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Pina M, Nakatsukasa M. New quantitative analyses of the Nacholapithecus kerioi proximal ulna confirm morphological affinities with Equatorius and large papionins. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024:e25000. [PMID: 39049556 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.25000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The elbow of Nacholapithecus has been extensively described qualitatively, however its ulnar morphology has never been the focus of an in-depth quantitative analysis before. Hence, our main aim is quantifying the proximal ulnar morphology in Nacholapithecus and exploring whether it is similar to those of Equatorius and Griphopithecus as previously reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS We compared Nacholapithecus proximal ulnar morphology with a sample of extant and extinct anthropoids through principal component analysis and agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis. Moreover, we calculated the Cophenetic Correlation Coefficient and checked for taxonomical group mean differences through MANOVA and pairwise post-hoc comparisons, as well as the phylogenetic signal in the variables used. RESULTS The Nacholapithecus ulna displays a moderately long and relatively narrow olecranon, a relatively wide trochlear surface-radial notch width, and a relatively thin sigmoid notch depth. These features resemble those of large papionins and chimpanzees, and some extinct taxa, mainly Equatorius. DISCUSSION Results presented here reinforce previous inferences on the functional morphology of the Nacholapithecus elbow, showing adaptations for general quadrupedal behaviors. However, other derived features (e.g., a relatively wide trochlear surface) might be associated with the ape-like traits described for its distal humerus (e.g., wide trochlear groove), thus displaying a combination of primitive and derived features in the proximal ulna. Finally, affinities with large papionins could suggest the presence of some terrestrial habits in Nacholapithecus. However, the lack of evidence in the rest of the skeleton prevents us from suggesting terrestrial affinities in this taxon in a conclusive manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pina
- South Bank Applied BioEngineering Research (SABER), School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London, UK
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Masato Nakatsukasa
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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2
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Cazenave M, Pina M, Hammond AS, Böhme M, Begun DR, Spassov N, Gazabón AV, Zanolli C, Bergeret-Medina A, Marchi D, Macchiarelli R, Wood B. Postcranial evidence does not support habitual bipedalism in Sahelanthropus tchadensis: A reply to Daver et al. (2022). J Hum Evol 2024:103557. [PMID: 38918139 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Marine Cazenave
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany; Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, NY 10024, USA; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, 0084 Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Marta Pina
- South Bank Applied BioEngineering Research (SABER), School of Engineering, Division of Mechanical Engineering and Design, London South Bank University, SE1 0AA London, UK; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Spain
| | - Ashley S Hammond
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, NY 10024, USA; New York Consortium of Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP) at AMNH, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Madelaine Böhme
- Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Department of Geoscience, Sigwartstr. 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, Sigwartstr. 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - David R Begun
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 2S2, Canada
| | - Nikolai Spassov
- Department of Paleontology and Mineralogy, National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BG-1000, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Alessandra Vecino Gazabón
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, NY 10024, USA; New York Consortium of Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP) at AMNH, New York, NY 10024, USA; Richard Gilder Graduate School (RGGS) at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein 2000, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Damiano Marchi
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein 2000, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Bernard Wood
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology and Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
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3
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Villamil CI, Middleton ER. Conserved patterns and locomotor-related evolutionary constraints in the hominoid vertebral column. J Hum Evol 2024; 190:103528. [PMID: 38579429 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
The evolution of the hominoid lineage is characterized by pervasive homoplasy, notably in regions such as the vertebral column, which plays a central role in body support and locomotion. Few isolated and fewer associated vertebrae are known for most fossil hominoid taxa, but identified specimens indicate potentially high levels of convergence in terms of both form and number. Homoplasy thus complicates attempts to identify the anatomy of the last common ancestor of hominins and other taxa and stymies reconstructions of evolutionary scenarios. One way to clarify the role of homoplasy is by investigating constraints via phenotypic integration, which assesses covariation among traits, shapes evolutionary pathways, and itself evolves in response to selection. We assessed phenotypic integration and evolvability across the subaxial (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral) vertebral column of macaques (n = 96), gibbons (n = 77), chimpanzees (n = 92), and modern humans (n = 151). We found a mid-cervical cluster that may have shifted cranially in hominoids, a persistent thoracic cluster that is most marked in chimpanzees, and an expanded lumbosacral cluster in hominoids that is most expanded in gibbons. Our results highlight the highly conserved nature of the vertebral column. Taxa appear to exploit existing patterns of integration and ontogenetic processes to shift, expand, or reduce cluster boundaries. Gibbons appear to be the most highly derived taxon in our sample, possibly in response to their highly specialized locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalina I Villamil
- School of Chiropractic, Universidad Central del Caribe, Puerto Rico, PO Box 60327, Bayamón, USA.
| | - Emily R Middleton
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3413 N. Downer Ave., Sabin Hall 390, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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Aramendi J, Mabulla A, Baquedano E, Domínguez-Rodrigo M. Biomechanical and taxonomic diversity in the Early Pleistocene in East Africa: Structural analysis of a recently discovered femur shaft from Olduvai Gorge (bed I). J Hum Evol 2024; 186:103469. [PMID: 38071888 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Recent Plio-Pleistocene hominin findings have revealed the complexity of human evolutionary history and the difficulties involved in its interpretation. Moreover, the study of hominin long bone remains is particularly problematic, since it commonly depends on the analysis of fragmentary skeletal elements that in many cases are merely represented by small diaphyseal portions and appear in an isolated fashion in the fossil record. Nevertheless, the study of the postcranial skeleton is particularly important to ascertain locomotor patterns. Here we report on the discovery of a robust hominin femoral fragment (OH 84) at the site of Amin Mturi Korongo dated to 1.84 Ma (Olduvai Bed I). External anatomy and internal bone structure of OH 84 were analyzed and compared with previously published data for modern humans and chimpanzees, as well as for Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Homo specimens ranging from the Late Pliocene to Late Pleistocene. Biomechanical analyses based on transverse cross-sections and the comparison of OH 84 with another robust Olduvai specimen (OH 80) suggest that OH 84 might be tentatively allocated to Paranthropus boisei. More importantly, the identification of a unique combination of traits in OH 84 could indicate both terrestrial bipedalism and an arboreal component in the locomotor repertoire of this individual. If interpreted correctly, OH 84 could thus add to the already mounting evidence of substantial locomotor diversity among Early Pleistocene hominins. Likewise, our results also highlight the difficulties in accurately interpreting the link between form and function in the human fossil record based on fragmentary remains, and ultimately in distinguishing between coeval hominin groups due to the heterogeneous pattern of inter- and intraspecific morphological variability detected among fossil femora.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Aramendi
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, CB2 1TN, UK.
