Evolution of dentition in prehistoric Ohio Valley Native Americans III. Metrics of deciduous dentition.

Deciduous tooth size in Native Americans of the Ohio Valley area is fairly stable from the terminal Late Archaic (3200 BP) through the Late Prehistoric (350 BP) periods. Some fluctuation in average size did occur during this time. These fluctuations most likely reflect random changes due to gene drift. However, no difference in the pattern of interactions among the sizes of teeth (covariance structures) can be demonstrated during this period. Principal components analysis of the buccolingual and mesiodistal dimensions in the total sample indicate that the major axis of deciduous tooth size in the Ohio Valley population shows an allometric relationship, with the dimensions of the anterior teeth increasing (or decreasing) as the 1.33 power of the dimension of m1(1) and as the 2.0 power of the dimension of m2(2). Comparison of the Ohio Valley samples with other samples from the Eastern Woodlands suggests that geography may have played a minor role in structuring deciduous tooth size variation. For the most part, however, widely separated Eastern Woodlands populations appear to have been evolving independently with respect to deciduous tooth size.

Estimation of sex from the talus in prehistoric Native Americans.

We present both a multivariate discriminant analysis and a univariate procedure to estimate sex from measures of the talus (length, width and height). Both methods are comparable in accuracy (about 85%), but the univariate procedure ispreferred due to its simplicity.

Comparison of population structure in Ohio's late archaic and late prehistoric periods.

Previous studies of population structure among prehistoric groups in the Ohio valley region have shown that hunting-gathering populations exhibited a different structure than horticultural populations. Among both Late Archaic hunter-gatherers and Late Prehistoric horticulturists, covariance structures for cranial metrics were found to be homogenous within the populations, but the Late Archaic subpopulations showed little differentiation while the Late Prehistoric subpopulations exhibited a marked differentiation. Biodistance based on cranial discrete trait frequency showed similar patterns, but in the Late Archaic discrete trait distance was associated significantly with the geographical distance separating populations. The present investigation is an extension of the previous studies increasing the Late Prehistoric sample (n = 8 samples and n = 341 individuals) and using the Harpending-Ward model, modified for use with multivariate quantitative data, to estimate the effects of differential gene flow and the amount of differentiation within populations. Results of the present analyses indicate that differentiation among subpopulations, measured by minimum F(ST), was greater in the Late Prehistoric compared to the Late Archaic period. However, for both periods the minimum F(ST) is comparable to values found for historic native populations of the northeast woodlands. Analysis of differential gene flow in the Late Archaic period indicates that geographically peripheral populations were affected more by external gene flow than more central populations. Late Prehistoric populations exhibit a very complex pattern of differential gene flow. We discuss the latter pattern in terms of proposed culture change in the Late Prehistoric period of Ohio.

Evolution of the dentition in prehistoric Ohio Valley Native Americans: II. Morphology of the deciduous dentition.

In order to evaluate the microevolutionary dynamics of morphological features of the deciduous dentition, I collected data on the variation of 57 features (33 crown and 24 root) from prehistoric Ohio Valley populations. I sampled a total of 370 individuals from 26 populations representing a lineage that inhabited the middle and upper Ohio valley region from approximately 3000 to 350 BP. Evolutionary changes in the frequencies of morphological features of the deciduous teeth in this lineage were limited. Over 80% of the features show no significant differences among the populations. The relatively few features that show consistent differences separate pre- and postmaize agricultural populations. I discuss explanations for this change in terms of selection differences or gene flow. The general pattern of morphological trait expression in the deciduous teeth of this Ohio Valley lineage corresponds to what has been termed the Mongoloid dental complex (sinodonty in the permanent teeth). I suggest additional features that, with further study, may be added to this morphological complex.

A method for estimating weight in children from femoral midshaft diameter and age.

In this investigation, we relate transverse midshaft diameter of the femur, age, and weight in a sample of 183 children from Central Ohio. Age and femur diameter considered separately are similar in their ability to predict weight. Considering all sex and ancestry groupings (male, female, white, black), age explains between 90% to 96.8% of the variation in weight while femur diameter explains between 93% to 97.4%. However, estimates of individual weight from age or femur diameter have very large 95% prediction limits. Using age and femur diameter together results in a greater proportion of the variation in weight explained, 97.7% for the total sample, but the 95% prediction limits are similar to those using femur diameter alone.

A method for establishing the age of subadults.

Accurate estimates of age-at-death of subadult human skeletal remains are limited because of the dearth of information on the covariance among reliable indicators in recent samples of children. To obtain these kinds of data, namely patterns of maturation among dental development, epiphyseal union, and long bone growth, we focused on a radiographic method using recently decreased children. A total of 183 subadult cadavers were examined using X-radiographs of the six long bones and the mandibular dentition with measurements and evaluations thereof. The results of this study show that cadaver samples can relatively inexpensively, provide accurate and precise information on the covariance of subadult age indicators and thus can contribute to the formation of age standards for population lacking such data.

