Skin and hair pigmentation variation in Island Melanesia

Norton, Heather L.; Friedlaender, Jonathan S.; Merriwether, D. Andrew; Koki, George; Mgone, Charles S.; Shriver, Mark D.

doi:10.1002/ajpa.20343

Cited by 36melanin and skin pigmentationRace, Genetics, and SocietyForensic and Genetic Research

Skin and hair pigmentation variation in Island Melanesia

Norton, Heather L., Friedlaender, Jonathan S., Merriwether, D. Andrew, Koki, George, Mgone, Charles S., Shriver, Mark D.·2006·American Journal of Physical Anthropology

DOI 10.1002/ajpa.20343

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Abstract

Skin and hair pigmentation are two of the most easily visible examples of human phenotypic variation. Selection-based explanations for pigmentation variation in humans have focused on the relationship between melanin and ultraviolet radiation, which is largely dependent on latitude. In this study, skin and hair pigmentation were measured as the melanin (M) index, using narrow-band reflectance spectroscopy for 1,135 individuals from Island Melanesia. Overall, the results show remarkable pigmentation variation, given the small geographic region surveyed. This variation is discussed in terms of differences between males and females, among islands, and among neighborhoods within those islands. The relationship of pigmentation to age, latitude, and longitude is also examined. We found that male skin pigmentation was significantly darker than females in 5 of 6 islands examined. Hair pigmentation showed a negative, but weak, correlation with age, while skin pigmentation showed a positive, but also weak, correlation with age. Skin and hair pigmentation varied significantly between islands as well as between neighborhoods within those islands. Bougainvilleans showed significantly darker skin than individuals from any other island considered, and are darker than a previously described African-American population. These findings are discussed in relation to prevailing hypotheses about the role of natural selection in shaping pigmentation variation in the human species, as well as the role of demographic processes such as admixture and drift in Island Melanesia.

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Differences in skin pigmentation between sexes are likely population specific: whereas DermaSpectrometer M index measurements in this study show European males to have lighter skin pigmentation than European females, measurements in Island Melanesian, African Caribbeans, and African Americans have shown that in these populations males have darker skin pigmentation than females.
“Lastly, we emphasize that differences in skin pigmentation between sexes are likely population specific. Whereas DermaSpectrometer M index measurements in this study show European males to have lighter skin pigmentation than European females, DermaSpectrometer M index measurements of skin pigmentation in Island Melanesian, African Caribbeans, and African Americans have shown that in these populat”
From Genome-Wide Association Studies of Quantitatively Measured Skin, Hair, and Eye Pigmentation in Four European Populations (2012) · cites this paper as [6]
Melanesians, particularly those inhabiting Island Melanesia, possess some of the darkest skin pigmentation globally, with individuals from Bougainville displaying the highest melanin indices observed in any living human group.
“Melanesians, particularly those inhabiting Island Melanesia, possess some of the darkest skin pigmentation globally, with individuals from Bougainville displaying the highest melanin indices observed in any living human group ( Jablonski and Chaplin, 2000 ; Norton et al., 2006 ).”
From The genetic architecture of human skin pigmentation: evolution and adaptation across global populations (2026) · cites this paper as Norton et al., 2006

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Pigmentation and Candidate Gene Variation in Northern Island Melanesia
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Convergent Evolution of Darkly Pigmented Skin in Island Melanesian Populations
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Pigmentation variation in the presence of strong UVR: genetic and phenotypic variation in Island Melanesia
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MC1R diversity in Northern Island Melanesia has not been constrained by strong purifying selection and cannot explain pigmentation phenotype variation in the region
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Authors: Norton, H. L., Friedlaender, J. S., Merriwether, D. A., Koki, G., Mgone, C. S., & Shriver, M. D.
Affiliations: Pennsylvania State University (US)
Temple University (US)
Binghamton University (US)
Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PG)
Corresponding author: Shriver, Mark D.
ORCID: Norton, Heather L.
Merriwether, D. Andrew
Shriver, Mark D.
Venue: American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2005-12-22
Volume: 130
Issue: 2
Pages: 254-268
ISSN: 0002-9483 (ISSN-L)
1096-8644
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.20343
OpenAlex: W2075462489
Cited by: 36
References: 70
Citations by year: 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
FWCI: 0.68
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations: American Journal of Physical Anthropology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: Medical Research Council
Topics: Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › melanin and skin pigmentation
Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Race, Genetics, and Society
Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Forensic and Genetic Research
Keywords: skin pigmentation, hair pigmentation, melanin index, Island Melanesia, Bougainville, ultraviolet radiation, natural selection, sexual dimorphism, admixture, genetic drift
MeSH terms: Adult, Age Factors, Female, Geography, Hair Color, Humans, Language, Male, Melanesia, Residence Characteristics, Sex Characteristics, Skin Pigmentation, Genetic Variation, Multivariate Analysis, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

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Skin and hair pigmentation variation in Island Melanesia

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