Evolution of the pygmy phenotype: evidence of positive selection fro genome-wide scans in African, Asian, and Melanesian pygmies

Abstract

Copyright © 2013 Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan 48201-1309. Human pygmy populations inhabit different regions of the world, from Africa to Melanesia. In Asia, short-statured populations are often referred to as "negritos." Their short stature has been interpreted as a consequence of thermoregulatory, nutritional, and/or locomotory adaptations to life in tropical forests. A more recent hypothesis proposes that their stature is the outcome of a life history trade-off in high-mortality environments, where early reproduction is favored and, consequently, early sexual maturation and early growth cessation have coevolved. Some serological evidence of deficiencies in the growth hor..