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Examining Developmental Plasticity in the Skeletal System through a Sensitive Developmental Windows Framework
The primary goal of this dissertation is to develop a methodological framework for identifying and interpreting evidence of developmental plasticity in the skeletal system. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis posits that phenotypic-environmental interactions in early life modify morbidity and mortality risks throughout the lifespan. Biological systems exhibit varying degrees of plasticity throughout development and are responsive to environmental signals that provide essential information about present and future environmental challenges. Not all environmental signals are equally likely to impact development, and the timing, intensity, and duration of these signals may have significant implications for downstream phenotypic effects. Building on existing DOHaD approaches within skeletal biology, this dissertation uses the concept of sensitive developmental windows (SDWs) to link developmental stress embodied in the skeletal system with adult phenotypic outcomes related to growth and survivorship. By integrating theoretical concepts from developmental biology with methodological approaches from bioarchaeology, this dissertation represents a novel approach to exploring the relationship between stress and phenotypic variation in skeletal biology. It extends existing bioarchaeological approaches informed by DOHaD by 1) examining evidence of stress in skeletal elements that are sensitized to environmental feedback at different stages in the developmental lifecycle, and 2) correlating artifacts of developmental stress with downstream phenotypic outcomes and indicators of fitness. To test this approach, relationships between developmental stress, estimated stature and mortality risk were examined in the Turkey Creek Pueblo skeletal collection. The results of this dissertation suggest that in environments characterized by chronic stress, proximate signals of nutritional stress may have a stronger influence on growth potential than signals of early life stress. However, early life stress may influence trade-offs involving early life resilience and heightened mortality risk in adulthood. By framing stress as a potentially informative signal capable of contributing to adaptive phenotypic variation, methodological approaches informed by the SDW concept facilitate more nuanced analyses of stress-associated skeletal biomarkers and their relationship with indicators of “health” and wellbeing
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Sex differences in age‐related bone loss and antemortem tooth loss in East‐Central Arizona (AD 1200–1450)
Previous archaeological research on dental health in the New World has documented significant sex differences in antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), with a much higher rate of AMTL in females versus males, particularly during the transition to agriculture. While AMTL can be caused by multiple factors, including periodontal disease, attrition, trauma and cultural influences, sex differences are often attributed to the impact of female reproductive biology on oral health. Clinical research on osteoporosis has documented a significant relationship between AMTL and age-related bone loss, which disproportionately affects women. However, this relationship has not been systematically investigated in prehistoric populations. This study aims to address this issue by investigating the relationship between sex, AMTL and age-related bone loss in an archaeological sample from East-Central Arizona. AMTL, dental caries and radial and femoral cortical and trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) were measured in individuals from Point of Pines Pueblo, Arizona (AD 1200–1450). Our results revealed that while there was no statistically significant difference in AMTL between males and females in this sample, there were notable sex differences in the relationship between AMTL, caries, age and BMD. There was a significant association between caries, age and AMTL in females, but not in males. Conversely, while age had a significant effect on caries in males, there was no corresponding relationship in females. Cortical BMD had a moderate effect on AMTL in females, comparable to the effect of age, although this did not reach statistical significance. There was no significant effect of BMD on AMTL in males. The results suggest that biocultural processes differentially affected oral health in males and females at Point of Pines Pueblo, and that age-related cortical bone loss potentially impacted AMTL in females in this population, but further research is needed. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.University of Arizona12 month embargo; first published: 29 March 2021This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]