Adaptation and mal-adaptation to ambient hypoxia; Andean, Ethiopian and Himalayan patterns.

ABSTRACT: The study of the biology of evolution has been confined to laboratories and model organisms. However, controlled laboratory conditions are unlikely to model variations in environments that influence selection in wild populations. Thus, the study of "fitness" for survival and the genetics that influence this are best carried out in the field and in matching environments. Therefore, we studied highland populations in their native environments, to learn how they cope with ambient hypoxia. The Andeans, African highlanders and Himalayans have adapted differently to their hostile environment. Chronic mountain sickness (CMS), a loss of adaptation to altitude, is common in the Andes, occasionally found in the Himalayas; and absent from the East African altitude plateau. We compared molecular signa

SUBMITTER: Xing G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2396283 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature