Biological affinities between the migrant groups of fishermen of Puri Coast, Orissa, India

Biological affinities between the three endogamous groups of marine fishermen of Puri are examined with the help of nine anthropometric measurements and 22 dermatoglyphic traits of fingers and palms. The results are interpreted in the light of their ethnic, geographical, and migrational backgrounds. Multiple discriminant analysis and Mahalanobis's generalized distances suggest higher discrimination of populations with reference to anthropometric traits as compared to that in dermatoglyphic variables. While the nature of interpopulation distances conforms to the geographic pattern in anthropometrics, no clear picture emerges in the dermatoglyphic distances supporting either ethnic or geographic evidence.     

Biological affinities between migrant and parental populations of fishermen on the east coast of India.

We examined biological affinities between the migrant groups of fishermen in Puri and their parental counterparts using 3 sets of variables: genetic markers, anthropometric measurements, and quantitative dermatoglyphics. Results of both univariate and multivariate analyses suggest a significant migration effect, diversifying migrants from their parental populations, although the distance configurations based on each set of variables resemble each other. The migration effect is particularly remarkable for the anthropometric measurements. The plot of group centroids based on the discriminant analysis of the 7 populations depicts a clear segregation of migrants from the parental populations. Because of relatively large effective population sizes and short history of these populations in Puri, the role of genetic drift can be safely ruled out. However, a founder effect is a plausible reason for the observed differentiation of the migrants from their parental groups, especially given that certain rare variants that were not observed in the parental populations appear in the migrants. That the founders were a select group of fishermen with respect to body dimensions, not a random group, can be inferred from the occupational differences among the migrant groups, which in turn suggests phenotypic plasticity in the observed differentiation. Regression of mean phenotypic variance and heterozygosity on the distance from the centroid suggests a strong possibility of external gene flow into the migrant populations in Puri.     

Quantitative palmar dermatoglyphics and the assessment of population affinities: data from marine fishermen of Puri, India

Variation in quantitative dermatoglyphics among three endogamous groups of marine fishermen of Puri Coast, India, is greater for the palmar variables than for the fingers. This is the case in both the sexes. The pattern of population affinities, however, differs for the males and females. In order to evaluate the importance of palmar variables in population studies, the results in males are compared with those of finger variables and anthropometrics. There is no significant heterogeneity between the groups for finger variables. Although significant intergroup variability is observed in the palmar and anthropometric traits, the two sets of results are not in the same direction. Palmar dermatoglyphic relationships reflect the caste affiliations, while the anthropometric are in line with geographic proximity.     

Quantitative dermatoglyphic asymmetry: a comparative study between schizophrenic patients and control groups of West Bengal, India

Quantitative Fluctuating (FA) and Directional asymmetry (DA) of dermatoglyphics on digito-palmar complex were analyzed in a group of 111 patients (males: 61, females: 50) with schizophrenia (SZ), and compared to an ethnically matched phenotypically healthy control (males: 60, females: 60) through MANOVA, ANOVA and canonical Discriminant analyses. With few exceptions, asymmetries are higher among patients, and this is more prominent in FA than DA. Statistically significant differences were observed between patient and control groups, especially in males. In both sexes, FA of combined dermatoglyphic traits (e.g. total finger ridge count, total palmar pattern ridge count) are found to be a strong discriminator between the two groups with a correct classification of over 83% probability.     

Inbreeding effects on palmar dermatoglyphic characters in three endogamous social groups of West Bengal,India

The present study reports inbreeding effects on mean palmar dermatoglyphic characteristics: triradial count on palm, maximal atd angle, adt angle, td ridge count, ab ridge count, main line index (MLI) and ab ridge breadth. Samples were drawn from adult males belonging to three endogamous sections representing Hindu caste Telaga of Kharagpur (West Midnapore), Ansari Muslims of Nandigram (East Midnapore) and Sheik-Sunni Muslims of Braddhaman in West Bengal, India. Consistent trend of higher mean triradial number, adt angle, and lower mean td ridge count, ab ridge count, and ab ridge breadth was observed in inbred sections compared to their non-inbred relatives in three social groups.     

