To the methodology of urboecological studies: variability of sexual somatic dimorphism in juvenile age according to the vector of urbanization

Abstract

Introduction. Variability of sexual somatic dimorphism of 17-year-old juveniles in connection with the quantity of population of the residence place is under discussion.

Material and methods. The meta-analysis deals with the wide specter of urban samples (literary data) from Russia and neighboring countries (N=145). Somatic dimorphism of height, weight and chest girth is analysed. The estimation of the vector and level of associations of somatic dimorphism of anthropometric traits and the degree of urbanization is held using classic correlation analysis for pair combinations of traits (Pearson correlations). The quantitative estimation of somatic dimorphism is held using Kullback divergence, analogue of Makhalanobis distance.

Results. Analysis of anthropoecological correlations for different combinations of samples (only Slavonic, only samples examined in 1950^th–1970th, samples located in the zone of geograrhic latitude about 40 degrees of north latitude) didn’t reveal significant associations. Still significant increase of somatic dimorphism of height and chest girth according to the vector of urbanization is shown for the local sample of Moscow megalopolis through the historic interval 1925–2019 apart with the increase of the degree of urbanization from about 2 million of inhabitants up to 12,6 million. The form of associations has nonlinear character, The peak of somatic dimorphism is fixed in 1969–1970 for the generation of manifest aссelerats of Moscow.

Conclusion. The absence of significant correlations is connected with relatively low ecosensitivity of the organism apart with significant decrease of growth processes through juvenile period of ontogenesis and the absence of final somatic status, which characterize the intergroup anthropological variability in stable adult age. Besides with the complex superposition of a number of different factors, from ethnic to secular, which hamper the isolating of pure factor of sex and pure factor of degree of urbanization. The significant increase of somatic dimorphism of skeletal dimensions (height and chest girth) according to the vector of urbanization for the local homogenious sample of 17-year-old Moscow juveniles confirm the value of somatic dimorphism of skeletal dimensions as the informative indicator of the degree of urbanization in case of correct arrangement of data. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

 

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