Brief communication: an update on stature estimation in prehistoric Native Americans of Ohio.

We present regression equations to estimate skeletal height and stature for prehistoric Native Americans of Ohio. The regression equations are based on skeletal height as the dependent variable and various postcranial elements and combinations of elements as the independent variables. A total of 171 individuals, 95 males and 76 females, make up the sample. The present sample includes the 64 individuals we previously used for stature estimation (Sciulli et al.: Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 83:275-280, 1990) and 107 additional individuals distributed more widely in time and space. The present more inclusive sample, however, shows the same proportional contributions to skeletal height of each skeletal height component as the previous sample. This result suggests that these proportions were a consistent feature of the prehistoric Native Americans of Ohio. Because the prehistoric Native Americans of Ohio were characterized by relatively long legs and distal elements of the limbs, stature estimation from regressions based on East Asian populations, which express in general relatively short legs and distal limb elements, will overestimate stature in Native Americans of Ohio and, possibly, all Eastern Woodlands Native Americans.

Phenotypic evolution in prehistoric Ohio Amerindians: natural selection versus random genetic drift in tooth size reduction.

Many anthropologic investigations involve measurement and analysis of polygenic skeletal and dental traits in prehistoric populations from which genetic details cannot be inferred. However, population genetics concepts can be applied productively to analyses of phenotypic variation in prehistoric human populations. One potentially useful approach, derived from basic quantitative genetics (Lande 1976, p. 314), models the effects of natural selection and random genetic drift on the evolution of the average phenotype in a population. We apply this model to the problem of dental size reduction in three prehistoric Amerindian populations from Ohio. Conversion of mean log-transformed buccolingual diameters for six permanent teeth (maxillary and mandibular I1, M1, and M2) to phenotypic standard deviation units reveals significant size reduction in the maxillary teeth only. By assuming 40 generations (t) between the 2 populations and a narrow heritability (h2) range of 0.30-0.70, the estimated minimum selective mortality required to produce the reductions is 1.8 deaths per 100 persons per generation. Given the same t and h2 values, the effective population size (Ne) needed to reject the neutral hypothesis (i.e., random genetic drift) with 95% confidence is approximately 150. Because paleodemographic and ethnographic studies suggest minimum effective sizes of this magnitude for these populations, we tentatively reject random genetic drift and conclude that selective mortality is most probably responsible for the maxillary tooth size reduction observed.

Stature estimation in prehistoric Native Americans of Ohio.

In the present report we investigate stature estimation techniques in a sample of 64 (35 male, 29 female) prehistoric Native Americans from Ohio. Because living stature is unknown for these 64 individuals, we use Fully's (1956) anatomical method to provide the best estimates of living stature. In this method all osseous components of skeletal height are measured and soft tissue correction is added. Comparisons of regression equations commonly used for stature estimation in prehistoric Eastern Woodland Native American populations, but developed for East Asian and East Asian-derived populations (using lower extremity components), show that these commonly used equations consistently yield stature estimates 2 to 8 cm in excess of the best estimates from Fully's method. Based on the skeletal height measures of the 64 individuals in the present sample, we develop regression equations for the estimation of stature. These equations yield stature estimates virtually identical to estimates from Fully's method and may prove useful for stature reconstruction in other prehistoric Eastern Woodland Native American populations.

Cranial metric and discrete trait variation and biological differentiation in the terminal Late Archaic of Ohio: the Duff site cemetery.

Cranial metric and discrete traits were collected from adult individuals of the terminal Late Archaic Duff site cemetery (33 LO 111). Comparisons of cranial metric traits among eight terminal Late Archaic samples including the Duff site sample showed that all samples shared the same generalized variance and by inference the same pattern of shape variation. Some significant size differences were found but these were interpreted as reflecting only minor differences in the underlying polygenic system or differences in environmental interactions. The overall similarity in cranial metrics among the terminal Late Archaic samples strongly suggests that they represent populations that, at least, shared a recent common ancestor. Analysis of discrete trait variation in all the terminal Late Archaic samples showed that the biological distances between samples are associated significantly with the between-sample geographical distances. This association accounts for approximately 25% of the variation in discrete trait frequencies. These results along with the results of the analysis of cranial metrics indicate that all of the terminal Late Archaic samples considered here are related, but geographically nearer samples are more closely related than distant ones.

Deciduous dentition of a Late Archaic population of Ohio.

