Population genetic approaches to phenotypic microevolution in the jirels of nepal

Abstract

Empirical research on between-population microdifferentiation in quantitative traits has largely ignored the growing corpus of work devoted to the integration of the mathematical theories of quantitative genetics and population genetics. This study, focusing on a small hybrid ethnic group, the Jirels of eastern Nepal, demonstrates that data on quantitative traits (digital dermatoglyphic ridge counts) can be analyzed using explicit population genetic models permitting basic inferences about population structure and phenotypic microevolution in subdivided populations.