Asymmetry and diversity of dermatoglyphic traits: population comparison in five endogamous groups of West Bengal, India

Five different endogamous populations encompassing the main social ranks in the caste hierarchy of West Bengal, India were analyzed. To compare variability in populations with contrasting ethnohistorical backgrounds, analysis of variance, Scheffe's test and cluster analysis were performed, as based on dermatoglyphic variables, namely, 22 quantitative traits and 36 indices of diversity and asymmetry. The present study reveals that: 1. Overall disparities among the 5 populations are expressed only in finger ridge counts on the Ist and Vth digits and PII, in a-b ridge counts, in endings of main lines A and D, and in MLI on the palms; 2. Heterogeneity is greater in fluctuating asymmetry than in directional asymmetry; 3. There is a greater heterogeneity in the 22 quantitative traits than in the 36 indices of diversity and asymmetry, with females contributing more than the males; 4. The highest contribution to population variation is by Lodha among five populations; 5. Inter-group variations are homogeneous in most of the variables, which does not correspond with the relationships to caste hierarchy of these populations; 6. The dendrograms based on dermatoglyphic variables demonstrate that the traditional grouping of Indian populations, based on caste hierarchy, may not be a reflection of their genetic origin, in that the pattern of clustering corresponded best with the known ethnohistorical records of the studied populations; 7. Hence, dermatoglyphic affinities may prove quite useful in tracing the ethnohistorical background of populations.     

Qualitative dermatoglyphic traits as measures of population distance

Thirteen Iranian populations of diverse origin have been analyzed for qualitative dermatoglyphic features utilizing bilateral finger and palmar prints of 3,158 individuals. Bimanual differences were significant for some of the features examined, whereas sex differences were frequently nonsignificant. Interpopulational variation displayed significant heterogeneity for all of the features studied. Distance analysis and constructed dendrograms provided separation between populations in agreement with known ethnohistoric records for hypothenar triradii, and for palmar and finger patterns, but not for the terminations of the D-Line.     

Genetics of dermatoglyphic asymmetry in Vaidyas of West Bengal, India

In this study of the genetics of dermatoglyphic asymmetry, we collected bilateral finger and palm prints of 824 individuals from 200 families including 2 generations from an endogamous caste (Vaidya) in Barasat, North 24-Parganas District, West Bengal. Two main types of asymmetry (fluctuating asymmetry and directional asymmetry) were calculated between the two hands. The study includes familial correlation between first-degree relatives, principal-components analysis, and maximum-likelihood-based heritabilities (by pedigree analysis). We found, first, that familial correlations in all possible pairs of relationships (except spouse correlation) were weak but positive; some were even statistically significant. No indication of assortative mating was observed, but the influence of maternal environment could not be discarded. The results also showed that X-chromosome linkage does not seem to be involved. A second major finding is that five principal factors could be extracted from all these asymmetric traits, explaining 74.207% of the overall cumulative variance. Asymmetry of finger and palmar areas were clearly separated by factor. In addition, the heritabilities of the extracted five factors were in the range of 8-24%. These estimates are in agreement with some previously published data. The heritabilities of the factors describing palmar asymmetry are slightly lower than those describing finger asymmetry. The present results support the hypothesis that both types of asymmetry have a genetic basis and are influenced by the intrauterine environment.     

Intergenerational trend of some dermatoglyphic traits in Vaidyas of West Bengal, India

In order to investigate the intergenerational change of dermatoglyphics, fingerprints of 400 individuals were collected from an endogamous caste Vaidyas of Barasat, West Bengal. Results were compared with the data of an earlier sample of Banerjee collected in 35 years before on the same community of the same area. As it is generally known that dermatoglyphics is selectively neutral, thus if no other evolutionary forces play a role, we cannot expect any change of dermatoglyphic characters after several years. In the present study, non-significant change in the frequency of pattern and more or less same PII have been observed in both sexes. But significant quantitative differences were found between the two samples. These differences may not be due to the change of intra-uterine environment, rather due to the inter-observer error of these two studies and the small sample size of the earlier study. Because though same methods were used in both studies, inter-observer variation is much possible in ridge counting than pattern type determination.     

