POPULATION-STRUCTURE OF MIDDLE DALMATIA, CROATIA - ANALYSIS OF PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS

Physiological variation in the population of the environmentally fairl y homogeneous Middle Dalmatian island (peninsular) area (the islands o f Brac, Korcula and Hvar and the peninsula of Peljesac) was investigat ed using data on lung volumes and arterial blood pressure. Relationshi ps and divergence among the populations were assessed at three levels involving 34 village populations, 8 regional populations and 4 island (peninsular) populations. Extensive phenotypic diversity exists at all three levels, the highest one being at the village level, followed by the regional and the level of the whole islands, respectively. This d iversity is interpreted as deriving from different microevolutionary p ressures at the three levels of population subdivision. The congruence between physiological variation and migration history, as well as the significant correlations between physiological, genetic, geographic a nd linguistic distances say much of the strength of the isolating fact ors which have affected the genetic structure of the population of thi s area.