Human Variation
High altitudes disrupts homeostasis in that it can limit a person's’ ability to accomplish easy tasks, such as walking or climbing, can cause dehydration, and can cause hardships in breathing. This is due to the fact that in higher altitudes, the atmosphere is less dense, therefore the molecules are farther apart, making it more difficult to breath. In higher atmospheres as well, our heart has to do twice the work in order to get oxygen into our lungs, which can be a lot of stress for some people and make them feel fatigued.
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A facultative adaptation would be “the increase of oxygen carrying blood cells.” This is an adaptation that occurs genetically and this trait will continue as long as someone needs it when living in high altitude habitats.
One way humans have adapted to high altitude would be by “developing an ability to carry more oxygen in each red blood cell,” which would take generations to complete and once it appears in an individual; it will not go away during their lifetime.
One instance of cultural adaptations would be the, “Chanting and deep breathing exercises of
Short Term
A short-term adaptation would be when our heart pumps harder in order to get oxygen into our lungs.
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- Facultative
- Developmental:
One way humans have adapted to high altitude would be by “developing an ability to carry more oxygen in each red blood cell,” which would take generations to complete and once it appears in an individual; it will not go away during their lifetime. - Cultural
One instance of cultural adaptations would be the, “Chanting and deep breathing exercises of
Buddhist monks, and high altitude Nepalese [which] increase oxygenation and
reduce hematocrits.” This action is a cultural example because it is an exterior aspect of living in high altitudes and is not the work of the interior body.
A benefit of studying human variation across environmental clines is that it gives us multiple perspectives which expands our knowledge of understanding things and this exploration can be useful in many ways. For instance, by knowing how our body reacts to high altitude either for a short or long period of time, can allow doctors to attempt to find a solution in order to allow oxygen to get to the lungs quicker, such as a mask or other creations. I would use race to understand high altitude adaptations because people such as the Nepalese have lived in a high altitude region for a majority of their lifetime and therefore are more adapted to the environment and have better capabilities in order to live. Studying the environment on adaptations is better than race because it is not usually the race that defines whether or not someone is capable of doing something, but the environment they are currently living or the ones their ancestors’ lived in. Simply because someone is lighter colored, does not mean they are more capable to withstand high altitude levels; it is the environment that determines that.
Works Cited:
By admin, Published. "Nepal, Yoga & Meditation."Programming Site. N.p., 05 Feb. 2015. Web.
Emilia. “Huerta_Sanchez_Presentation” 22 March 2013.
National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web.
Very interesting cultural adaptation example. I remember seeing a video on people who live in Tibet and use meditation and chanting to help them with better blood circulation. Medical exam found that had larger lungs and better exercise capacity. But they also had very high blood pressure and very high red blood cells count.
ReplyDeleteHigh altitude stress isn't just about "thinner" air, as you suggest. The problem is also about lower atmospheric pressure, which makes it more difficult for the lungs to transport oxygen across the vascular membrane from the lungs to the blood stream (and back again with the CO2). Otherwise, good discussion here.
ReplyDeleteCorrect, the heart needs to pump faster to move the oxygen through the system at the same rate. The respiration rate would increase as well, wouldn't it?
Good explanation of your facultative trait.
You needed more specifics in your developmental section, and the image you posted with this actually demonstrates the facultative trait ("acclimatization" is another word for this type of adaptation). What are some actual traits we see in populations that live in high altitude environments that have developed to help them adapt to high altitude stress? How about a barrel-chest for a larger lung capacity? There are also several populations that have developed genes which make them more efficient with transporting oxygen.
Good cultural discussion.
Correct, this type of research can definitely have medical implications, particularly with respect to lung diseases.
"I would use race to understand high altitude adaptations because people such as the Nepalese have lived in a high altitude region for a majority of their lifetime "
Is that using race? Or is it just using the environmental adaptive approach and layering on race over top of it? Can you really use race to better understand human variation? It is okay to say "no" to this.
"it is not usually the race that defines whether or not someone is capable of doing something"
"Defining" is not the issue. "Explaining" is. Can we use race to identify and explain patterns of human variation?
To answer this question, you first need to explore what race actually is. Race is not based in biology but is a social construct, based in beliefs and preconceptions, and used only to categorize humans into groups based upon external physical features, much like organizing a box of crayons by color. Race does not *cause* adaptations like environmental stress do, and without that causal relationship, you can't use race to explain adaptations. Race has no explanatory value over human variation.