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Reynolds AZ, Niedbalski SD. Sex-biased gene regulation varies across human populations as a result of adaptive evolution. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:e24888. [PMID: 38100225 PMCID: PMC11279473 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Studies of human sexual dimorphism and gender disparities in health focus on ostensibly universal molecular sex differences, such as sex chromosomes and circulating hormone levels, while ignoring the extraordinary diversity in biology, behavior, and culture acquired by different human populations over their unique evolutionary histories. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using RNA-Seq data and whole genome sequences from 1000G and HGDP, we investigate variation in sex-biased gene expression across 11 human populations and test whether population-level variation in sex-biased expression may have resulted from adaptive evolution in regions containing sex-specific regulatory variants. RESULTS We find that sex-biased gene expression in humans is highly variable, mostly population-specific, and demonstrates between population reversals. Expression quantitative trait locus mapping reveals sex-specific regulatory regions with evidence of recent positive natural selection, suggesting that variation in sex-biased expression may have evolved as an adaptive response to ancestral environments experienced by human populations. DISCUSSION These results indicate that sex-biased gene expression is more flexible than previously thought and is not generally shared among human populations. Instead, molecular phenotypes associated with sex depend on complex interactions between population-specific molecular evolution and physiological responses to contemporary socioecologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Z. Reynolds
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
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2
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Mattison SM, Mattison PM, Beheim BA, Liu R, Blumenfield T, Sum CY, Shenk MK, Seabright E, Alami S. Gender disparities in material and educational resources differ by kinship system. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220299. [PMID: 37381853 PMCID: PMC10291433 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Contemporary inequality exists at an unprecedented scale. Social scientists have emphasized the role played by material wealth in driving its escalation. Evolutionary anthropologists understand the drive to accumulate material wealth as one that is coupled ultimately to increasing reproductive success. Owing to biological caps on reproduction for women, the efficiency of this conversion can differ by gender, with implications for understanding the evolution of gender disparities in resource accumulation. Efficiency also differs according to the type of resources used to support reproductive success. In this paper, we review evolutionary explanations of gender disparities in resources and investigate empirical evidence to support or refute those explanations among matrilineal and patrilineal subpopulations of ethnic Chinese Mosuo, who share an ethnolinguistic identity, but differ strikingly in terms of institutions and norms surrounding kinship and gender. We find that gender differentially predicts income and educational attainment. Men were more likely to report income than women; amounts earned were higher for men overall, but the difference between men and women was minimal under matriliny. Men reported higher levels of educational attainment than women, unexpectedly more so in matrilineal contexts. The results reveal nuances in how biology and cultural institutions affect gender disparities in wealth. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter M. Mattison
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Bret A. Beheim
- Human Behavior, Ecology, Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ruizhe Liu
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Tami Blumenfield
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- School of Ethnology and Sociology, Yunnan University, 2 Cuihu Beilu, Kunming, PRC 650091
| | - Chun-Yi Sum
- College of General Studies, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mary K. Shenk
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Edmond Seabright
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed VI Polytechnique University, Ben Guerir, Morocco
| | - Sarah Alami
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed VI Polytechnique University, Ben Guerir, Morocco
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3
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Slavich GM, Roos LG, Mengelkoch S, Webb CA, Shattuck EC, Moriarity DP, Alley JC. Social Safety Theory: Conceptual foundation, underlying mechanisms, and future directions. Health Psychol Rev 2023; 17:5-59. [PMID: 36718584 PMCID: PMC10161928 DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2023.2171900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Classic theories of stress and health are largely based on assumptions regarding how different psychosocial stressors influence biological processes that, in turn, affect human health and behavior. Although theoretically rich, this work has yielded little consensus and led to numerous conceptual, measurement, and reproducibility issues. Social Safety Theory aims to address these issues by using the primary goal and regulatory logic of the human brain and immune system as the basis for specifying the social-environmental situations to which these systems should respond most strongly to maximize reproductive success and survival. This analysis gave rise to the integrated, multi-level formulation described herein, which transforms thinking about stress biology and provides a biologically based, evolutionary account for how and why experiences of social safety and social threat are strongly related to health, well-being, aging, and longevity. In doing so, the theory advances a testable framework for investigating the biopsychosocial roots of health disparities as well as how health-relevant biopsychosocial processes crystalize over time and how perceptions of the social environment interact with childhood microbial environment, birth cohort, culture, air pollution, genetics, sleep, diet, personality, and self-harm to affect health. The theory also highlights several interventions for reducing social threat and promoting resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- George M. Slavich
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lydia G. Roos
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Summer Mengelkoch
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Christian A. Webb
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eric C. Shattuck
- Institute for Health Disparities Research and Department of Public Health, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Daniel P. Moriarity
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jenna C. Alley
