Are adult physiques geometrically similar? The dangers of allometric scaling using body mass power laws.

Abstract:

:Human physique classification by somatotype assumes that adult humans are geometric similar to each other. However, this assumption has yet to be adequately tested in athletic and nonexercising human populations. In this study, we assessed this assumption by comparing the mass exponents associated with girth measurements taken at 13 different sites throughout the body in 478 subjects (279 athletic subjects, and 199 nonexercising controls). Corrected girths which account for subcutaneous adipose tissue at the upper arm, thigh, and calf sites, and which simulate muscle circumference, were also calculated. If subjects are geometrically similar to each other, girth exponents should be approximately proportional to M(1/3), where M is the subjects' body mass. This study confirms that human adult physiques are not geometrically similar to each other. In both athletic subjects and nonexercising controls, body circumferences/limb girths develop at a greater rate than that anticipated by geometric similarity in fleshy sites containing both muscle and fat (upper arms and legs), and less than anticipated in bony sites (head, wrists, and ankles). Interestingly, head girths appear to remain almost constant, irrespective of subjects' body size/mass. The results also suggest that thigh muscle girths of athletes and controls increase at a greater rate than that predicted by geometric similarity, proportional to body mass (M(0.439) and M(0.377), respectively). These systematic deviations from geometric similarity have serious implications for the allometric scaling of variables such as energy expenditure, oxygen uptake, anaerobic power, and thermodynamic or anthropometric studies involving individuals of differing size.

journal_name

Am J Phys Anthropol

authors

Nevill AM,Stewart AD,Olds T,Holder R

doi

10.1002/ajpa.10351

subject

Has Abstract

pub_date

2004-06-01 00:00:00

pages

177-82

issue

2

eissn

0002-9483

issn

1096-8644

journal_volume

124

pub_type

杂志文章
  • Growth and fluctuating asymmetry of human newborns: influence of inbreeding and parental education.

    abstract::Historically, medical concerns about the deleterious effects of closely inbred marriages have focused on the risk posed by recessive Mendelian disease, with much less attention to developmental instability. We studied the effects of inbreeding (first-cousin marriage) on growth and fluctuating asymmetry of 200 full-ter...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.22401

    authors: Ozener B,Graham JH

    更新日期:2014-01-01 00:00:00

  • Development of ecological competence in Sumatran orangutans.

    abstract::Data on orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus abelii) living in a Sumatran swamp forest yield an estimated median interbirth interval of at least 8 years, concurring with findings from other sites. This longest known mammalian interbirth interval appears due to maternal amenorrhea during the long exclusive dependence of the offs...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.10426

    authors: van Noordwijk MA,van Schaik CP

    更新日期:2005-05-01 00:00:00

  • Forelimb and hindlimb forces in walking and galloping primates.

    abstract::One trait that distinguishes the walking gaits of most primates from those of most mammalian nonprimates is the distribution of weight between the forelimbs and hindlimbs. Nonprimate mammals generally experience higher vertical peak substrate reaction forces on the forelimb than on the hindlimb. Primates, in contrast,...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.20385

    authors: Hanna JB,Polk JD,Schmitt D

    更新日期:2006-08-01 00:00:00

  • Leveraging genetic ancestry to study health disparities.

    abstract::Research to understand human genomic variation and its implications in health has great potential to contribute in the reduction of health disparities. Biological anthropology can play important roles in genomics and health disparities research using a biocultural approach. This paper argues that racial/ethnic categor...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.24144

    authors: Batai K,Hooker S,Kittles RA

    更新日期:2020-09-16 00:00:00

  • New perspectives on taste and primate evolution: the dichotomy in gustatory coding for perception of beneficent versus noxious substances as supported by correlations among human thresholds.

    abstract::In various environments where primates are presently observed, as well as in forests and savannas which have been inhabited by australopithecines and early hominids, there are (or there have been presumably) categories of substances eliciting taste signals associated with stereotyped responses. Such is the case for va...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.10046

    authors: Hladik CM,Pasquet P,Simmen B

    更新日期:2002-04-01 00:00:00

  • Sexual dimorphism in relative sacral breadth among catarrhine primates.

