Variation and signatures of selection on the human face.

Bibliographic Collection: 
APE
Publication Type: Journal Article
Authors: Guo, Jing; Tan, Jingze; Yang, Yajun; Zhou, Hang; Hu, Sile; Hashan, Agu; Bahaxar, Nurmamat; Xu, Shuhua; Weaver, Timothy D; Jin, Li; Stoneking, Mark; Tang, Kun
Year of Publication: 2014
Journal: J Hum Evol
Volume: 75
Pagination: 143-52
Date Published: 2014 Oct
Publication Language: eng
ISSN: 1095-8606
Keywords: Adolescent, Adult, Anthropology, Physical, Continental Population Groups, Face, Female, Humans, Imaging, Three-Dimensional, Least-Squares Analysis, Male, Middle Aged, Selection, Genetic, Young Adult
Abstract:

There has been much debate about why humans throughout the world differ in facial form. Previous studies of human skull morphology found levels of among-population differentiation that were comparable to those of neutral genetic markers, suggesting that genetic drift (neutral processes) played an important role in influencing facial differentiation. However, variation in soft-tissue morphology has not been studied in detail. In this study, we analyzed high-resolution 3D images of soft-tissue facial form in four Eurasian populations: Han Chinese, Tibetans, Uyghur and Europeans. A novel method was used to establish a high-density alignment across all of the faces, allowing facial diversity to be examined at an unprecedented resolution. These data exhibit signatures of population structure and history. However, among-population differentiation was higher for soft-tissue facial form than for genome-wide genetic loci, and high-resolution analyses reveal that the nose, brow area and cheekbones exhibit particularly strong signals of differentiation (Qst estimates: 0.3-0.8) between Europeans and Han Chinese. Our results suggest that local adaptation and/or sexual selection have been important in shaping human soft-tissue facial morphology.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.08.001
Alternate Journal: J. Hum. Evol.