OBJECTIVES: Global patterns of @entity2118 have evolved as an adaptation to local ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Indian populations exposed to intense UVR show great variation in @entity2118 . The UVR-based selection model cannot satisfactorily address the high prevalence of light skin among these populations. Thus, the present study examines pigmentation variation among populations of West Maharashtra and the Indian subcontinent within the context of population structure and social hierarchy. METHODS: @entity894 ( @entity894 ) was measured from 555 individuals representing six endogamous populations of West Maharashtra. @entity2118 was assessed in terms of variation between populations and differences between and among castes and tribes. A linear regression analysis was run to assess the relationship among @entity894 , UVR, and social hierarchy using published @entity894 data from 13 Indian endogamous populations. RESULTS: @entity2118 differed significantly among populations of West Maharashtra. Significant pigmentation variation exists between castes and tribes of West Maharashtra as well as across the Indian subcontinent. We observe a significant negative relationship between social hierarchy and @entity2118 , whereas the relationship between UVR and @entity894 is weak. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that various factors may have contributed to pigmentation diversity across the Indian subcontinent. The lack of correlation between UVR and @entity894 suggests that natural selection may not have played a significant role in shaping pigmentation variation across the subcontinent. We discuss other possible explanations, including metabolic conservation and cultural factors such as traditional social hierarchies and strict endogamy that have led to the development of population structure. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:36-43, 2016.    2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

XXXX variation among populations of West Maharashtra, India.

@entity2118 :: ('MESH:D010859', 'Disease') :: ['skin pigmentation', 'Skin pigmentation'] @entity894 :: ('MESH:C566784', 'Disease') :: ['MI', 'Melanin index']
@entity2118 :: (MESH:D010859,Disease) :: ['Skin pigmentation']
