Skeletal Height Research Articles

An update on stature estimation in prehistoric native Americans of Ohio

We present regression equations to estimate skeletal height and stature for prehistoric Native Americans of Ohio. The regression equations are based on skeletal height as the dependent variable and various postcranial elements and combinations of elements as the independent variables. A total of 171 individuals, 95 males and 76 females, make up the sample. The present sample includes the 64 individuals we previously used for stature estimation (Sciulli et al.: Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 83:275-280, 1990) and 107 additional individuals distributed more widely in time and space. The present more inclusive sample, however, shows the same proportional contributions to skeletal height of each skeletal height component as the previous sample. This result suggests that these proportions were a consistent feature of the prehistoric Native Americans of Ohio. Because the prehistoric Native Americans of Ohio were characterized by relatively long legs and distal elements of the limbs, stature estimation from regressions based on East Asian populations, which express in general relatively short legs and distal limb elements, will overestimate stature in Native Americans of Ohio and, possibly, all Eastern Woodlands Native Americans.

Induction of multiple births in beef cows with FSH: calving rate and subsequent performance

One-hundred-sixty-six purebred Angus cows comprising three replicates were synchronized using prostaglandin, superovulated using a series of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) injections and artificially inseminated. Multiple birth rate was 27% (six sets of twins, one set each of triplets and quadruplets), 12% (one set of twins) and 10% (seven sets of twins and one set of triplets) in replicates 1, 2 and 3, respectively, for a combined multiple birth rate of 15.74%. Type of birth affected gestation length with twins, triplets and quadruplets having 6, 14 and 12 day shorter gestations than singles, and also affected birth weight with weights decreasing by 8, 15 and 21 kg, respectively, as number of offspring born increased from one through four. Type of rearing greatly influenced weaning weights (P<0.01) as calves reared as singles were 39 kg heavier than those reared as twins and 41 kg heavier than those raised as triplets. On the other hand, cows with twins produced an average of 134 kg (66%) more total weaning weight (P<0.01) than single-calf dams. When postweaning performance was adjusted for age at beginning of test, twins and triplets tended to gain body weight more rapidly than singles (P=0.18) but had lower body weights at end of test and lower 365-d weights. Hip height at the conclusion of postweaning test indicated that twins and singles were similar in skeletal height, but that triplets were shorter.

Stature estimation in prehistoric Native Americans of Ohio

In the present report we investigate stature estimation techniques in a sample of 64 (35 male, 29 female) prehistoric Native Americans from Ohio. Because living stature is unknown for these 64 individuals, we use Fully's (1956) anatomical method to provide the best estimates of living stature. In this method all osseous components of skeletal height are measured and soft tissue correction is added. Comparisons of regression equations commonly used for stature estimation in prehistoric Eastern Woodland Native American populations, but developed for East Asian and East Asian-derived populations (using lower extremity components), show that these commonly used equations consistently yield stature estimates 2 to 8 cm in excess of the best estimates from Fully's method. Based on the skeletal height measures of the 64 individuals in the present sample, we develop regression equations for the estimation of stature. These equations yield stature estimates virtually identical to estimates from Fully's method and may prove useful for stature reconstruction in other prehistoric Eastern Woodland Native American populations.

Genetic parameters of body weight, muscle weight and skeletal characteristics in Japanese quail

Heritability, phenotypic and genetic correlations of body weight, muscle weight and skeletal characteristics of Japanese quail males at 8 weeks of age were investigated to obtain basal information on breeding and on genetic monitoring by morphometrical methods. For this study, 221 male progenies were used. Measurements were taken on body weight, muscle weight and four kind of skeletal characteristics (skeletal weight, skeletal length, skeletal width and skeletal height). Heritability estimates were 0.67 for body weight, 0.36 to 0.56 for muscle weight, 0.79 to 0.94 for skeletal weight, 0.35 to 0.77 for skeletal length, 0.17 to 0.32 for skeletal width and 0.41 to 0.84 for skeletal height, respectively. The phenotypic and genetic correlations were found to be highly positive between body weight, muscle weight and skeletal length. A high degree of genetic correlation was observed between femur length, ossa cruris length and ossa metatarsalia length. These results suggest that the body weight, muscle weight and skeletal characteristics can be improved by breeding and that these genetically determined skeletal characteristics might serve for strain identification and genetic monitoring in Japanese quail.