| | - Audax Mabulla
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Dar Es Salaam, P.O. Box 35050, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Enrique Baquedano
- Archaeological and Paleontological Museum of the Community of Madrid, Plaza de Las Bernardas s/n, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Spain; Institute of Evolution in Africa (IDEA), University of Alcalá and Archaeological and Paleontological Museum of the Community of Madrid, C/Covarrubias 36, 28010, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo
- Institute of Evolution in Africa (IDEA), University of Alcalá and Archaeological and Paleontological Museum of the Community of Madrid, C/Covarrubias 36, 28010, Madrid, Spain; University of Alcalá, Department of History and Philosophy, Area of Prehistory, C/Colegios 2, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Spain; Rice University, Department of Anthropology, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX, 77005 1827, USA
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5
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Kikuchi Y. Body mass estimates from postcranial skeletons and implication for positional behavior in Nacholapithecus kerioi: Evolutionary scenarios of modern apes. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023; 306:2466-2483. [PMID: 36753432 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
This study reported the body mass (BM) estimates of the Middle Miocene fossil hominoid Nacholapithecus kerioi from Africa. The average BM estimates from all forelimb and hindlimb skeletal elements was 22.7 kg, which is slightly higher than the previously reported estimate of ~22 kg. This study revealed that Nacholapithecus has a unique body proportion with an enlarged forelimb relative to a smaller hindlimb, suggesting an antipronograde posture/locomotion, which may be related to the long clavicle, robust ribs, and some hominoid-like vertebral morphology. Because the BM of Nacholapithecus in this study was estimated to be below 30 kg, Nacholapithecus probably did not have relatively shorter and robust femora, which may result from other mechanical constraints, as seen in extant African hominoids. The BM estimate of Nacholapithecus suggests that full substantial modifications of the trunk and forelimb anatomy for risk avoidance and foraging efficiency, as seen in extant great apes, would not be expected in Nacholapithecus. Because larger monkeys are less arboreal (e.g., Mandrillus sphinx or Papio spp.), and the maximum BM among extant constant arboreal cercopithecoids is ~24 kg (male Nasalis larvatus), Nacholapithecus would be a constant arboreal primate. Although caution should be applied because of targeting only males in this study, arboreal quadrupedalism with upright posture and occasional antipronograde locomotion (e.g., climbing, chambering, descending, arm-swing, and sway) using the powerful grasping capacity of the hand and foot may be assumed for positional behavior of Nacholapithecus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Kikuchi
- Division of Human Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga, Japan
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6
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Meyer MR, Jung JP, Spear JK, Araiza IF, Galway-Witham J, Williams SA. Knuckle-walking in Sahelanthropus? Locomotor inferences from the ulnae of fossil hominins and other hominoids. J Hum Evol 2023; 179:103355. [PMID: 37003245 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Because the ulna supports and transmits forces during movement, its morphology can signal aspects of functional adaptation. To test whether, like extant apes, some hominins habitually recruit the forelimb in locomotion, we separate the ulna shaft and ulna proximal complex for independent shape analyses via elliptical Fourier methods to identify functional signals. We examine the relative influence of locomotion, taxonomy, and body mass on ulna contours in Homo sapiens (n = 22), five species of extant apes (n = 33), two Miocene apes (Hispanopithecus and Danuvius), and 17 fossil hominin specimens including Sahelanthropus, Ardipithecus, Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and early Homo. Ulna proximal complex contours correlate with body mass but not locomotor patterns, while ulna shafts significantly correlate with locomotion. African apes' ulna shafts are more robust and curved than Asian apes and are unlike other terrestrial mammals (including other primates), curving ventrally rather than dorsally. Because this distinctive curvature is absent in orangutans and hylobatids, it is likely a function of powerful flexors engaged in wrist and hand stabilization during knuckle-walking, and not an adaptation to climbing or suspensory behavior. The OH 36 (purported Paranthropus boisei) and TM 266 (assigned to Sahelanthropus tchadensis) fossils differ from other hominins by falling within the knuckle-walking morphospace, and thus appear to show forelimb morphology consistent with terrestrial locomotion. Discriminant function analysis classifies both OH 36 and TM 266 with Pan and Gorilla with high posterior probability. Along with its associated femur, the TM 266 ulna shaft contours and its deep, keeled trochlear notch comprise a suite of traits signaling African ape-like quadrupedalism. While implications for the phylogenetic position and hominin status of S. tchadensis remain equivocal, this study supports the growing body of evidence indicating that S. tchadensis was not an obligate biped, but instead represents a late Miocene hominid with knuckle-walking adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc R Meyer
- Department of Anthropology, Chaffey College, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737, USA.
| | - Jason P Jung
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
| | - Jeffrey K Spear
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Isabella Fx Araiza
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Julia Galway-Witham
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Scott A Williams
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
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7
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Pallas L, Daver G, Merceron G, Boisserie JR. The anatomy of the hindlimb of Theropithecus brumpti (Cercopithecidae, Papionini): Morphofunctional implications. J Hum Evol 2023; 178:103333. [PMID: 36965446 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2023]
Abstract
Theropithecus brumpti is a primate known from numerous craniodental specimens in the Plio-Pleistocene Shungura Formation (Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia), but the anatomy of its hindlimb is documented only by a few associated and mostly incomplete postcranial specimens. The adaptations of T. brumpti are still debated, with its substrate preferences and its use of squatting postures recently discussed based on anatomical differences when compared with its extant representative, Theropithecus gelada. Here, we describe an associated femur and tibia (L 869-1 and L 869-2) of a presumed T. brumpti male and a partial foot (L 865-1r and L 865-1t) of a male T. brumpti, dated to ca. 2.6 Ma and ca. 2.32 Ma respectively. Based on univariate and bivariate morphometric analyses, we provide new data on the morphological correlates of substrate preferences and postural behaviors of this fossil species. Our results are in agreement with previous analyses and present T. brumpti as a predominantly terrestrial primate. We demonstrate the presence of osteological correlates associated with the use of squatting behaviors in T. brumpti but also point to significant anatomical differences between this paleontological species and T. gelada. These differences blur the functional value of characters previously identified as diagnostic of T. gelada and its postural behavior. We further document the postcranial distinctiveness of the Theropithecus clade in relation to the Papio clade. This study thus provides new insights into the postcranial anatomy and paleoecology of an abundant fossil primate from the Plio-Pleistocene of eastern Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Pallas
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Evolution, Paléoécosystèmes et Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), UMR CNRS 7262, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 86022, France.
| | - Guillaume Daver
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Evolution, Paléoécosystèmes et Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), UMR CNRS 7262, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 86022, France
| | - Gildas Merceron
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Evolution, Paléoécosystèmes et Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), UMR CNRS 7262, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 86022, France
| | - Jean-Renaud Boisserie
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Evolution, Paléoécosystèmes et Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), UMR CNRS 7262, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 86022, France; Centre Français des Études Éthiopiennes, CNRS & Ministère de l'Europe et des affaires étrangères, PO BOX 5554, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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8
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Arias-Martorell J, Urciuoli A, Almécija S, Alba DM, Nakatsukasa M. The radial head of the Middle Miocene ape Nacholapithecus kerioi: Morphometric affinities, locomotor inferences, and implications for the evolution of the hominoid humeroradial joint. J Hum Evol 2023; 178:103345. [PMID: 36933453 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Arias-Martorell
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Auntònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; School of Anthropology and Conservation, Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK.