Upper age limit of the East Coast Gondwanas, India

The controversial upper age limit of the East Coast Gondwanas is discussed. A reassessment of the evidence furnished by animal and plant fossils is made in view of recent findings. Whereas the flora points towards a Jurassic age, the ammonites and other invertebrate megafossils indicate a Neocomian age. The microfossils support the concept of an Early Cretaceous age. The conflicting evidence of flora and fauna and the probable reliability of each is discussed. Although there is some doubt about the correctness of the floral testimony, the reliability of faunal evidence seems established, and an Aptian or Albian age is favoured as the upper age limit of the East Coast Gondwanas.     

Socio-demographic patterning of physical activity across migrant groups in India: results from the Indian Migration Study

Objective

To investigate the relationship between rural to urban migration and physical activity (PA) in India.

Methods

6,447 (42% women) participants comprising 2077 rural, 2,094 migrants and 2,276 urban were recruited. Total activity (MET hr/day), activity intensity (min/day), PA Level (PAL) television viewing and sleeping (min/day) were estimated and associations with migrant status examined, adjusting for the sib-pair design, age, site, occupation, education, and socio-economic position (SEP).

Results

Total activity was highest in rural men whereas migrant and urban men had broadly similar activity levels (p<0.001). Women showed similar patterns, but slightly lower levels of total activity. Sedentary behaviour and television viewing were lower in rural residents and similar in migrant and urban groups. Sleep duration was highest in the rural group and lowest in urban non-migrants. Migrant men had considerably lower odds of being in the highest quartile of total activity than rural men, a finding that persisted after adjustment for age, SEP and education (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.37, 0.74). For women, odds ratios attenuated and associations were removed after adjusting for age, SEP and education.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that migrants have already acquired PA levels that closely resemble long-term urban residents. Effective public health interventions to increase PA are needed.     

Genetic affinities of AB0 and Rh blood groups among populations of Andhra Pradesh, India: 2. Tribes

Genetic affinities of 21 tribal populations of Andhra Pradesh are reported in terms of genetic distance analysis with regard to AB0 and Rh loci. These tribal populations show a high degree of differentiation in the distribution of AB0 blood groups. Some tribes exhibit the monomorphism for Rh (D) locus. The genetic distance analysis reveals that the 21 tribes included in this study are genetically distant from one another and the genetic clustering pattern correlates with linguistic/ethnic affiliation and geographical propinquity of these tribal populations to a certain extent. The possible reasons for different cluster formations are discussed.     

Heavy Metal Pollution in Reef Corals of Tuticorin Coast,Southeast Coast of India

This work investigates the metal pollution documented in the skeletons of selected coral species like Acropora formosa, Montipora digitata and Porites andrewsi from the Tuticorin Coast, one of the least studied areas in the Bay of Bengal. Relating heavy metal concentrations to morphological features of skeletons, highest concentrations of all the metals (except Cu and Zn) were found in ramose or branching types of corals. Irrespective of their growth characteristics or patterns, all these species displayed higher concentrations of Pb, Ni, Mn, and Cd within the skeletal part. The study area is currently exposed to a larger degree of metal pollution (natural and anthropogenic) than even before, as a result of the increasing environmental contamination from sewage discharges, the misuse of agricultural chemicals and fertilizers, and top soil erosion. The concentrations of heavy metals obtained in the present study are compared with values from earlier works around the world. This study indicates that corals are vulnerable to the accumulation of high concentrations of heavy metals in their skeletons and therefore can serve as proxies to monitor environmental pollution.     

Digital dermatoglyphic patterns of Eskimo and Amerindian populations: relationships between geographic, dermatoglyphic, genetic, and linguistic distances.

