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Differential fertility and body build in !Kung San and Kavango females from northern Namibia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Sylvia Kirchengast  and
Eike-Meinrad Winkler
Sylvia Kirchengast
Affiliation:
Institute for Human Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1091 Vienna, Austria
Eike-Meinrad Winkler
Affiliation:
Institute for Human Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1091 Vienna, Austria
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Summary

The study examines the impact of body build on differential fertility patterns in 93 !Kung San and 85 Kavango females from northern Namibia. In both groups shorter females had more offspring, but also more dead offspring, than taller females. The interaction between body weight and fertility was different in both groups and may be due to different nursing behaviour. There was a positive relationship between the typical pedomorphy and fertility in the! Kung San, and directional selection processes may be important.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , April 1996 , pp. 193 - 210
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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