| | - Alessandro Urciuoli
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Auntònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Auntònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Auntònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Masato Nakatsukasa
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto, Japan
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Urciuoli A, Alba DM. Systematics of Miocene apes: State of the art of a neverending controversy. J Hum Evol 2023; 175:103309. [PMID: 36716680 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Hominoids diverged from cercopithecoids during the Oligocene in Afro-Arabia, initially radiating in that continent and subsequently dispersing into Eurasia. From the Late Miocene onward, the geographic range of hominoids progressively shrank, except for hominins, which dispersed out of Africa during the Pleistocene. Although the overall picture of hominoid evolution is clear based on available fossil evidence, many uncertainties persist regarding the phylogeny and paleobiogeography of Miocene apes (nonhominin hominoids), owing to their sparse record, pervasive homoplasy, and the decimated current diversity of this group. We review Miocene ape systematics and evolution by focusing on the most parsimonious cladograms published during the last decade. First, we provide a historical account of the progress made in Miocene ape phylogeny and paleobiogeography, report an updated classification of Miocene apes, and provide a list of Miocene ape species-locality occurrences together with an analysis of their paleobiodiversity dynamics. Second, we discuss various critical issues of Miocene ape phylogeny and paleobiogeography (hylobatid and crown hominid origins, plus the relationships of Oreopithecus) in the light of the highly divergent results obtained from cladistic analyses of craniodental and postcranial characters separately. We conclude that cladistic efforts to disentangle Miocene ape phylogeny are potentially biased by a long-branch attraction problem caused by the numerous postcranial similarities shared between hylobatids and hominids-despite the increasingly held view that they are likely homoplastic to a large extent, as illustrated by Sivapithecus and Pierolapithecus-and further aggravated by abundant missing data owing to incomplete preservation. Finally, we argue that-besides the recovery of additional fossils, the retrieval of paleoproteomic data, and a better integration between cladistics and geometric morphometrics-Miocene ape phylogenetics should take advantage of total-evidence (tip-dating) Bayesian methods of phylogenetic inference combining morphologic, molecular, and chronostratigraphic data. This would hopefully help ascertain whether hylobatid divergence was more basal than currently supported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Urciuoli
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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10
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Aguilar LK, Collins CE, Ward CV, Hammond AS. Pathways to primate hip function. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211762. [PMID: 35845850 PMCID: PMC9277236 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how diverse locomotor repertoires evolved in anthropoid primates is key to reconstructing the clade's evolution. Locomotor behaviour is often inferred from proximal femur morphology, yet the relationship of femoral variation to locomotor diversity is poorly understood. Extant acrobatic primates have greater ranges of hip joint mobility-particularly abduction-than those using more stereotyped locomotion, but how bony morphologies of the femur and pelvis interact to produce different locomotor abilities is unknown. We conducted hypothesis-driven path analyses via regularized structural equation modelling (SEM) to determine which morphological traits are the strongest predictors of hip abduction in anthropoid primates. Seven femoral morphological traits and two hip abduction measures were obtained from 25 primate species, split into broad locomotor and taxonomic groups. Through variable selection and fit testing techniques, insignificant predictors were removed to create the most parsimonious final models. Some morphological predictors, such as femur shaft length and neck-shaft angle, were important across models. Different trait combinations best predicted hip abduction by locomotor or taxonomic group, demonstrating group-specific linkages among morphology, mobility and behaviour. Our study illustrates the strength of SEM for identifying biologically important relationships between morphology and performance, which will have future applications for palaeobiological and biomechanical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucrecia K. Aguilar
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Clint E. Collins
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University – Sacramento, Sacramento, CA 95819, USA
| | - Carol V. Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - Ashley S. Hammond
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
- New York Consortium of Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10024, USA
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11
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Nishimura AC, Russo GA, Nengo IO, Miller ER. Morphological affinities of a fossil ulna (KNM-WS 65401) from Buluk, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2022; 166:103177. [PMID: 35390563 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The morphological affinities of a primate proximal ulna (KNM-WS 65401) recovered from the late Early Miocene site Buluk, Kenya, are appraised. Nineteen three-dimensional landmarks on ulnae from 36 extant anthropoid species (n = 152 individuals) and KNM-WS 65401, as well as a subset of 14 landmarks on six ulnae belonging to other East African Miocene catarrhine taxa, were collected. To quantify ulnar shape, three-dimensional geometric morphometric techniques were used and linear dimensions commonly cited in the literature were derived from the landmark data. KNM-WS 65401 is situated between monkeys and hominoids in the principal components morphospace. KNM-WS 65401 shares features such as a short olecranon process, broad trochlear notch, and laterally oriented radial notch with extant hominoids, whereas features such as an anteriorly directed trochlear notch and flat, proximodistally elongated, and anteroposteriorly narrow radial notch are shared with extant monkeys. Principal component scores and linear metrics generally align KNM-WS 65401 with both suspensors and arboreal quadrupeds, but quadratic and linear discriminant analyses of principal component score data provide posterior probabilities of 80% and 83%, respectively, for assignment of KNM-WS 65401 to the suspensory group. Compared with fossil ulnae from other Miocene primates, KNM-WS 65401 is morphologically most distinct from KNM-LG 6, attributed to Dendropithecus macinnesi, and morphologically most similar to KNM-WK 16950R, attributed to Turkanapithecus kalakolensis. The KNM-WS 65401 individual likely possessed more enhanced capabilities for elbow joint extension, perhaps during suspensory behaviors, compared with other Miocene primates in the sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail C Nishimura
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Gabrielle A Russo
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
| | - Isaiah O Nengo
- Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Ellen R Miller
- Department of Anthropology, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC 27109, USA
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Arias-Martorell J, Almécija S, Urciuoli A, Nakatsukasa M, Moyà-Solà S, Alba DM. A proximal radius of Barberapithecus huerzeleri from Castell de Barberà: Implications for locomotor diversity among pliopithecoids. J Hum Evol 2021; 157:103032. [PMID: 34233242 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Pliopithecoids are a diverse group of Miocene catarrhine primates from Eurasia. Their positional behavior is still unknown, and many species are known exclusively from dentognathic remains. Here, we describe a proximal radius (IPS66267) from the late Miocene of Castell de Barberà (Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula) that represents the first postcranial specimen of the pliopithecoid Barberapithecus huerzeleri. A body mass estimate based on the radius is compared with dental estimates, and its morphology is compared with that of extant and fossil anthropoids by qualitative means as well as by landmark-based three-dimensional geometric morphometrics. The estimated body mass of ∼5 kg for IPS66267 closely matches the dental estimates for the (female) holotype, thereby discounting an alternative attribution to the large-bodied hominoid recorded at Castell de Barberà. In multiple features (oval and moderately tilted head with a pronounced lateral lip and a restricted articular area for the capitulum; proximodistally expanded proximal radioulnar joint; and short, robust, and anteroposteriorly compressed neck), the specimen differs from hominoids and resembles instead extant nonateline monkeys and stem catarrhines. The results of the morphometric analysis further indicate that the Barberapithecus proximal radius shows closer similarities with nonsuspensory arboreal cercopithecoids and the dendropithecid Simiolus. From a locomotor viewpoint, the radius of Barberapithecus lacks most of the features functionally related to climbing and/or suspensory behaviors and displays instead a proximal radioulnar joint that would have been particularly stable under pronation. On the other hand, the Barberapithecus radius differs from other stem catarrhines in the less anteroposteriorly compressed and less tilted radial head with a deeper capitular fovea, suggesting a somewhat enhanced mobility at the elbow joint. We conclude that pronograde arboreal quadrupedalism was the main component of the locomotor repertoire of Barberapithecus but that, similar to other crouzeliids, it might have displayed better climbing abilities than pliopithecids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Arias-Martorell
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain; School of Anthropology and Conservation, Marlowe Building University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK.