    abstract::As the sacrum contributes to the size and shape of the birth canal, the sexually dimorphic sacrum of humans is frequently interpreted within obstetric contexts. However, while the human sacrum has been extensively studied, comparatively little is known about sacral morphology in nonhuman primates. Thus, it remains unc...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.22372

    authors: Moffett EA,Maddux SD,Ward CV

    更新日期:2013-12-01 00:00:00

  • Sex-related differences in transmission of hepatitis B infection in a Melanesian population.

    abstract::Factors involved in the spread of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the largely Melanesian population (N = 909) of Graciosa Bay, Ndeni, are examined. Based upon cultural information from Ndeni and ways in which HBV is spread in other populations, certain practices and interactions, predicted as effective routes of HBV infect...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330640306

    authors: Langendorfer A,Davenport W,London WT,Blumberg BS,Mazzur S

    更新日期:1984-07-01 00:00:00

  • Quantifying variation in human scalp hair fiber shape and pigmentation.

    abstract:OBJECTIVES:This study aims to evaluate the use of quantitative methods of measuring variation in scalp hair fiber shape and pigmentation and carry out exploratory data analysis on a limited sample of individuals from diverse populations in order to inform future avenues of research for the evolution of modern human hai...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.22971

    authors: Lasisi T,Ito S,Wakamatsu K,Shaw CN

    更新日期:2016-06-01 00:00:00

  • Relations between sex hormone level and characters of hair and skin in healthy young men.

    abstract::Total testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in blood serum as well as free testosterone in saliva were determined by radioimmunoassay in 110 healthy young men. The results were compared with the development of terminal hair on the trunk and limbs, with the disposition to balding and with the disposition to acne. No sig...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330880106

    authors: Knussmann R,Christiansen K,Kannmacher J

    更新日期:1992-05-01 00:00:00

  • Skill ontogeny among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists.

    abstract:OBJECTIVES:We investigate whether age profiles of Tsimane forager-horticulturalists' reported skill development are consistent with predictions derived from life history theory about the timing of productivity and reproduction. Previous studies of forager skill development have often focused on a few abilities (e.g. hu...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.22757

    authors: Schniter E,Gurven M,Kaplan HS,Wilcox NT,Hooper PL

    更新日期:2015-09-01 00:00:00

  • A factor analysis of cranial base and vault dimensions in children.

    abstract::Lengths within the cranial base and vault were measured in cephalometric radiographs of 220 boys and 177 girls ranging in age from 0 to 15 years; all these children are participants in The Fels Longitudinal Growth Study. The present study is based on mixed longitudinal data derived from 1640 radiographs for boys and 1...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330580305

    authors: Ohtsuki F,Mukherjee D,Lewis AB,Roche AF

    更新日期:1982-07-01 00:00:00

  • Estimation of adult age-at-death from entheseal robusticity: A test using an identified Italian skeletal collection.

    abstract:OBJECTIVES:The present study tests the effectiveness of entheseal robusticity (ER) as a potential predictor of adult age-at-death by applying multiple regression models to a large contemporary identified skeletal sample. MATERIALS AND METHODS:ER was recorded for 23 bilateral postcranial entheses on 481 adult individua...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.24083

    authors: Milella M,Belcastro MG,Mariotti V,Nikita E

    更新日期:2020-09-01 00:00:00

  • Biological affinities and adaptations of Bronze Age Bactrians: IV. A craniometric investigation of Bactrian origins.

    abstract::Discovery of a previously unknown Bronze Age civilization (Oxus civilization) centered on the oases of Central Asia revealed the presence of large, preplanned urban centers immediately above sterile soil. Given the absence of local antecedents, the sudden appearance and proliferation of these Oxus civilization urban c...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199902)108:2<173::AID-AJPA

    authors: Hemphill BE

    更新日期:1999-02-01 00:00:00

  • Hominin taxic diversity: Fact or fantasy?

