A physical adaptation the zulu tribe has is that they developed a darker skin tone over time to combat the harmful effects of too much UV rays from the sun. It has helped the population by regulating their body temperatures so that they can be in the heat longer with less consequences.
I think a race the Zulu best would be described as is African because they are of an African descent.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Zulu.aspx
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Zulu.html
http://www.sa-venues.com/weather/kwazulunatal.htm
http://us.worldweatheronline.com/durban-weather-averages/kwazulu-natal/za.aspx
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The Andean Indians live in an extensive range of South America high in the Andes Mountains. They don't tend to measure by temperature but more by precipitation. Even then it depends on where you go because the precipitation and temperature varies so drastically from country to country.
A physical adaptation they have is that their skin is more red because their blood cells are trying to get them more oxygen since they live so high up in the mountains. This helps them maintain homeostasis because if they ascend any higher they will not die or faint because they are so used to the thin air.
I think the best race to describe them as would be South American because that is the area that they live in and it's not limiting them to one specific area so as to call them just Venezuelan or just Guatemalan.
http://www.virtualexplorers.org/ard/people/andes.htm
http://www.britannica.com/topic/Andean-peoples
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/andes_climate_page.htm
I see half of your images, but the guidelines asked for an image for each of the adaptations, both cultural and physical?
ReplyDeleteOkay for your opening description of the environment of the Zulu. I agree that heat stress can be a result of the high exposure to the sun but isn't there another stress that can impact the homeostasis of the Zulu?
You go on to correctly identify higher melanin levels in the Zulu population, producing darker skin tones, in response to higher solar radiation levels from the constant exposure to the sun. Solar radiation is a stress all by itself, apart from heat stress. It would have been better to include this in your initial discussion of the environment.
Missing the cultural adaptation for the Zulu?
Africa is a big place! Within the continent of Africa, you not only have those with the physical traits of the Zulu, but also those from the north-eastern part of Africa and the Mediterranean area who tend to have features of Middle Eastern populations. I do understand what you meant, I just want you to recognize one of the problems with trying to identify race in any meaningful way.
Yes, red skin is an indicator that the body is working to get more oxygenated blood to the tissues in the body, but understand that the red skin itself is not adaptive. It is a symptom of the adaptation, which is happening inside the body with the vasodilation of the skin's capillaries. Also, you talk about this stress as an adaptation to "thin air"... should that stress have been discussed in your environmental section? High altitude stress is also called 'hypoxia' and is characterized by low atmospheric pressures making it difficult for the body to take in the oxygen it needs.
Again, missing the cultural adaptations for the Andean population?
'South American', 'Guatemalan', and 'Venezuelan' are geographical identifications, not racial. Race is usually designated based upon external phenotypic features, such as skin color, facial features, body shape and even hair texture. It is important to understand how race is usually determined (whether we agree with it or not) to decide how it stacks up to the adaptive approach.
Missing that final section? Which approach is more useful to Anthropologists in understanding human variation, the adaptive approach or categorizing humans by race? Does race tell us anything useful or is it purely description? Which has more explanatory power?
Make sure you read the guidelines carefully you don't miss points by not addressing required questions.