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alessandro Urciuoli
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Masato Nakatsukasa
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto, Japan
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain; Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica (Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
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13
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Anderson M. An assessment of the postcranial skeleton of the Paracolobus mutiwa (Primates: Colobinae) specimen KNM-WT 16827 from Lomekwi, West Turkana, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2021; 156:103012. [PMID: 34004496 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The postcranium of a large-bodied colobine monkey attributed to Paracolobus mutiwa from the site of Lomekwi, West Turkana, Kenya, is described. The partial skeleton (KNM-WT 16827) was recovered from locality LO 1, dated to 2.58-2.53 Ma, and preserves postcranial elements including fragments of scapula, humerus, proximal ulna, proximal radius, os coxae, proximal femur, astragalus, and calcaneus. KNM-WT 16827 was identified as P. mutiwa based on cranial similarities to the holotype female maxilla (KNM-ER 3843) and the holotype of Paracolobus chemeroni (KNM-BC 3), but is currently the only specimen of this taxon with associated cranial and postcranial elements. The skeleton is morphologically distinct from other large cercopithecid specimens from the Turkana Basin, including several assigned to Cercopithecoides williamsi, Cercopithecoides kimeui, Rhinocolobus turkanaensis, and Theropithecus oswaldi and differs from KNM-BC 3 in the larger cranium and shorter and more robust long bones. KNM-WT 16827 has forelimb and hindlimb features exhibiting a mixture of traits more associated with terrestrial locomotor behavior, including robust humeral deltoid tuberosity, retroflexed humeral medial epicondyle, deep ulnar trochlear notch, relatively short lower iliac height, prominent femoral greater trochanter, asymmetrical astragalar trochlea, and weak digit flexor grooves on the calcaneus. KNM-WT 16827 is also proportionally distinct from KNM-BC 3 and other Turkana Basin specimens attributed to large-bodied taxa such as C. williamsi, C. kimeui, R. turkanaensis, and T. oswaldi in having relatively shorter limbs and smaller tarsals. The traits shared with P. chemeroni and other extinct taxa are either typical for colobines, or likely due to P. mutiwa and P. chemeroni sharing adaptations for terrestrial locomotion relative to extant colobinans. Although a full cranial assessment is needed, based on its postcranial morphology KNM-WT 16827 is distinct from KNM-BC 3, C. williamsi, R. turkanaensis, Theropithecus, and extant colobines, warranting further analyses to better assess the taxonomic assignment of the specimen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monya Anderson
- Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, Anthropology 225, TAMU 4352, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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Almécija S, Hammond AS, Thompson NE, Pugh KD, Moyà-Solà S, Alba DM. Fossil apes and human evolution. Science 2021; 372:372/6542/eabb4363. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abb4363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Humans diverged from apes (chimpanzees, specifically) toward the end of the Miocene ~9.3 million to 6.5 million years ago. Understanding the origins of the human lineage (hominins) requires reconstructing the morphology, behavior, and environment of the chimpanzee-human last common ancestor. Modern hominoids (that is, humans and apes) share multiple features (for example, an orthograde body plan facilitating upright positional behaviors). However, the fossil record indicates that living hominoids constitute narrow representatives of an ancient radiation of more widely distributed, diverse species, none of which exhibit the entire suite of locomotor adaptations present in the extant relatives. Hence, some modern ape similarities might have evolved in parallel in response to similar selection pressures. Current evidence suggests that hominins originated in Africa from Miocene ape ancestors unlike any living species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Almécija
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, NY 10024, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology at AMNH, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ashley S. Hammond
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, NY 10024, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology at AMNH, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Nathan E. Thompson
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Kelsey D. Pugh
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, NY 10024, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology at AMNH, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- Unitat d’Antropologia Biològica, Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David M. Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
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15
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Pina M, Kikuchi Y, Nakatsukasa M, Nakano Y, Kunimatsu Y, Ogihara N, Shimizu D, Takano T, Tsujikawa H, Ishida H. New femoral remains of Nacholapithecus kerioi: Implications for intraspecific variation and Miocene hominoid evolution. J Hum Evol 2021; 155:102982. [PMID: 33862402 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The middle Miocene stem kenyapithecine Nacholapithecus kerioi (16-15 Ma; Nachola, Kenya) is represented by a large number of isolated fossil remains and one of the most complete skeletons in the hominoid fossil record (KNM-BG 35250). Multiple fieldwork seasons performed by Japanese-Kenyan teams during the last part of the 20th century resulted in the discovery of a large sample of Nacholapithecus fossils. Here, we describe the new femoral remains of Nacholapithecus. In well-preserved specimens, we evaluate sex differences and within-species variation using both qualitative and quantitative traits. We use these data to determine whether these specimens are morphologically similar to the species holotype KNM-BG 35250 (which shows some plastic deformation) and to compare Nacholapithecus with other Miocene hominoids and extant anthropoids to evaluate the distinctiveness of its femur. The new fossil evidence reaffirms previously reported descriptions of some distal femoral traits, namely the morphology of the patellar groove. However, results also show that relative femoral head size in Nacholapithecus is smaller, relative neck length is longer, and neck-shaft angle is lower than previously reported for KNM-BG 35250. These traits have a strong functional signal related to the hip joint kinematics, suggesting that the morphology of the proximal femur in Nacholapithecus might be functionally related to quadrupedal-like behaviors instead of more derived antipronograde locomotor modes. Results further demonstrate that other African Miocene apes (with the exception of Turkanapithecus kalakolensis) generally fall within the Nacholapithecus range of variation, whose overall femoral shape resembles that of Ekembo spp. and Equatorius africanus. Our results accord with the previously inferred locomotor repertoire of Nacholapithecus, indicating a combination of generalized arboreal quadrupedalism combined with other antipronograde behaviors (e.g., vertical climbing).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pina
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, C/ Columnes S/n, Campus de La UAB, 08193, Cerdanyola Del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Yasuhiro Kikuchi
- Division of Human Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga, 849-8501, Japan
| | - Masato Nakatsukasa
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Nakano
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, 565-8502, Japan
| | - Yutaka Kunimatsu
- Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Ryukoku University, Kyoto, 612-8577, Japan
| | - Naomichi Ogihara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Daisuke Shimizu
- Faculty of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Chubu Gakuin University, Seki, Gifu, 504-0837, Japan
| | | | - Hiroshi Tsujikawa
- Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medical Science and Welfare, Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University, Sendai, 981-8551, Japan
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17
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Abstract
Oreopithecus bambolii (8.3-6.7 million years old) is the latest known hominoid from Europe, dating to approximately the divergence time of the Pan-hominin lineages. Despite being the most complete nonhominin hominoid in the fossil record, the O. bambolii skeleton IGF 11778 has been, for decades, at the center of intense debate regarding the species' locomotor behavior, phylogenetic position, insular paleoenvironment, and utility as a model for early hominin anatomy. Here we investigate features of the IGF 11778 pelvis and lumbar region based on torso preparations and supplemented by other O. bambolii material. We correct several crucial interpretations relating to the IGF 11778 anterior inferior iliac spine and lumbar vertebrae structure and identifications. We find that features of the early hominin Ardipithecus ramidus torso that are argued to have permitted both lordosis and pelvic stabilization during upright walking are not present in O. bambolii However, O. bambolii also lacks the complete reorganization for torso stiffness seen in extant great apes (i.e., living members of the Hominidae), and is more similar to large hylobatids in certain aspects of torso form. We discuss the major implications of the O. bambolii lower torso anatomy and how O. bambolii informs scenarios of hominoid evolution.