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Seabright E, Alami S, Kraft TS, Davis H, Caldwell AE, Hooper P, McAllister L, Mulville S, Veile A, von Rueden C, Trumble B, Stieglitz J, Gurven M, Kaplan H. Repercussions of patrilocal residence on mothers' social support networks among Tsimane forager-farmers. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210442. [PMID: 36440570 PMCID: PMC9703270 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
While it is commonly thought that patrilocality is associated with worse outcomes for women and their children due to lower social support, few studies have examined whether the structure of female social networks covaries with post-marital residence. Here, we analyse scan sample data collected among Tsimane forager-farmers. We compare the social groups and activity partners of 181 women residing in the same community as their parents, their husband's parents, both or neither. Relative to women living closer to their in-laws, women living closer to their parents are less likely to be alone or solely in the company of their nuclear family (odds ratio (OR): 0.6, 95% CI: 0.3-0.9), and more likely to be observed with others when engaging in food processing and manufacturing of market or household goods, but not other activities. Women are slightly more likely to receive childcare support from outside the nuclear family when they live closer to their parents (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 0.8-3.9). Their social group size and their children's probability of receiving allocare decrease significantly with distance from their parents, but not their in-laws. Our findings highlight the importance of women's proximity to kin, but also indicate that patrilocality per se is not costly to Tsimane women. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cooperation among women: evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmond Seabright
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed 6 Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
| | - Sarah Alami
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed 6 Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Helen Davis
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 01451, USA
| | - Ann E. Caldwell
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80217, USA
| | - Paul Hooper
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Lisa McAllister
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Sarah Mulville
- Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Amanda Veile
- Department of Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | | | - Benjamin Trumble
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1701, USA
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse 1 Capitol University, Toulouse 31080, France
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
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Mattison SM, MacLaren NG, Sum CY, Shenk MK, Blumenfield T, Wander K. Does gender structure social networks across domains of cooperation? An exploration of gendered networks among matrilineal and patrilineal Mosuo. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210436. [PMID: 36440564 PMCID: PMC9703220 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperative networks are essential features of human society. Evolutionary theory hypothesizes that networks are used differently by men and women, yet the bulk of evidence supporting this hypothesis is based on studies conducted in a limited range of contexts and on few domains of cooperation. In this paper, we compare individual-level cooperative networks from two communities in Southwest China that differ systematically in kinship norms and institutions-one matrilineal and one patrilineal-while sharing an ethnic identity. Specifically, we investigate whether network structures differ based on prevailing kinship norms and type of gendered cooperative activity, one woman-centred (preparation of community meals) and one man-centred (farm equipment lending). Our descriptive results show a mixture of 'feminine' and 'masculine' features in all four networks. The matrilineal meals network stands out in terms of high degree skew. Exponential random graph models reveal a stronger role for geographical proximity in patriliny and a limited role of affinal relatedness across all networks. Our results point to the need to consider domains of cooperative activity alongside gender and cultural context to fully understand variation in how women and men leverage social relationships toward different ends. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cooperation among women: evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siobhán M. Mattison
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Neil G. MacLaren
- Department of Mathematics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Chun-Yi Sum
- College of General Studies, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Mary K. Shenk
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801, USA
| | - Tami Blumenfield
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
- School of Ethnology and Sociology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650106, People's Republic of China
| | - Katherine Wander
- Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
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Mattison SM, MacLaren N, Sum CY, Mattison PM, Liu R, Shenk MK, Blumenfield T, Su M, Li H, Wander K. Market integration, income inequality, and kinship system among the Mosuo of China. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2022; 5:e4. [PMID: 37587931 PMCID: PMC10426023 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.52] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased access to defensible material wealth is hypothesised to escalate inequality. Market integration, which creates novel opportunities in cash economies, provides a means of testing this hypothesis. Using demographic data collected from 505 households among the matrilineal and patrilineal Mosuo in 2017, we test whether market integration is associated with increased material wealth, whether increased material wealth is associated with wealth inequality, and whether being in a matrilineal vs. patrilineal kinship system alters the relationship between wealth and inequality. We find evidence that market integration, measured as distance to the nearest source of tourism and primary source of household income, is associated with increased household income and 'modern' asset value. Both village-level market integration and mean asset value were associated negatively, rather than positively, with inequality, contrary to predictions. Finally, income, modern wealth and inequality were higher in matrilineal communities that were located closer to the centre of tourism and where tourism has long provided a relatively stable source of income. However, we also observed exacerbated inequality with increasing farm animal value in patriliny. We conclude that the forces affecting wealth and inequality depend on local context and that the importance of local institutions is obscured by aggregate statistics drawn from modern nation states.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Neil MacLaren
