The Structure of Morphofunctional Correlations Among Children and Adolescents as a Mirror of the Anthropogenic Pressure in the Developmental Niche

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2025-3/347-361

Authors

Keywords:

biological anthropology, schoolchildren, morphofunctional status, adaptive variability

Abstract

Correlation is interpreted as a valid marker of a population's adaptive variability. The paper focuses on the correlation structure of morphofunctional indices of children aged 9, 13, and 15 years in connection with the level of anthropogenic pressure at the place of residence. The data (n=5137) were collected in 21 districts of the Nizhniy Novgorod region in 2010–2012. The protocol included anthropometric dimensions (height, weight, chest girth), BMI, and body surface area (Du Bois method), physiometric indices (VC, left and right hand-held dynamometry), hemodynamic parameters (systolic and diastolic pressure, heart rate, Berseneva/Baevskiy indice of functional changes), glucose level. Correlation matrices were analyzed for 4 ecological clusters, separated by the anthropogenic pressure index (API). The total increase in the number of significant inter- and intrasystem morphofunctional correlations connected with the increase in the anthropogenic pressure level is the following: 186 in the ecologically satisfactory cluster, and 228 when the ecological situation is tense. The effect is more significant for children aged 9 years independent of sex, and male adolescents aged 13 years. The number of significant correlations is lower for girls independent of age, especially at 13 years, when the number is 156 for males and 125 for females. The study confirms the main statement of the correlation adaptometry that the number of associations of physiological and morphological parameters is associated with changes in ecological pressure. Boys tend to be more ecologically sensitive compared to girls, who are more resistant. The paper proves the efficiency of correlation analysis for the purposes of modern ecology.

Author Biographies

  • Anna Gorbacheva, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Anuchin Institute and Museum of Anthropology

    Gorbacheva, Anna K. — Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Anuchin Institute and Museum of Anthropology (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: angoria@yandex.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5201-7128

  • Evgeniy Kalyuzhny, the Privolzhsky Research Medical University

    Kalyuzhny, Evgeniy A. — Ph.D., Professor, the Privolzhsky Research Medical University (Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation). E-mail: eakmail@mail.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0792-1190

  • Tatyana Fedotova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Anuchin Institute and Museum of Anthropology

    Fedotova, Tatyana K. — Doctor of Biology, Professor, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Anuchin Institute and Museum of Anthropology (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: tatiana.fedotova@mail.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7750-7924

    For citation: Gorbacheva, A. K., E. A. Kaluzhniy, and T. K. Fedotova. 2025. The Structure of Morphofunctional Correlations Among Children and Adolescents as a Mirror of the Anthropogenic Pressure in the Developmental Niche. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii) 3: 347–361.

    Funding: The research was carried out within the framework of the planned theme "Anthropology of Eurasian Populations (Biological Aspects)" (АААА-А19-119013090163-2).

    References

    Averianova, I. V. 2021. Regional'nye osobennosti morfofunktsional'nykh perestroek organizma i allostaticheskoi nagruzki u evropeoidov-urozhentsev razlichnykh pokolenii Severo-Vostoka Rossii [Regional Features of Morphofunctional Reorganizations of the Organism and of the Allostatic Load in Caucasians — Natives of Different Generations of Northeast of Russia]. Doctoral diss. abstract, NITS «Arktika» DVO RAN. 43 p.

    Blum, M. 2014. Estimating Male and Female Height Inequality. Economics and Human Biology 14: 103–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2013.03.002

    Demidova, T. V. 2011. Vliianie ekologicheskikh uslovii na osobennosti m/f razvitiia detei shkol'nogo vozrasta Respubliki Buriatiia [Impact of Ecological Conditions on Morphofunctional Development Features of Schoolchildren of Republic of Buryatia]. Ph.D. diss., Krasnoyarskii gosudarstvennyi pedagogicheskii universitet im. V. P. Astafieva. 175 p.

    Deriabin, V. E. 2007. Kurs lektsii po elementarnoi biometrii dlia antropologov [The Course of Lectures on Basic Biometrics for Anthropologists]. Moscow: OOO Petrorush. 253 p.

    Deriabin, V. E. 2008. Kurs lektsii po mnogomernoi biometrii dlia antropologov [The Course of Lectures on Multivariate Biometrics for Anthropologists]. Moscow: Biologicheskii fakultet MGU. 332 p.

    Gelashvili, D. B., V. A. Basurov, G. S. Rozenberg, A. Ya. Monichev, I. I. Purtov et al. 2003. Ekologicheskoe zonirovanie territorii s uchetom roli sokhranivshikhsia estestvennykh ekosistem (na primere Nizhegorodskoi oblasti) [Ecological Zoning of Territories based on the Role Remaining Natural Ecosystems (using Nizhny Novgorod Region Data)]. Povolzhskii ekologicheskii zhurnal 2: 99–108.