Dermatoglyphic traits have been used to assess population affinities and structure. Here, we describe the digital patterns of four Eskimo populations from Alaska: two Yupik-speaking villages from St. Lawrence Island and two Inupik groups presently residing on mainland Alaska. For a broader evolutionary perspective, these four Eskimo populations are compared to other Inuit groups, to North American Indian populations, and to Siberian aggregates. The genetic structures of 18 New and Old World populations were explored using R-matrix plots and Wright's FST values. The relationships between dermatoglyphic, blood genetic, geographic, and linguistic distances were assessed by comparing matrices through Mantel correlations and through partial and multiple correlations. Statistically significant relationships between dermatoglyphics and genetics, genetics and geography, and geography and language were revealed. In addition, significant correlations between dermatoglyphics and geography, with linguistic variation constant, were noted for females but not for males. These results attest to the usefulness of dermatoglyphics in resolving various evolutionary questions concerning normal human variation.     

Genetic affinities among the lower castes and tribal groups of India: inference from Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA

Background

Past work on asthmatic African American families revealed a strong linkage peak with modest evidence of association on chromosome 11q. Here, we perform tests of association for asthma and a panel of 609 SNPs in African American subjects using a sliding window approach. While efficient in screening a region of dense genotyping, this approach does create some problems: high numbers of tests, assimilating thousands of results, and questions about setting priorities on regions with association signals.

Results

We present a newly developed tool, Graphical Assessment of Sliding P-values or GrASP, which uses color display to indicate the width of the sliding windows, significance of individual tests, density of SNP coverage and location of known genes that simplifies some of these issues, and use it to identify regions of interest in these data.

Conclusion

We demonstrate that GrASP makes it easier to visualize, summarize and prioritize regions of interest from sliding window haplotype analysis, based jointly on the p-value from all the tests from these windows and the building of haplotypes of significance in the region. Using this approach, five regions yielded strong evidence for linkage and association with asthma, including the prior peak linkage region.     

Associations between dermatoglyphic variation, topography, and climate in Kenya

Correlations between a number of dermatoglyphic finger and palmar taxonomic traits relating to 57 male and 53 female Kenyan populations, and altitude and mean annual rainfall are significant, not only in terms of the full range of samples, but also when samples are divided into independent smaller groups. These results are discussed and contrasted with those of other studies which have found no relationships between dermatoglyphic variation and climate in sub-Saharan Africa.     

The dermatoglyphic characteristics of two isolated Bedouin groups from South Sinai

The dermatoglyphics of the Muzeina and Gebeliya Bedouin tribes, two small biologically isolated populations, leading a similar nomadic life under the specific conditions of the Sinai desert, were studied. The differences found between the studied samples concern particularly the frequencies of palmar and finger pattern types. These differences are in agreement with data on the origin of the tribes, a Negro and/or European admixture being evident in the Gebeliya dermatoglyphics. The coefficients of variation for some quantitative dermatoglyphic traits, presumably with a polygenic determination, are lower in the Muzeina than in the Gebeliya sample. Isolation and consanguinity may exert their influence on the dermatoglyphic traits influencing the frequencies of the corresponding genes.     

People of India: Biological diversity and affinities

The Indian subcontinent comprises a vast collection of peoples with different morphological, genetic, cultural, and linguistic characteristics. While much of this variability is indigenous, a considerable fraction of it has been introduced through large-scale immigrations into India in historical times. From an evolutionary standpoint, it is of immense interest to quantify biological diversity in contemporary human populations, to study biological affinities and to relate observed patterns of affinities with cultural, linguistic and demographic histories of populations. Such efforts are intended to shed light on the peopling of India. The purpose of this paper is to present a broad overview of the physical (anthropometric) and genetic diversities and affinities of the peoples of India. I shall also attempt to examine how well biological, particularly genetic, diversities and affinities correlate with geographical, socio-cultural, and linguistic diversities and affinities. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

A new species of Cycas from the Malabar Coast, Western Ghats, India

A new cycad species,Cycas annaikalensis, has been discovered from the Malabar Coast of the southern Western Ghats of India. Although geographically distributed in a small population within the range ofC. circinalis, it can be distinguished from the other described IndianCycas species by its distinct habitat, habit, morphology of vegetative and reproductive parts, and anatomy of leaflets.