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Early anthropoid femora reveal divergent adaptive trajectories in catarrhine hind-limb evolution. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4778. [PMID: 31699998 PMCID: PMC6838095 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12742-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The divergence of crown catarrhines—i.e., the split of cercopithecoids (Old World monkeys) from hominoids (apes and humans)—is a poorly understood phase in our shared evolutionary history with other primates. The two groups differ in the anatomy of the hip joint, a pattern that has been linked to their locomotor strategies: relatively restricted motion in cercopithecoids vs. more eclectic movements in hominoids. Here we take advantage of the first well-preserved proximal femur of the early Oligocene stem catarrhine Aegyptopithecus to investigate the evolution of this anatomical region using 3D morphometric and phylogenetically-informed evolutionary analyses. Our analyses reveal that cercopithecoids and hominoids have undergone divergent evolutionary transformations of the proximal femur from a similar ancestral morphology that is not seen in any living anthropoid, but is preserved in Aegyptopithecus, stem platyrrhines, and stem cercopithecoids. These results highlight the relevance of fossil evidence for illuminating key adaptive shifts in primate evolution. The proximal femur is key for understanding locomotion in primates. Here, the authors analyze the evolution of the proximal femur in catarrhines, including a new Aegyptopithecus fossil, and suggest that Old World monkeys and hominoids diverged from an ancestral state similar to Aegyptopithecus.
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Böhme M, Spassov N, Fuss J, Tröscher A, Deane AS, Prieto J, Kirscher U, Lechner T, Begun DR. A new Miocene ape and locomotion in the ancestor of great apes and humans. Nature 2019; 575:489-493. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1731-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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A late Miocene hominid partial pelvis from Hungary. J Hum Evol 2019; 136:102645. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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21
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Pina M, Alba DM, Moyà-Solà S, Almécija S. Femoral neck cortical bone distribution of dryopithecin apes and the evolution of hominid locomotion. J Hum Evol 2019; 136:102651. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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22
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Rossie JB, Hill A. A new species of Simiolus from the middle Miocene of the Tugen Hills, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2018; 125:50-58. [PMID: 30502897 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
A new species of the "small-bodied ape" Simiolus is described here that extends the temporal range of the genus to the end of the Middle Miocene. As such, it is one of the few species of fossil primates known from East Africa during a time of significant change in which Old World monkeys and crown hominoids replaced the primitive ape-like primates that had dominated the early Miocene. The dynamics of this important event in our evolutionary history are obscured by the small number of fossil primates known from Africa between 14 and 6 million years ago, as well as persistent ambiguity regarding the phylogenetic status of the ape-like Miocene primates. The new species described here helps to fill this temporal gap, and our analysis of its phylogenetic position suggests that Simiolus and many other Miocene primates were not only ape-like, they were, indeed, stem hominoids. Judging from the available material, the new species may be the smallest known ape.
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Affiliation(s)
- James B Rossie
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
| | - Andrew Hill
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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Hip extensor mechanics and the evolution of walking and climbing capabilities in humans, apes, and fossil hominins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:4134-4139. [PMID: 29610309 PMCID: PMC5910817 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1715120115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of humans’ distinct bipedal gait remains a focus of research and debate. Many reconstructions of hominin locomotor evolution assume climbing capability trades off against walking economy, with improvement in one requiring diminishment of the other, but few have tested these functional inferences experimentally. In this study, we integrate experimental locomotor mechanics from humans and other primates with osteological measurements to assess the locomotor capabilities of early hominins. Our analyses show that changes in the ischium and hamstrings would have made walking more economical without reducing the utility of these muscles for climbing in early hominins. A wider set of evolutionary solutions may have been available to early hominins than previously recognized. The evolutionary emergence of humans’ remarkably economical walking gait remains a focus of research and debate, but experimentally validated approaches linking locomotor capability to postcranial anatomy are limited. In this study, we integrated 3D morphometrics of hominoid pelvic shape with experimental measurements of hip kinematics and kinetics during walking and climbing, hamstring activity, and passive range of hip extension in humans, apes, and other primates to assess arboreal–terrestrial trade-offs in ischium morphology among living taxa. We show that hamstring-powered hip extension during habitual walking and climbing in living apes and humans is strongly predicted, and likely constrained, by the relative length and orientation of the ischium. Ape pelves permit greater extensor moments at the hip, enhancing climbing capability, but limit their range of hip extension, resulting in a crouched gait. Human pelves reduce hip extensor moments but permit a greater degree of hip extension, which greatly improves walking economy (i.e., distance traveled/energy consumed). Applying these results to fossil pelves suggests that early hominins differed from both humans and extant apes in having an economical walking gait without sacrificing climbing capability. Ardipithecus was capable of nearly human-like hip extension during bipedal walking, but retained the capacity for powerful, ape-like hip extension during vertical climbing. Hip extension capability was essentially human-like in Australopithecus afarensis and Australopithecus africanus, suggesting an economical walking gait but reduced mechanical advantage for powered hip extension during climbing.
