Androgen Receptor Gene Polymorphism, Aggression, and Reproduction in Tanzanian Foragers and Pastoralists.
The androgen receptor (AR) gene polymorphism in humans is linked to aggression and may also be linked to reproduction. Here we report associations between AR gene polymorphism and aggression and reproduction in two small-scale societies in northern Tanzania (Africa)--the Hadza (monogamous foragers) and the Datoga (polygynous pastoralists). We secured self-reports of aggression and assessed genetic polymorphism of the number of CAG repeats for the AR gene for 210 Hadza men and 229 Datoga men (aged 17-70 years). We conducted structural equation modeling to identify links between AR gene polymorphism, aggression, and number of children born, and included age and ethnicity as covariates. Fewer AR CAG repeats predicted greater aggression, and Datoga men reported more aggression than did Hadza men. In addition, aggression mediated the identified negative relationship between CAG repeats and number of children born.
Department of Cross-Cultural Psychology and Human Ethology, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Marina L
ML
Butovskaya
Department of Evolutionary and Developmental Genetics, Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Oleg E
OE
Lazebny
Department of Genome Organization, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Vasiliy A
VA
Vasilyev
Department of Cross-Cultural Psychology and Human Ethology, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Daria A
DA
Dronova
Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.
Dmitri V
DV
Karelin
Department of Archaeology, College of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Audax Z P
AZ
Mabulla
Department of Genome Organization, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Dmitri V
DV
Shibalev
Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, United States of America.
Todd K
TK
Shackelford
Institute of Psychology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Bernhard
B
Fink
Department of Genome Organization, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Alexey P
AP
Ryskov
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression; D002648:Child; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics*; D012098:Reproduction; D013636:Tanzania / Q000208:ethnology; D018911:Trinucleotide Repeats; D055815:Young Adult
D011944:Receptors, Androgen