    abstract::In this review of the evidence for and against taxic diversity within the hominin clade, we begin by looking at the logic and the history of simple "ladder-like" interpretations of the hominin fossil record. We then look at the hominin fossil record in a series of time intervals and use current published evidence abou...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.22902

    authors: Wood B,K Boyle E

    更新日期:2016-01-01 00:00:00

  • Patterns of variability in mineralization of the primate femoral diaphysis.

    abstract::The purpose of this research was to study intra- and interspecific variability in mineral density in the femoral diaphysis of nonhuman primates. Four hundred five sections were taken from five sites along the femoral diaphysis of 34 macaques (Macaca sp.), 24 squirrel monkeys (Saimirisciureus), and 23 tamarins (Saguinu...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330510209

    authors: Burr DB

    更新日期:1979-08-01 00:00:00

  • Let's talk about stress, baby! Infant-feeding practices and stress in the ancient Atacama desert, Northern Chile.

    abstract:AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:The transition to an agricultural economy is often presumed to involve an increase in female fertility related to changes in weaning practice. In particular, the availability of staple crops as complementary foods is hypothesized to allow earlier weaning in agricultural populations. In this study, o...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 历史文章,杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.23411

    authors: King CL,Halcrow SE,Millard AR,Gröcke DR,Standen VG,Portilla M,Arriaza BT

    更新日期:2018-05-01 00:00:00

  • Mechanical significance of femoral head trabecular bone structure in Loris and Galago evaluated using micromechanical finite element models.

    abstract::Work on the interspecific and intraspecific variation of trabecular bone in the proximal femur of primates demonstrates important architectural variation between animals with different locomotor behaviors. This variation is thought to be related to the processes of bone adaptation whereby bone structure is optimized t...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.10414

    authors: Ryan TM,van Rietbergen B

    更新日期:2005-01-01 00:00:00

  • The peopling of sub-Saharan Africa: the case study of Cameroon.

    abstract::This study analyzes the distribution of ten protein genetic polymorphisms in eighteen populations from the most densely inhabited areas of Cameroon. The languages spoken belong to three different linguistic families [Afro-Asiatic (AA), Nilo-Saharan (NS) and Niger-Kordofanian (NK)]. The analysis of variation of allele ...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199910)110:2<143::AID-AJPA

    authors: Spedini G,Destro-Bisol G,Mondovì S,Kaptué L,Taglioli L,Paoli G

    更新日期:1999-10-01 00:00:00

  • Strain in the braincase and its sutures during function.

    abstract::The skull is distinguished from other parts of the skeleton by its composite construction. The sutures between bony elements provide for interstitial growth of the cranium, but at the same time they alter the transmission of stress and strain through the skull. Strain gages were bonded to the frontal and parietal bone...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/1096-8644(200008)112:4<575::AID-AJPA10>3.0

    authors: Herring SW,Teng S

    更新日期:2000-08-01 00:00:00

  • Test of the relationship between sutural ossicles and cultural cranial deformation: results from Hawikuh, New Mexico.

    abstract::A number of researchers have hypothesized that the biomechanical forces associated with cultural cranial deformation can influence the formation of sutural ossicles. However, it is still difficult to make definitive conclusions about this relationship because the effects appear to be quite weak, and contradictory resu...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 历史文章,杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.21005

    authors: Wilczak CA,Ousley SD

    更新日期:2009-08-01 00:00:00

  • Trisomy 21 and facial developmental instability.

    abstract::The most common live-born human aneuploidy is trisomy 21, which causes Down syndrome (DS). Dosage imbalance of genes on chromosome 21 (Hsa21) affects complex gene-regulatory interactions and alters development to produce a wide range of phenotypes, including characteristic facial dysmorphology. Little is known about h...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.22255

    authors: Starbuck JM,Cole TM 3rd,Reeves RH,Richtsmeier JT

    更新日期:2013-05-01 00:00:00

  • Subadult sex estimation from diaphyseal dimensions.

    abstract:OBJECTIVES:Many studies on subadult sex estimation focus on elements that express sexually dimorphic features in adults. In contrast, diaphyseal dimensions have been shown to display sex-specific differences prior to adolescence. The current study evaluates the use of diaphyseal dimensions in subadult sex estimation. ...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.23185

    authors: Stull KE,L'Abbé EN,Ousley SD

    更新日期:2017-05-01 00:00:00

  • The black legend on the Spanish presence in the low countries: Verifying shared beliefs on genetic ancestry.

