Osteometric variation in the Inuit second metacarpal: a test of Allen's Rule

Bergmann's and Allen's Rules predict a relationship between climate and morphology as a thermoregulatory adaptation. These ecogeographic principles predict/explain change in the ratio of body surface area to body mass in hot and cold climates. With regard to Allen's Rule we would expect short and relatively broad limb proportions. Such adaptation should be observable in skeletal architecture. This paper provides a test of Allen's Rule using...