Skull dimensions of Dominicans and Haitians differ despite close physical proximity

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 31, 2019 / comment : 0 Anthropology, Caribbean islands, Dominican Republic, Forensics, Haiti

Forensic anthropologists analyze skeletal remains to establish the biological profile (sex, age, ancestry and stature). While ancestry is an important component, most research has focused on identifying individuals of African-American and European-American descent.

Linear Measurements used according to craniometric points [Credit: Cordeiro et al. 2015]

Now for the first time, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have conducted a craniometric study (measuring the main part of the skull) on understudied and marginalized groups and found that skull dimensions of Dominicans and Haitians, who occupy a relatively small island of Hispaniola, are different from each other.

According to the researchers, while skeletal and genetic studies show that Caribbean groups are incredibly diverse, they are often lumped together under the broad ancestral category of "Hispanic," along with many other Latin American groups.

Using standard anthropometric craniometric measurements (28 measurements) of both Dominicans and Haitians from computerized tomography (CT) scans from a major hospital in Santo Domingo, the researchers analyzed the measurements to determine similarities and differences.

"Our study demonstrates that, despite sharing a small island, Dominican and Haitian individuals can be differentiated with a fair amount of statistical certainty, which is possible due to complex population histories that have kept them separate despite their geographically close proximity," explained corresponding author Michelle Herrera, a graduate student in the MS Program in Forensic Anthropology at BUSM.

The authors believe it is important to conduct research on groups that are not represented in the typically researched skeletal collections. "Ultimately, this research can aid forensic specialists in identifying missing persons on the island of Hispaniola," added Herrera.

The findings are published in Forensic Science International.

Source: Boston University School of Medicine [October 31, 2019]

Deforestation triggered mass extinction of endemic animal species in Haiti

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 30, 2018 / comment : 0 Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Haiti, Natural Heritage, Wildlife

The loss of more than 99 percent of primary, virgin forests in Haiti is triggering an ongoing mass extinction of reptiles, amphibians, and other species. This deforestation is the main threat to species globally, more than disease, climate change or invasive species.

Primary forest in a biodiversity-rich region of Haiti, Montagnes Macaya in the Massif de la Hotte [Credit: Claudio Contreras]

That is the conclusion of a research collaboration that includes Temple University biologist S. Blair Hedges, director of the Center for Biodiversity and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Biodiversity. Among their findings: 42 of the country's 50 largest mountains have already lost all of their primary forests.

"Haiti is one of the first countries in the world to have lost almost all of its original forests," says Hedges. "A lot of the mountains each have their own endemic species, so when the primary forest is gone, the inference is that many species--including some that have never been identified--are most likely also gone."

The findings - published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - suggest that in less than two decades Haiti will lose all of its remaining primary forest cover and, as a result, most of its endemic species will disappear. Endemic species are those that occur in only one area and nowhere else in the world.

Hedges, the study's lead author, as well as collaborators Warren Cohen of the Oregon State University College of Forestry and Joel Timyan of the Audubon Society of Haiti, have all studied forests and biodiversity in Haiti since the 1980s. Zhiqiang Yang, now with the U.S. Forest Service but an OSU College of Forestry research associate during this study, was the fourth co-author.

Haiti is a densely populated nation of nearly 11 million people where most of the domestic energy production comes from wood charcoal. Haitians are cutting their forests primarily for charcoal and agriculture.

The researchers' analysis of aerial photography and Landsat images showed that between 1988 and 2016 the portion of Haiti's land covered by primary forests shrunk from 4.4 percent to just 0.32 percent. Moreover, mountaintop surveys of vertebrates showed that species are disappearing along with the trees.

Most reports of forest cover and deforestation in tropical nations fail to make a distinction between primary forest and previously cut ones. Instead, they use the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's definition of "total forest" which can have as much as 90% of the trees missing. The researchers concluded that the reporting of primary forest, not total forest, should be the standard worldwide, for understanding the human impact on biodiversity.

"Expanded detection and monitoring of primary forest globally will also improve the efficiency of conservation measures inside and outside of protected areas," says Cohen.

Source: Temple University [October 29, 2018]