This chapter provides a brief review of the study of human adaptation. Following a brief discussion of stress and adaptation, the chapter looks at different levels of adaptation—genetic, physiologic, and cultural. These different levels of adaptation are examined for three types of environmental stress—cold stress, heat stress, and high-altitude stress. This chapter continues many of the themes discussed throughout the text, such as the interrelationship of biology and culture.
1. You should understand how the case studies on South American Indians and the population history of Ireland illustrate past patterns of gene flow and genetic drift. |
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2. You should understand how natural selection has operated on the sickle cell allele, and how the geographic distribution of this allele is related to malaria. You should also know how culture change has affected sickle cell frequency. |
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3. You should be familiar with some of the complex ways in which natural selection operates on human blood groups. |
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4. You should know the history of lactase persistence and lactose intolerance in humans and their relation to cultural practice. |
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5. You should understand the genetic and environmental components of skin color, and how the distribution of human skin color reflects natural selection in the past. |