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Ward CV, Maddux SD, Middleton ER. Three‐dimensional anatomy of the anthropoid bony pelvis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 166:3-25. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Revised: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Carol V. Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, M263 Medical Sciences BuildingUniversity of MissouriColumbia Missouri 65212
| | - Scott D. Maddux
- Center for Anatomical Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie BoulevardFt. Worth Texas 76107
| | - Emily R. Middleton
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, M263 Medical Sciences BuildingUniversity of MissouriColumbia Missouri 65212
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25
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Femoral neck-shaft angle and climate-induced body proportions. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 164:720-735. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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26
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Thompson NE, Almécija S. The evolution of vertebral formulae in Hominoidea. J Hum Evol 2017; 110:18-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Revised: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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27
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Rosenberg KR, DeSilva JM. Evolution of the Human Pelvis. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2017; 300:789-797. [PMID: 28406563 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
No bone in the human postcranial skeleton differs more dramatically from its match in an ape skeleton than the pelvis. Humans have evolved a specialized pelvis, well-adapted for the rigors of bipedal locomotion. Precisely how this happened has been the subject of great interest and contention in the paleoanthropological literature. In part, this is because of the fragility of the pelvis and its resulting rarity in the human fossil record. However, new discoveries from Miocene hominoids and Plio-Pleistocene hominins have reenergized debates about human pelvic evolution and shed new light on the competing roles of bipedal locomotion and obstetrics in shaping pelvic anatomy. In this issue, 13 papers address the evolution of the human pelvis. Here, we summarize these new contributions to our understanding of pelvic evolution, and share our own thoughts on the progress the field has made, and the questions that still remain. Anat Rec, 300:789-797, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen R Rosenberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
| | - Jeremy M DeSilva
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
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Hammond AS, Almécija S. Lower Ilium Evolution in Apes and Hominins. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2017; 300:828-844. [PMID: 28406561 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2016] [Accepted: 10/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Elucidating the pelvic morphology of the Pan-Homo last common ancestor (LCA) is crucial for understanding ape and human evolution. The pelvis of Ardipithecus ramidus has been the basis of controversial interpretations of the LCA pelvis. In particular, it was proposed that the lower ilium became elongate independently in the orangutan and chimpanzee clades, making these taxa poor analogues for the pelvis of the LCA. This study examines the variation in relative lower ilium height between and within living and fossil hominoid species (and other anthropoids), and models its evolution using available fossil hominoids as calibration points. We find nuanced differences in relative lower ilium height among living hominoids, particularly in regards to gorillas, which do not have elongate lower ilia (because they are likely to represent the plesiomorphic hominoid condition for this trait). We also show that differences in relative lower ilium height among hominoid taxa are not readily explained by differences in size between species. Our maximum likelihood ancestral state reconstructions support inferences that chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes in particular) and orangutans evolved their elongate lower ilia independently. We also find that the predicted lower ilium height of the Pan-Homo LCA is shorter than all great apes except gorillas. This study adds to a growing body of evidence that finds different regions of the body show different evolutionary histories in different hominoids, and underscores that the unique combinations of morphologies of each modern and fossil hominoid species should be considered when reconstructing the mosaic nature of the Pan-Homo LCA. Anat Rec, 300:828-844, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley S Hammond
- Center for Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, 20052
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Center for Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, 20052.,Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Middleton ER, Winkler ZJ, Hammond AS, Plavcan JM, Ward CV. Determinants of Iliac Blade Orientation in Anthropoid Primates. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2017; 300:810-827. [PMID: 28406557 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Revised: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 10/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Orientation of the iliac blades is a key feature that appears to distinguish extant apes from monkeys. Iliac morphology is hypothesized to reflect variation in thoracic shape that, in turn, reflects adaptations for shoulder and forearm function in anthropoids. Iliac orientation is traditionally measured relative to the acetabulum, whereas functional explanations pertain to its orientation relative to the cardinal anatomical planes. We investigated iliac orientation relative to a median plane using digital models of hipbones registered to landmark data from articulated pelves. We fit planes to the iliac surfaces, midline, and acetabulum, and investigated linear metrics that characterize geometric relationships of the iliac margins. Our results demonstrate that extant hominoid ilia are not rotated into a coronal plane from a more sagittal position in basal apes and monkeys but that the apparent rotation is the result of geometric changes within the ilia. The whole ilium and its gluteal surface are more coronally oriented in apes, but apes and monkeys do not differ in orientation of the iliac fossa. The angular differences in the whole blade and gluteal surface primarily reflect a narrower iliac tuberosity set closer to the midline in extant apes, reflecting a decrease in erector spinae muscle mass associated with stiffening of the lumbar spine. Mediolateral breadth across the ventral dorsal iliac spines is only slightly greater in extant apes than in monkeys. These results demonstrate that spinal musculature and mobility have a more significant effect on pelvic morphology than does shoulder orientation, as had been previously hypothesized. Anat Rec, 300:810-827, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Middleton
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, M263 Medical Sciences Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 65212
| | - Zachariah J Winkler
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, M263 Medical Sciences Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 65212
| | - Ashley S Hammond
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, Washington DC, 20052
| | - J Michael Plavcan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701
| | - Carol V Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, M263 Medical Sciences Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 65212
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Selby MS, Lovejoy CO. Evolution of the hominoid scapula and its implications for earliest hominid locomotion. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 162:682-700. [PMID: 28128440 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Revised: 11/06/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The higher primate scapula has been subject to many explanations of the putative "adaptive value" of its individual traits. However, the shift from the bone's position in above branch quadrupeds to its more posterolateral position in recent hominoids obviously required fundamental changes to its general form. We hypothesize that most features argued to be individually adaptive are more likely secondary consequences of changes in its fundamental bauplan, a view more consistent with modern developmental biology. MATERIALS AND METHODS We tested this hypothesis with scapular metrics and angles from a broad anthropoid sample. RESULTS Our results support our hypothesis. Contrary to earlier predictions, vertebral border length differs little relative to body size in anthropoids, inferior angle position primarily reflects mediolateral scapular breadth, and supraspinous and infraspinous fossa sizes largely reflect scapular spine orientation. Suspensory taxa have cranially oriented glenoids, whereas slow clamberers and humans do not. Australopithecus most closely resembles the latter. DISCUSSION Most scapular features can be explained by only two primary changes: (1) reduction in mediolateral breadth and (2) change in the glenoid position relative to the vertebral border with increased reliance on suspension, which led to a more cranially angled scapular spine. Virtually all other scapular traits appear to be byproducts of these two changes. Based on fossil morphology, hominids1 were derived from a last common ancestor primarily adapted for clambering and not for suspension. Scapular form in early hominids such as Australopithecus is therefore primitive and largely reflects the genus's general clambering heritage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Selby
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Georgia Campus - Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Suwanee, Georgia, 30024-2937
| | - C Owen Lovejoy
- Department of Anthropology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 44242-0001
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Hammond AS, Plavcan JM, Ward CV. A validated method for modeling anthropoid hip abduction
in silico. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 160:529-48. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Revised: 03/19/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley S. Hammond
- Center for Advanced Study of Human PaleobiologyDepartment of AnthropologyGeorge Washington UniversityWashington DC20052
- Department of AnatomyHoward University College of Medicine, Washington DC20059
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical SciencesUniversity of Missouri School of MedicineColumbia MO65212
