitness and they are expected to show higher heritabilities. In humans, although few studies have examined the heritability of LHT and MT, none of them have analyzed the same sample for comparative purposes. Here we assessed, for the first time, the heritability, additive genetic variance (VA), residual variance (VR) and coefficient of genetic additive variation (CVA) values of LHT and MT in a singular collection of identified skulls with associated demographic records from Hallstatt (Austria).Materials and MethodsLHT, such as lifespan, number of offspring, age at birth of first and last child, reproductive span, and lifetime reproductive success, were estimated from 18,134 individuals from the Hallstatt Catholic parish records, which represent seven generations and correspond to a time span of 400 years. MT were assessed through 17 craniofacial indices and 7 angles obtained from 355 adult crania from the same population. Heritability, VA, VR, and CVA values of LHT and MT were calculated using restricted maximum likelihood methods.ResultsLHT heritabilities ranged from 2.3 to 34% for the whole sample, with men showing higher heritabilities (4–45%) than women (0-23.7%). Overall, MT presented higher heritability values than most of LHT, ranging from 0 to 40.5% in craniofacial indices, and from 13.8 to 32.4% in craniofacial angles. LHT showed considerable additive genetic variance values, similar to MT, but also high environmental variance values, and most of them presenting a higher evolutionary potential than MT.DiscussionOur results demonstrate that, with the exception of lifespan, LHT show lower heritability values, than MT. The lower heritability of LHT is explained by a higher influence of environmental and cultural factors.
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