Original scientific paper
Inbreeding Effects on Metrical Phenotypes Among North Indian Children
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the effects of inbreeding on 12 quantitative phenotypes
like body weight, height, sitting height, head circumference, head length, head breadth,
chest circumference, verbal, performance and full scale intelligence quotients, systolic
and diastolic blood pressures among North Indian Children. The sample consisted of
3,253 subjects (1,683 males and 1,570 females) including offspring of first cousins, first
cousins once removed, second cousins, (inbred part of samples) and unrelated spouses
(non-inbred part of samples) ranging in age from 6 to 14 years from the Aligarh district,
Uttar Pradesh in North India. Samples were selected purposively to estimate the average
inbreeding coefficients based on 3 ancestral generations and using Wright’s path
method. The average inbreeding coefficient of the present inbred part of sample is
0.04609. The mean ages of males and females were almost equal for both inbred and
non-inbred individuals. A significant reduction of means (p < 0.05) or inbreeding depression
has been observed in inbred series for all anthropometric and psychometric
traits for both the sexes. A significant elevation of mean with inbreeding is observed for
systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The average inbreeding depression per 10% inbreeding
appeared very high in verbal IQ ( 23), performance IQ ( 40), full scale IQ (
28), systolic blood pressure ( 10) and diastolic blood pressure ( 12) among both sexes.
On the whole, relatively greater amount of inbreeding effects are apparent among all
measures of intelligence quotient and blood pressures compared to the anthropometric
traits.The results of the present work have thrown light on the nature and mechanism of
genetic effects of inbreeding on certain quantitative traits in human.
Keywords
inbreeding; children; IQ; blood pressure; anthropometry; India
Hrčak ID:
27957
URI
Publication date:
28.12.2004.
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