| | | | - Carol V. Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical SciencesUniversity of Missouri School of MedicineColumbia MO65212
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Prang TC. Conarticular congruence of the hominoid subtalar joint complex with implications for joint function in Plio-Pleistocene hominins. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 160:446-57. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C. Prang
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology; New York University; New York, NY 10003
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP)
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Machnicki AL, Spurlock LB, Strier KB, Reno PL, Lovejoy CO. First steps of bipedality in hominids: evidence from the atelid and proconsulid pelvis. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1521. [PMID: 26793418 PMCID: PMC4715437 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 11/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Upright walking absent a bent-hip-bent-knee gait requires lumbar lordosis, a ubiquitous feature in all hominids for which it can be observed. Its first appearance is therefore a central problem in human evolution. Atelids, which use the tail during suspension, exhibit demonstrable lordosis and can achieve full extension of their hind limbs during terrestrial upright stance. Although obviously homoplastic with hominids, the pelvic mechanisms facilitating lordosis appear largely similar in both taxa with respect to abbreviation of upper iliac height coupled with broad sacral alae. Both provide spatial separation of the most caudal lumbar(s) from the iliac blades. A broad sacrum is therefore a likely facet of earliest hominid bipedality. All tailed monkeys have broad alae. By contrast all extant apes have very narrow sacra, which promote “trapping” of their most caudal lumbars to achieve lower trunk rigidity during suspension. The alae in the tailless proconsul Ekembo nyanzae appear to have been quite broad, a character state that may have been primitive in Miocene hominoids not yet adapted to suspension and, by extension, exaptive for earliest bipedality in the hominid/panid last common ancestor. This hypothesis receives strong support from other anatomical systems preserved in Ardipithecus ramidus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison L Machnicki
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA , United States
| | - Linda B Spurlock
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University , Kent, OH , United States
| | - Karen B Strier
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, WI , United States
| | - Philip L Reno
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA , United States
| | - C Owen Lovejoy
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University , Kent, OH , United States
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Senut B. Morphology and environment in some fossil Hominoids and Pedetids (Mammalia). J Anat 2015; 228:700-15. [PMID: 26712383 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Linking the environment to functional anatomy is not an easy exercise, especially when dealing with fossils, which are often fragmentary and represent animals that are extinct. A holistic approach permits us to fill the gaps in reconstructing the evolutionary patterns in fossil groups. Identifying the environment where animals lived can help to interpret some anatomical structures and, vice versa, the functional morphological pattern can help to refine some fossil environments. Two examples focusing on locomotor behaviours in fossil mammals are considered in this paper: the hominoids and the origins of hominid bipedalism and the springing adaptations in fossil rodents (Pedetidae) in connection with different habitats. In the first case, the limits of the chimp-based models and the necessity to take into account detailed environmental reconstructions will be addressed. The famous 'savannah hypothesis' is no longer tenable because the palaeontological data support a more vegetated environment for the origins of bipedal hominids. Data from the environment will be considered. The earliest putative hominid fossils which preserve skeletal remains of the locomotor apparatus show mixed adaptations to terrestrial bipedalism and arboreal activities. The second example focuses on the variation in springing adaptations in Pedetidae in the Lower Miocene of East Africa and Southern Africa. In the East, the sites where Pedetidae were preserved were mainly forested, whereas in the South the region was more open and drier, with extensive grassy patches. In the first case, pedetids were robust and heavy jumpers, whereas in the South they were smaller, their skeleton more gracile and their springing was lighter. During the desertification of the southern part of Africa, the large pedetid species became extinct, but a smaller species developed. In the case of primates, as in the case of rodents, the skeletal morphology was adapted to its environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte Senut
- Sorbonne-Universités - CR2P, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC - Paris 06, Paris, France
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35
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Hammond AS. The Anthropoid Crista Trochanterica and the Hip Joint Capsule. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2015; 299:60-9. [PMID: 26559502 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2015] [Revised: 08/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The tubercle on the posterior aspect of the femoral neck (the crista trochanterica) has been repeatedly remarked upon because of its presence in early fossil apes, yet the function of this tubercle has eluded researchers. The prevailing explanation for the tubercle is that it relates to a strong ischiofemoral ligament, although none of the hypotheses for this bony projection have been systematically evaluated. This study surveyed 41 extant anthropoid species (n = 267 individuals) for the presence of a crista trochanterica. The soft tissue structures of the hip joint were then dissected and described for a sample of anthropoid cadavers (n = 14) in order to evaluate different hypotheses related to function of this tubercle. This study confirmed that the crista trochanterica is found in most cercopithecoids and platyrrhines, and is not present in great apes. The tubercle is rarely present in hylobatids, contrary to prior reports. The ischiofemoral ligament is not usually well-developed in anthropoids and does not fully explain the crista trochanterica morphology, although all cadavers displayed a well-developed zona orbicularis running along the posterior aspect of the joint capsule. The hip joint capsule itself inserted along the crista trochanterica in some individuals, typically those with an elongate crista trochanterica, but was highly variable in regards to the position of the tubercle. The hypotheses for the crista trochanterica are considered within the context of these findings, although the exact function of the tubercle remains unresolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley S Hammond
- Center for Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, the George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia.,Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
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Kikuchi Y, Nakatsukasa M, Nakano Y, Kunimatsu Y, Shimizu D, Ogihara N, Tsujikawa H, Takano T, Ishida H. Morphology of the thoracolumbar spine of the middle Miocene hominoid Nacholapithecus kerioi from northern Kenya. J Hum Evol 2015; 88:25-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Revised: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 09/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Morgan ME, Lewton KL, Kelley J, Otárola-Castillo E, Barry JC, Flynn LJ, Pilbeam D. A partial hominoid innominate from the Miocene of Pakistan: description and preliminary analyses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:82-7. [PMID: 25489095 PMCID: PMC4291661 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1420275111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a partial innominate, YGSP 41216, from a 12.3 Ma locality in the Siwalik Group of the Potwar Plateau in Pakistan, assigned to the Middle Miocene ape species Sivapithecus indicus. We investigate the implications of its morphology for reconstructing positional behavior of this ape. Postcranial anatomy of extant catarrhines falls into two distinct groups, particularly for torso shape. To an extent this reflects different although variable and overlapping positional repertoires: pronograde quadrupedalism for cercopithecoids and orthogrady for hominoids. The YGSP innominate (hipbone) is from a primate with a narrow torso, resembling most extant monkeys and differing from the broader torsos of extant apes. Other postcranial material of S. indicus and its younger and similar congener Sivapithecus sivalensis also supports reconstruction of a hominoid with a positional repertoire more similar to the pronograde quadrupedal patterns of most monkeys than to the orthograde patterns of apes. However, Sivapithecus postcranial morphology differs in many details from any extant species. We reconstruct a slow-moving, deliberate, arboreal animal, primarily traveling above supports but also frequently engaging in antipronograde behaviors. There are no obvious synapomorphic postcranial features shared exclusively with any extant crown hominid, including Pongo.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kristi L Lewton
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Jay Kelley
- Institute of Human Origins and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287; and Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560
| | | | - John C Barry
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Lawrence J Flynn
- Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology and Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - David Pilbeam
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138;
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Almécija S, Orr CM, Tocheri MW, Patel BA, Jungers WL. Exploring Phylogenetic and Functional Signals in Complex Morphologies: The Hamate of Extant Anthropoids as a Test-Case Study. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2014; 298:212-29. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Almécija
- Department of Anatomical Sciences; Stony Brook University School of Medicine; Stony Brook New York
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), campus de la UAB, c/ de les Columnes, s/n., 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès Barcelona Spain
- NYCEP Morphometrics Group
| | - Caley M. Orr
- Department of Anatomy; Midwestern University; Downers Grove Illinois
| | - Matthew W. Tocheri
- Human Origins Program, Department of Anthropology; National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; 10th and Constitution Avenue NW Washington DC
