Latent structure of dermatoglyphs in the population of Selška Valley

Abstract

The historical records of Selška Valley reveal that the eastern part of this area was first settled by Slovene agrarian colonists, the western part by German colonists and the central part by Friulians. These were later followed by Slovene and Slovenized settlers, who penetrated the valley from north to south. Because of its reproductive isolation, the population of Selška Valley is highly suitable for the study of population structures. The quantitative traits of the digital and palmar dermatoglyphs are polygenetically determined characteristics, which, due to their selective inertness to changes, may provide an insight into microevolutionary processes. The purpose of our study was to identify the possible differences between the populations of villages in the valley and the mountain villages attributable to various migration flows through history. Altogether 340 finger and palm prints of 163 males and 177 females were collected in two groups of villages: (1) the lowland villages (Praprotno, Bukovica, Ševlje, Dolenja vas, Selca, Železniki and Zali log), and (2) the mountain villages (Podlonk, Prtovč, Spodnje Danje, Zgornja Sorica and Spodnja Sorica). The 18 dermatoglyphic variables were analyzed. A statistical analysis using standard methods was performed and the latent structure evaluated using factor analysis. The discriminant analysis and latent structure of the quantitative properties of dermatoglyphs suggest the presence of certain differences in gene pools of two studied populations (the group of villages in the valley and the group of mountain villages). It is highly probable that these differences can be attributed to low migration in the Selška Valley and to the ‘selective inertness’ of quantitative dermatoglyphic traits. In a previous study, no significant biological differences between the studied populations were found in qualitative dermatoglyphic traits. This indicates that Selška Valley and its village populations represent a specific isolate, and therefore expanded studies of this type could significantly contribute to a better understanding of the population concerned and isolates in general.