Journal
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EVOLUTION
Volume 88, Issue 1, Pages 77-87Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s00239-019-09902-7
Keywords
Skin pigmentation; Evolution; Natural selection; Complex traits
Funding
- Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) [PTDC/BIA-BDE/64044/2006]
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [PTDC/BIA-BDE/64044/2006] Funding Source: FCT
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Skin pigmentation is a complex, conspicuous, highly variable human trait that exhibits a remarkable correlation with latitude. The evolutionary history and genetic basis of skin color variation has been the subject of intense research in the last years. This article reviews the major hypotheses explaining skin color diversity and explores the implications of recent findings about the genes associated with skin pigmentation for understanding the evolutionary forces that have shaped the current patterns of skin color variation. A major aspect of these findings is that the genetic basis of skin color is less simple than previously thought and that geographic variation in skin pigmentation was influenced by the concerted action of different types of natural selection, rather than just by selective sweeps in a few key genes.
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