I describe the developmental, metric, morphologic, and pathologic features of deciduous dentition in a terminal Late Archaic (c. 3000 B.P.) Native American population in Ohio. Development of deciduous dentition in this Late Archaic population is stable with little sequence variation. The pattern of development (ldc, ldp3, ldp4) cannot be shown to be different from a modern Euro-American sample. There is an indication, however, that the permanent first molar in the Late Archaic population developed somewhat more rapidly with respect to the deciduous teeth than in the Euro-American sample. Metric and morphologic features of deciduous dentition in the Late Archaic population appear typical for a population of northeast Asian descent. In general, these metric and morphologic features are shown to be useful in distinguishing among populations of differing ancestries. Developmental and acquired pathologic conditions of deciduous dentition are rare or absent in the Late Archaic population. Absence of linear enamel hypoplasia indicates sufficient access to basic resources for the younger children of this population, and the low frequency of caries reflects the relatively cariogenic-free nature of the diet of these hunter-gatherers.

Analysis of the Ft. Laurens, Ohio, skeletal sample.

This report describes the analysis of the Colonial Period (1779) skeletal sample (N = 21) from Ft. Laurens, Ohio. The determination of age, sex, and ancestry reveals a relatively young sample (mean = 23.5 years) of males of northern European ancestry. Morphometric analysis shows little difference in cranial and postcranial size and shape measures between this sample and a modern sample of Euro-Americans and previously described Colonial to Civil War samples. The analysis of skeletal pathologies indicates that the individuals in the Ft. Laurens sample were active and subject to at least moderate amounts of stress. Dental pathologies were frequent, with a caries incidence higher than would be expected for a Euro-American Colonial period sample. Numerous traumatic pathologies, in the form of cut and hack marks, are present in this sample. These marks were expected, since historical records indicate a violent death and scalping for virtually all individuals lost at Ft. Laurens. The results of the various analyses are interpreted in light of available historical information. In most cases the results are consistent with historically based expectations.

Phenotypic selection on the dentition in a Late Archaic population of Ohio.

Significant phenotypic selection acting on the buccolingual diameters of the permanent first and second molars is established for a Late Archaic population in Ohio. Directional selection appears to be acting on an index that increases the size of the maxillary first (UM1) and mandibular second (LM2) molars and decreases the size of the maxillary second (UM2) and mandibular first (LM1) molars. Variance selection is fundamentally disruptive but results in a more integrated (highly correlated) set of characteristics in the after-selection sample.

Third trochanter incidence and metric trait covariation in the human femur.

The relationship between third trochanter incidence and femoral metric trait covariation has been investigated in a group of 60 left human femora. The experimental sample was constructed so that one group consisted of 15 male and 15 female femora which displayed a third trochanter and a second group consisted of an equal number of sexed long bones which lacked this trait. A battery of ten femoral measurements was sorted according to main effects and interactions and respective covariance matrices were tested for equivalence. Covariance matrices of sorted variables determined not to be significantly different were initially subjected to both ANOVA and MANOVA and subsequently to a principal component analysis. Covariance matrices determined to be significantly different were subjected to a principal component analysis separately. Results of this study indicate that third trochanter incidence is associated with short femora displaying robust proximal diaphyses. The gluteus maximus muscle may act as a primary factor governing third trochanter expression. Further, this infracranial discrete trait appears well suited for human taxonomy studies.

Double-rooted maxillary primary canines.

This paper includes morphological descriptions of bifurcated maxillary primary canines. Three major primary canine root types are recognized: A single root without trace of a groove, a root with a faint to distinct labial groove, a root with a broad and deep labial groove in the apical portion of the root.

Cranial variation in the terminal Late Archaic of Ohio.

Cranial and mandibular discrete traits and cranial metric traits were collected from 99-125 individuals in eight terminal Late Archaic sites. The analysis of ten metric traits in six samples showed that the samples shared the same generalized variance and that sexual dimorphism in the means of the metric traits was greater than inter-site differences. Since these samples share the same size and shape expression of a complex set of polygenic traits, we hypothesize a historical relationship among these samples. Discrete trait analysis showed a pattern of differentiation among the eight samples. This pattern of differentiation is related directly to the geographical separation between samples, and, as with metric traits, cultural differences do not contribute to the pattern of biological differences. The overall pattern of osteological variation in these samples can be summarized parsimoniously by paraphrasing the first law of geography: All of the terminal Late Archaic populations of Ohio were related to each other, but closer ones were more related than distant ones.

The effect of lithium carbonate administration on growth in the domestic fowl.

Lithium carbonate is routinely used for the treatment of aggressive behavior disorders in adolescents. The current study was undertaken in order to determine the effect of lithium carbonate administration on growth in a domestic fowl model. The results showed that lithium treatment at a therapeutic level (0.2-2.0 mEq/L) did not significantly alter plasma pH levels, food intake, fecal output or body weight gain. Bivariate and multivariate analysis of tibial dimensions revealed that lithium treatment primarily caused increased growth of proximal epiphyseal height. Allometric analyses indicated that lithium administration increased the growth differential between proximal and distal epiphyses. Two possible mechanisms by which lithium carbonate administration may cause accelerated osseous growth are given.