1.) The Andes Mountain range is the longest mountain range in the world, stretching over 4,500 miles across South America from north to south. The northern section of the range is humid and warm because it is so close to the equator and the southern half is much colder and drier because of its distance from the equator. Average rainfall in the southern section is about 8 inches in the summer and 4 in the winter with average temperatures in the 60 degree range, and the north gets rain nearly all year round with average temperatures in the 70's. The high altitude of the range calls for significant adaption among plants and animals, such as the plants being small, stout, and strong to conserve energy with an unstable water supply and low oxygen, however in the north plants are much more robust due to warmer temperatures and constant rain. *
2.) The Native Andean, who live in several countries along the mountain range like Peru, Chile, etc., have a few high-altitude adaptations that allow them to maintain a homeostasis in low oxygen environments. They have developed wider arteries and extra hemoglobin in their blood to make the most of the little oxygen they are exposed to. People with weaker hearts are very susceptible to altitude sickness and will notice low oxygen immediately, however these peoples have developed strong hearts and big lungs over several generations.
3.) I think the race of these people would best be identified as Indians or Native Americans. Because they came across on the land-bridge from Alaska several thousand years ago, I think they are very similar in genetic composition and rituals as their North American counterparts; they just went farther south and adapted differently.
South African Zulu
1.) The native Zulu of South Africa are exposed to an environment of high radiation due to sunlight almost all year round. The constant heat and sun exposure is the major variable of maintaining a homeostasis in South Africa. Average summer temperatures are in the high 70's with average rainfall of less than 10 inches per year.**
2.) The Zulu people that inhabit southern Africa are usually very dark skinned, tall, and slender. The dark skin is caused by an increased level of melanin which acts as a radiation blocker, and being tall and slender allow for more surface area to expel excess body heat.
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| Dark skin and slender build helps protect radiation and over-heating |
3.) I think that the Zulu people fall under the Black race. For obvious reasons these people are called black, but share traits with other members of their race found in different parts of the world.
Summary:
Cultural adaptions have much more explaining power when attempting to describe a race than appearance. African Americans are black by race, but are more likely to have light skin than their native African counterparts because their western lifestyle doesn't select for dark skin any more.
* http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/andes_climate_page.htm
** http://goafrica.about.com/library/bl.weather.southafrica.htm
Good job with the environmental description and the physical adaptations were excellent. I'm missing the cultural adaptations for both groups.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I agree with your summary conclusion. This assignment didn't just address cultural adaptations (which you didn't include) but it also looked at physical/biological adaptations, which are very good at explaining physical variation in human populations. Categorizing humans by race, using superficial appearances (not biologically defined traits), doesn't provide this type of useful explanation.