    abstract:OBJECTIVES:War atrocities committed by the Spanish army in the Low Countries during the 16th century are so ingrained in the collective memory of Belgian and Dutch societies that they generally assume a signature of this history to be present in their genetic ancestry. Historians claim this assumption is a consequence ...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 历史文章,杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.23409

    authors: Larmuseau MHD,Calafell F,Princen SA,Decorte R,Soen V

    更新日期:2018-05-01 00:00:00

  • Dust accumulation in the canopy: a potential cause of dental microwear in primates.

    abstract::Dental microwear researchers consider exogenous grit or dust to be an important cause of microscopic wear on primate teeth. No study to date has examined the accumulation of such abrasives on foods eaten by primates in the forest. This investigation introduces a method to collect dust at various heights in the canopy....

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330970202

    authors: Ungar PS,Teaford MF,Glander KE,Pastor RF

    更新日期:1995-06-01 00:00:00

  • Reflections on the face of Japan: a multivariate craniofacial and odontometric perspective.

    abstract::Craniofacial variables for modern and prehistoric Japanese were subjected to multivariate analysis to test the relationships of the people of Japan with mainland Asian and Oceanic samples. The modern Japanese are tied to Koreans, Chinese, Southeast Asians, and the Yayoi rice agriculturalists who entered Japan in 300 B...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 历史文章,杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330780110

    authors: Brace CL,Brace ML,Leonard WR

    更新日期:1989-01-01 00:00:00

  • A Y-chromosomal comparison of the Madjars (Kazakhstan) and the Magyars (Hungary).

    abstract::The Madjars are a previously unstudied population from Kazakhstan who practice a form of local exogamy in which wives are brought in from neighboring tribes, but husbands are not, so the paternal lineages remain genetically isolated within the population. Their name bears a striking resemblance to the Magyars who have...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.20984

    authors: Bíró AZ,Zalán A,Völgyi A,Pamjav H

    更新日期:2009-07-01 00:00:00

  • The extent of cultural variation between adjacent chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) communities; a microecological approach.

    abstract::Chimpanzees show cultural differences among populations across Africa but also between neighboring communities. The extent of these differences among neighbors, however, remains largely unknown. Comparing three neighboring chimpanzee community in the Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, we found 27 putative cultural trai...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.22628

    authors: Luncz LV,Boesch C

    更新日期:2015-01-01 00:00:00

  • Fluorochrome labelling in Roman period skeletons from Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt.

    abstract::A histological aging study of femoral midshafts in a late Roman period sample from the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt, showed discrete fluorochrome labelling. The fluorochrome is yellow-green in colour and fluoresces at a wavelength of 525 nm. The labelling occurs at the mineralization fronts and is so distinct that several his...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 历史文章,杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330800202

    authors: Cook M,Molto E,Anderson C

    更新日期:1989-10-01 00:00:00

  • Migration and hypertension in Dakar, Senegal.

    abstract::This article examines social and environmental influences on the development of hypertension in a sample of 568 adults (290 men; 278 women) aged 20 years and older from Dakar, Senegal. We test the hypothesis that more recent immigrants to the city of Dakar will have lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.22122

    authors: Duboz P,Macia E,Chapuis-Lucciani N,Boëtsch G,Gueye L

    更新日期:2012-10-01 00:00:00

  • Stable isotope study on ancient populations of central sudan: Insights on their diet and environment.

    abstract:OBJECTIVES:A contribution to the knowledge of the economy and the environmental surroundings of the populations living along the Nile valley in three different periods. MATERIALS AND METHODS:This study reports stable isotope analyses on apatite bone samples of 139 humans, 48 mammals, and 43 fish from the Al Khiday arc...

    journal_title:American journal of physical anthropology

    pub_type: 历史文章,杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/ajpa.22987

    authors: Iacumin P,Di Matteo A,Usai D,Salvatori S,Venturelli G

    更新日期:2016-07-01 00:00:00