Question

1. If all other variables were kept the same, what colour skin tone would you expect to be linked with:

a)higher levels of folate? Explain.

b)higher levels of vitamin D? Explain

2. Referring to both folate and vitamin D, predict what would happen to the reproductive success of

a) a light-skinned person living in the tropics.

b) a dark-skinned person living in the far north

Answer 1

1) a) the pigmentation will increase with higher levels of folate and thereby it protect against skin cancer and other problems.

1) b) vitamin D deficiency is varies with light and dark skin phototypes. The dark skin colour is significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency. Melanin lowers the skin’s ability to make vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure. The dark skin does not allow to UV rays to penetrate and thereby vitamin D is produced not sufficiently.

2) a) the darker skin will prevent folate deficiency. The lighter skin person has increased chance of folate deficiency. Folate is essential for reproductive success and the therefore light skinned person living in the tropics has lower reproductive success.

2) b) the dark skinned people is deficient in vitamin D and therefore they have lower reproductive success as vitamin D is essential for reproductive potential.