    Gudkova, L. K. 2008. Populiatsionnaia fiziologiia cheloveka [Human Population Physiology]. Moscow: LKI. 313 p.

    Gudkova, L. K. 2014. Izmenchivost' kak poniatie i kak osnovnoe soderzhanie fiziologicheskoi (ekologicheskoi) antropologii [Variability as a Concept and as the Main Content of the Physiological (Ecological) Anthropology]. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriia XXIII. Antropologiia 4: 4–17.

    Gudkova, L. K. 2017a. Korreliatsionnyi analiz i ego znachenie v ekologicheskoi antropologii. Chast' 1 [The Correlation Analysis and its Significance in Ecological Anthropology. Part 1]. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriia XXIII. Antropologiia 3: 27–35.

    Gudkova, L. K. 2017b. Korreliatsionnyi analiz i ego znachenie v ekologicheskoi antropologii. Chast' II [The Correlation Analysis and its Significance in Ecological Anthropology. Part II]. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriia XXIII. Antropologiia 4: 4–16.

    Gustafsson, A., and P. Lindenfors. 2004. Human Size Evolution: No Evolutionary Allometric Relationship Between Male and Female Stature. The Journal of Human Evolution. 47(4): 253–266. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.07.004

    Gustafsson, A., L. Werdelin, B. S. Tullberg, P. Lindenfors. 2007. Stature and Sexual Stature Dimorphism in Sweden, from the 10th to the End of the 20th Century. American Journal of Human Biology. 19(6): 861–870. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.20657

    Iberla, K. 1980. Faktornyi analiz [Factor Analysis]. Moscow: Statistika. 398 p.

    Korsakov, A. V. 2012. Kompleksnaia ekologo-gigienicheskaia otsenka sostava sredy kak faktora riska dlia zdorov'ia naseleniia [Complex Ecological and Hygienic Assessment of the Environment Structure as the Public Health Risk Factor]. Doctoral diss. abstract, Bryanskii gosudarstvennyi universitet imeni akademika I. G. Petrovskogo. 46 p.

    Kullbak, S. 1967. Teoriia informatsii i statistiki [Theory of Information and Statistics]. Moscow: Nauka. 363 p.

    Loskutova, A. N. 2015. Vozrastnye i tipologicheskie osobennosti variabel'nosti serdechnogo ritma u aborigenov i urozhentsev-evropeoidov Magadanskoi oblasti [Age and Typological Features of Heart Rate Variability of Aboriginal People and Caucasians — Natives of Magadan Region]. Ph.D. diss. abstract, NITS «Arktika» DVO RAN. 21 p.

    Malinovskii, A. A. 1948. Elementarnye korreliatsii i izmenchivost' chelovecheskogo organizma [Basic Correlations and Variability of Human Organism]. Trudy Instituta tsitologii, gistologii i embriologii 1: 136–198.

    Okun, Ya. 1974. Faktornyi analiz [Factor Analysis]. Moscow: Statistika. 200 p.

    Polovko, Yu. I. 2009. Osobennosti adaptatsii k usloviiam vneshnei sredy u podrostkov, prozhivaiushchikh v razlichnykh ekologicheskikh regionakh [Features of Adaptation to Environmental Conditions in Adolescents — Residents of Different Ecological Regions]. Ph.D. diss., Stavropolskii gosudarstvennyi universitet Federalnogo agentstva po obrazovaniiu. 177 p.

    Rostova, N. S. 2002. Korreliatsii: struktura i izmenchivost' [Correlations: Structure and Variability]. Saint Petersburg: Izdatelstvo Sankt-Peterburgskogo universiteta. 308 p.

    Shmalgauzen, I. I. 1982. Organizm kak tseloe v individual'nom i istoricheskom razvitii [The Organism as a Whole in Its Individual and Historic Development]. Moscow: Nauka. 324 p.

    Smirnova, E. V. 2000. Modelirovanie adaptatsii k ekstremal'nym usloviiam, effekt gruppovogo stressa i korreliatsionnaia adaptometriia [Modelling of Adaptation to Extreme Conditions, Group Stress Effect and Correlation Adaptometry]. Doctoral diss., Institut meditsinskikh problem Severa SO RAMN. 275 p.

    Vdovenko, S. I. 2017. Osobennosti funktsii vneshnego dykhaniia u iunoshei-postoiannykh zhitelei razlichnykh klimatogeograficheskikh zon Severo-Vostoka Rossii [Peculiarities of External Respiration Function in Young Men — Permanent Residents of Different Climatic and Geographical Areas of Northeast of Russia]. Ph.D. diss. abstract, NITS «Arktika» DVO RAN. 23 p.

Downloads

Published

23.09.2025

Issue

No. 3 (2025): Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik antropologii)

Section

Physical anthropology