- State University of New York at Buffalo, Department of Mathematics, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Chun-Yi Sum
- Boston University, Department of General Studies, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter M. Mattison
- University of New Mexico, Department of Biology, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Ruizhe Liu
- University of New Mexico, Department of Anthropology, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Mary K. Shenk
- Pennsylvania State University, Department of Anthropology, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Tami Blumenfield
- University of New Mexico, Department of Anthropology, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Yunnan University, School of Ethnology and Sociology, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Mingjie Su
- Fudan University, MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Li
- Fudan University, MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Shanghai, China
| | - Katherine Wander
- Binghamton University (SUNY), Department of Anthropology, Binghamton, NY, USA
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7
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Abstract
Many male traits are well explained by sexual selection theory as adaptations to mating competition and mate choice, whereas no unifying theory explains traits expressed more in females. Anne Campbell's "staying alive" theory proposed that human females produce stronger self-protective reactions than males to aggressive threats because self-protection tends to have higher fitness value for females than males. We examined whether Campbell's theory has more general applicability by considering whether human females respond with greater self-protectiveness than males to other threats beyond aggression. We searched the literature for physiological, behavioral, and emotional responses to major physical and social threats, and found consistent support for females' responding with greater self-protectiveness than males. Females mount stronger immune responses to many pathogens; experience a lower threshold to detect, and lesser tolerance of, pain; awaken more frequently at night; express greater concern about physically dangerous stimuli; exert more effort to avoid social conflicts; exhibit a personality style more focused on life's dangers; react to threats with greater fear, disgust and sadness; and develop more threat-based clinical conditions than males. Our findings suggest that in relation to threat human females have relatively heightened protective reactions compared to males. The pervasiveness of this result across multiple domains suggests that general mechanisms might exist underlying females' unique adaptations. An understanding of such processes would enhance knowledge of female health and well-being.
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Gender Differences in Social Networks Based on Prevailing Kinship Norms in the Mosuo of China. SOCIAL SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/socsci10070253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although cooperative social networks are considered key to human evolution, emphasis has usually been placed on the functions of men’s cooperative networks. What do women’s networks look like? Do they differ from men’s networks and what does this suggest about evolutionarily inherited gender differences in reproductive and social strategies? In this paper, we test the ‘universal gender differences’ hypothesis positing gender-specific network structures against the ‘gender reversal’ hypothesis that posits that women’s networks look more ‘masculine’ under matriliny. Specifically, we ask whether men’s friendship networks are always larger than women’s networks and we investigate measures of centrality by gender and descent system. To do so, we use tools from social network analysis and data on men’s and women’s friendship ties in matrilineal and patrilineal Mosuo communities. In tentative support of the gender reversal hypothesis, we find that women’s friendship networks in matriliny are relatively large. Measures of centrality and generalized linear models otherwise reveal greater differences between communities than between men and women. The data and analyses we present are primarily descriptive given limitations of sample size and sampling strategy. Nonetheless, our results provide support for the flexible application of social relationships across genders and clearly challenge the predominant narrative of universal gender differences across space and time.
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Templon AR, Kirsch DR, Towner MC. Contributions of evolutionary anthropology to understanding climate-induced human migration. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 33:e23635. [PMID: 34212453 PMCID: PMC8365686 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans are able to thrive in a multitude of ecological and social environments, including varied environments over an individual lifetime. Migration-leaving one place of residence for another-is a central feature of many people's life histories, and environmental change goes hand-in-hand with migration, both in terms of cause and consequence. Climate change has amplified this connection between environment and migration, with the potential to profoundly impact millions of lives. Although climate-induced migration has been at the forefront of other disciplines in the social sciences, evolutionary anthropologists (EAs) have given it little attention. In this paper we draw upon existing literature and contribute our EA perspective to present a framework for analyzing climate-induced migration that utilizes theoretical approaches from a variety of social science disciplines. We focus on three overlapping dimensions-time, space, and severity-relevant to understanding the impact of climate change on human migration. We apply this framework to case studies from North America of people impacted by climate change and extreme weather events, including hurricanes, droughts, rising sea-levels, and wildfires. We also consider how access to both economic and social resources influence decisions regarding migration. Research focused on climate-induced human migration can benefit equally from the addition of EA perspectives and a more interdisciplinary theoretical approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alannah R. Templon
- Department of Integrative BiologyOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOklahomaUSA
| | - Danielle R. Kirsch
- Department of Integrative BiologyOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOklahomaUSA
| | - Mary C. Towner
- Department of Integrative BiologyOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOklahomaUSA
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