Fuego-Patagonia's marine and terrestrial groups were historically described as phenotypically distinct but, studies of these phenotypic differences have yet to be conducted. This study evaluates phenotypic variation in Fuego-Patagonia. Phenotypic disparities result from extrinsic and intrinsic factors and therefore can reveal differences in both long and short term adaptations as well as genetic differences. Fifty-one adults were assessed. A total of six post-cranial measurements were included: maximum length of the humerus (MHL); maximum length of the radius (MRL); Bicondylar length of the femur (BFL); Maximum length of the tibia (MTL); bi-iliac breadth (BIB), and; antero-posterior diameter of the femoral head (FHD). Brachial index, crural index, body mass, body mass index and stature were then calculated. In general, terrestrial individuals had longer lower limb bones and were the tallest and heaviest. Marine individuals had the shortest bones and were shorter and lighter. Mixed-economy individuals showed mostly intermediate values. The trends are more marked in males than in females. The results suggests the presence of an east-to-west phenotypic gradient in the region that may have resulted from intrinsic and/or extrinsic differences between the groups. But, the sample size of this study is small, and thus the results should be cautiously considered.Key words: Phenotypic variation, Fuego-Patagonia, human colonization.
Históricamente grupos marinos y terrestres de Fuego-Patagonia fueron descritos como fenotípicamente distintos. Este estudio examina la presencia de esta variación fenotípica, la cual de existir, podría ser resultado de factores extrínsecos, como son los procesos adaptativos de corto o largo plazo e intrínsecos como son los factores genéticos. La muestra se compone de 51 individuos adultos. Se incluyeron seis mediciones post-craneales: longitud máxima del húmero (MHL); longitud máxima del radio (MRL); longitud bicondilar del fémur (BFL); longitud máxima de la tibia (MTL); ancho bi-ilíaco (BIB), y; diámetro antero-posterior de la cabeza femoral (FHD
Thus, this Late Holocene, widely distributed practice, was not a reflection of ethnicity, but a material expression of information circulation and the complex social relations that these small-size groups had with one another. These results suggest that the emergence of modern ethnic identities in the region is a historic process that resulted from the interaction of local groups with European and Criollos.
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