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A morphometric analyzes of the polyethnic diversity seen in the skeletal nose: understanding the anatomical foundation of adaptive plasticity
Author(s) -
Huang Yilan,
Gogen Akin,
Marquez Samuel
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.6.a966-c
Subject(s) - craniofacial , crania , nose , biology , anatomy , genetics
The nasal apparatus (NA) is a dynamic thermoregulatory organ of respiration that provides the key physiologic role for the air‐conditioning process of inspiratory airflow. The polyethnic diversity seen in the skeletal portion of the NA exhibits distinctive anatomical differences that may be explained by the physiologic responses to the climatic environmentally challenging conditions encountered by early human migratory populations. This morphometric study examines the three traditional anatomical patterns of the nasal region: platyrrhine, mesorrhine, and leptorrhine. A pooled mixed sex sample of dry adult crania (n=30) from Africa, Europe, and Asia were selected from the American Museum of Natural History. Fifteen craniofacial linear and volumetric measures were obtained e.g., facial height, sinus volume and piriform aperture area (PAA). Analysis of variance (ANOVA), regression, and Pearson correlation analysis were used for analysis. The vertical and facial length measures were found to be significant with ANOVA for nasofrontal angle ( p < .05). Bivariate regression plots showed significant relationship between PAA and nasal breadth ( p < .04); and to nasal height ( p < .03). Correlations between facial heights and lengths to nasal length were revealed. External nasal parameters show the strongest discriminating variable in our study. The polyethnic diversity seen in the nasal region may reflect the anatomic plastic capabilities exhibited in modern humans permitting the rapid adaptation of respiratory solutions allowing populations to thrive in a wide range of climatic conditions.