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Physiological variation and population structure of the Island of Pag, Croatia

Physiological variation in the population of the island of Pag (eastern Adriatic, Croatia) was investigated by using data of lung volumes and flows (FVC, FEV1, PEF, MEF25%, MEF50%, MEF75%) and arterial blood pressure (systolic, diastolic). A total of 804 adult inhabitants of nine settlements, dispersed throughout the island, were examined. The data were related to past and present migration patterns, geography, current linguistic and genetic features. The analyses revealed that the primary determinant of physiological variation of the island population is it"s division into three groups that correspond to geographically defined regions. The extent of physiological variation within regions is small in comparison to the interregional one. The established heterogeneity says much for the strength of isolating factors on the ecologically uniform island that experienced a differential migration into its regions throughout the history. Significant physiological-geographic-migration-linguistic-genetic anthropometric matrix correlations lead to the reasonable hypothesis on genetic differences underlying current physiological variation in the island population. The results prove the utility of physiological traits in elucidating the population structure in an area of substantial environmental homogeneity.

population structure; cardiorespiratory traits; population genetics; anthropology

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