Integrating genealogy and dental variation: contributions to biological anthropology
Date
2023
Authors
Paul, K.S.
Feezell, R.
Hughes, T.
Brook, A.H.
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Type:
Journal article
Citation
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2023; 181(S76):145-179
Statement of Responsibility
Kathleen S. Paul, Randall Feezell, Toby Hughes, Alan H. Brook
Conference Name
Abstract
Genealogical samples that couple dental data and documented relatedness information provide unique opportunities to examine the biological foundations of tooth variation. Over the past century, these resources have been critical for examining the various factors that influence dental phenotypes—the same traits that anthropologists regularly apply to reconstructions of past phenomena. Genealogical samples are uniquely suited to test long-standing assumptions underlying bioanthropological practice, for example, biodistance and phylogenetic analysis, which commonly reference aspects of tooth size and form as proxies for latent genetic information. This article provides an overview of published genealogical research, with a focus on the practical implications of quantitative genetic and environmental studies of (non)human primate dentitions. To highlight the utility of genealogical samples for understanding the influence of specific non-genetic factors on dental characters, we also present novel data on gestational hormone effects in opposite-sex dizygotic twin pairs as a test of the twin testosterone transfer (TTT) hypothesis. This article discusses fruitful next steps in genealogical dental research, as well as important ethical considerations surrounding the use of associated datasets, which are sensitive in nature. As we forge ahead in an age of phenomics, genealogical samples are likely to play a key role in generating comprehensive genotype–phenotype maps of the dentition and in refining bioanthropological methods.
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Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
First published: 19 December 2022
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© 2020 American Association of Biological Anthropologists