Tibetan and Andean Contrasts in Adaptation to High-Altitutde Hypoxia
Abstract
High-altitude environments provide natural experimental settings to investigate adaptation to environmental stress. An important evolutionary and functional question is whether sea-level human biology constrains the adaptive response. This paper presents evidence that indigenous populations of the Tibetan and Andean plateaus exhibit quantitatively different responses to hypobaric hypoxic stress. At the same altitude, Tibetan mean resting ventilation and hypoxic ventilatory response were more than one-half standard deviation higher than Andean Aymara means while Tibetan mean oxygen saturation and hemoglobin concentration were more than one standard deviation below the Andean means. Quantitative genetic analyses of the familial patterning of these traits provided indirect evidence of population differences in genes influencing them. The Tibetan and Andean patterns of oxygen transport appear equally effective functionally as evaluated by birthweight and maximal aerobic capacity across a range of altitudes.
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Native Tibetans and Andeans differ in their baseline physiologic responses to high altitude.
“Aside from differences in susceptibility to CMS, native Tibetans and Andeans differ in their baseline physiologic responses to high altitude.”
From Regulation of erythropoiesis by hypoxia-inducible factors (2013) · cites this paper as [170]
Native Tibetans have lower hemoglobin concentrations than native Andeans (15.6 g/dL versus 19.2 g/dL in males).
“lower hemoglobin concentrations (15.6 g/dL versus 19.2 g/dL in males)”
From Regulation of erythropoiesis by hypoxia-inducible factors (2013) · cites this paper as [170]
Native Tibetans have lower oxygen saturation of arterial hemoglobin than native Andeans at comparable altitudes.
“lower oxygen saturation of arterial hemoglobin”
From Regulation of erythropoiesis by hypoxia-inducible factors (2013) · cites this paper as [170]
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The genetics of human adaptation: hard sweeps, soft sweeps, and polygenic adaptation
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- Authors
- Beall, C. M.
- Affiliations
- Case Western Reserve University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Beall, Cynthia M.
- ORCID
- Beall, Cynthia M.
- Venue
- Advances in experimental medicine and biology
- Publisher
- Springer US
- Published
- 2002
- Volume
- 475
- Pages
- 63-74
- ISSN
- 0065-2598 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W188042440
- Cited by
- 76
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 6.09
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Advances in experimental medicine and biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › High Altitude and Hypoxia
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Physical Performance
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Keywords
- high-altitude adaptation, hypoxia, Tibetan population, Andean peoples, Aymara, hypoxic ventilatory response, resting ventilation, oxygen saturation, hemoglobin levels, oxygen transport, quantitative genetics, birth weight, cardiorespiratory fitness
- MeSH terms
- Acclimatization, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Altitude, Hypoxia, Birth Weight, Female, Hemoglobins, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Male, Middle Aged, Oxygen, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Respiration, South America, Tibet
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