- Department of Anthropology; Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, The George Washington University; Washington DC
| | - Biren A. Patel
- Cell and Neurobiology; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California; Los Angeles California
- Human and Evolutionary Biology Section; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California; Los Angeles California
| | - William L. Jungers
- Department of Anatomical Sciences; Stony Brook University School of Medicine; Stony Brook New York
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Susanna I, Alba DM, Almécija S, Moyà-Solà S. The vertebral remains of the late Miocene great ape Hispanopithecus laietanus from Can Llobateres 2 (Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula). J Hum Evol 2014; 73:15-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Revised: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Pina M, Almécija S, Alba DM, O'Neill MC, Moyà-Solà S. The Middle Miocene ape Pierolapithecus catalaunicus exhibits extant great ape-like morphometric affinities on its patella: inferences on knee function and evolution. PLoS One 2014; 9:e91944. [PMID: 24637777 PMCID: PMC3956854 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2013] [Accepted: 02/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The mosaic nature of the Miocene ape postcranium hinders the reconstruction of the positional behavior and locomotion of these taxa based on isolated elements only. The fossil great ape Pierolapithecus catalaunicus (IPS 21350 skeleton; 11.9 Ma) exhibits a relatively wide and shallow thorax with moderate hand length and phalangeal curvature, dorsally-oriented metacarpophalangeal joints, and loss of ulnocarpal articulation. This evidence reveals enhanced orthograde postures without modern ape-like below-branch suspensory adaptations. Therefore, it has been proposed that natural selection enhanced vertical climbing (and not suspension per se) in Pierolapithecus catalaunicus. Although limb long bones are not available for this species, its patella (IPS 21350.37) can potentially provide insights into its knee function and thus on the complexity of its total morphological pattern. Here we provide a detailed description and morphometric analyses of IPS 21350.37, which are based on four external dimensions intended to capture the overall patellar shape. Our results reveal that the patella of Pierolapithecus is similar to that of extant great apes: proximodistally short, mediolaterally broad and anteroposteriorly thin. Previous biomechanical studies of the anthropoid knee based on the same measurements proposed that the modern great ape patella reflects a mobile knee joint while the long, narrow and thick patella of platyrrhine and especially cercopithecoid monkeys would increase the quadriceps moment arm in knee extension during walking, galloping, climbing and leaping. The patella of Pierolapithecus differs not only from that of monkeys and hylobatids, but also from that of basal hominoids (e.g., Proconsul and Nacholapithecus), which display slightly thinner patellae than extant great apes (the previously-inferred plesiomorphic hominoid condition). If patellar shape in Pierolapithecus is related to modern great ape-like knee function, our results suggest that increased knee mobility might have originally evolved in relation to enhanced climbing capabilities in great apes (such as specialized vertical climbing).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pina
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
- NYCEP Morphometrics Group
| | - David M. Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Matthew C. O'Neill
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- ICREA at Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont and Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica (Dept. BABVE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
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Hammond AS. In vivo baseline measurements of hip joint range of motion in suspensory and nonsuspensory anthropoids. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 153:417-34. [PMID: 24288178 PMCID: PMC4023689 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2013] [Revised: 11/11/2013] [Accepted: 11/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Hominoids and atelines are known to use suspensory behaviors and are assumed to possess greater hip joint mobility than nonsuspensory monkeys, particularly for range of abduction. This assumption has greatly influenced how extant and fossil primate hip joint morphology has been interpreted, despite the fact that there are no data available on hip mobility in hominoids or Ateles. This study uses in vivo measurements to test the hypothesis that suspensory anthropoids have significantly greater ranges of hip joint mobility than nonsuspensory anthropoids. Passive hip joint mobility was measured on a large sample of anesthetized captive anthropoids (nonhuman hominids = 43, hylobatids = 6, cercopithecids = 43, Ateles = 6, and Cebus = 6). Angular and linear data were collected using goniometers and tape measures. Range of motion (ROM) data were analyzed for significant differences by locomotor group using ANOVA and phylogenetic regression. The data demonstrate that suspensory anthropoids are capable of significantly greater hip abduction and external rotation. Degree of flexion and internal rotation were not larger in the suspensory primates, indicating that suspension is not associated with a global increase in hip mobility. Future work should consider the role of external rotation in abduction ability, how the physical position of the distal limb segments are influenced by differences in ROM proximally, as well as focus on bony and soft tissue differences that enable or restrict abduction and external rotation at the anthropoid hip joint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley S. Hammond
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri School of Medicine, M263 Medical Sciences Building, Columbia, Missouri 65212
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
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Almécija S, Tallman M, Alba DM, Pina M, Moyà-Solà S, Jungers WL. The femur of Orrorin tugenensis exhibits morphometric affinities with both Miocene apes and later hominins. Nat Commun 2013; 4:2888. [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/07/2013] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
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Hill A, Odhiambo Nengo I, Rossie JB. A Rangwapithecus gordoni mandible from the early Miocene site of Songhor, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2013; 65:490-500. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2009] [Revised: 07/26/2012] [Accepted: 02/19/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Middle Miocene Pierolapithecus provides a first glimpse into early hominid pelvic morphology. J Hum Evol 2013; 64:658-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2012] [Revised: 03/03/2013] [Accepted: 03/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Hammond AS, Plavcan JM, Ward CV. Precision and accuracy of acetabular size measures in fragmentary hominin pelves obtained using sphere-fitting techniques. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 150:565-78. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2012] [Accepted: 12/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley S. Hammond
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences; University of Missouri School of Medicine; Columbia; MO; 65212
| | - J. Michael Plavcan
- Department of Anthropology; University of Arkansas; Fayetteville; AR; 72701
| | - Carol V. Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences; University of Missouri School of Medicine; Columbia; MO; 65212
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46
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Suwa G, Lovejoy CO, Asfaw B, White T. Proximal Femoral Musculoskeletal Morphology of Chimpanzees and its Evolutionary Significance: A Critique of Morimoto et al. (2011). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2012; 295:2039-44. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2012] [Revised: 04/20/2012] [Accepted: 08/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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47
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Arias-Martorell J, Potau JM, Bello-Hellegouarch G, Pastor JF, Pérez-Pérez A. 3D geometric morphometric analysis of the proximal epiphysis of the hominoid humerus. J Anat 2012; 221:394-405. [PMID: 22946496 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2012.01560.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we perform a three-dimensional geometric morphometric (3D GM) analysis of the proximal epiphysis of the humerus in extant great apes, including humans, in order to accurately describe the functional anatomical differences between these taxa. In addition, a fossil hominin specimen of Australopithecus afarensis was included in a multivariate GM analysis in order to test the potential of this methodological approach for making locomotor inferences from fossil remains. The results obtained show significant differences in proximal humeral morphology among the taxa studied, which had thus far largely remained unnoticed. Based on morphofunctional considerations, these anatomical differences can be correlated to differences in the locomotor repertoires of the taxa, thus confirming that the proximal humerus is suitable for constructing paleobiological inferences about locomotion. Modern humans display markedly divergent features, which set them apart from both the extant great apes and the fossil hominin A. afarensis. The morphology of the proximal epiphysis of the humerus of the latter more closely resembles that of the orangutans, thus suggesting that despite hindlimb adaptations to bipedalism, the forelimb of this taxon was still functionally involved in arboreal behaviors, such as climbing or suspension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Arias-Martorell
- Anthropology Unit, Animal Biology Department, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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48
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Ryan TM, Silcox MT, Walker A, Mao X, Begun DR, Benefit BR, Gingerich PD, Köhler M, Kordos L, McCrossin ML, Moyà-Solà S, Sanders WJ, Seiffert ER, Simons E, Zalmout IS, Spoor F. Evolution of locomotion in Anthropoidea: the semicircular canal evidence. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:3467-75. [PMID: 22696520 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of locomotor evolution in anthropoid primates has been limited to those taxa for which good postcranial fossil material and appropriate modern analogues are available. We report the results of an analysis of semicircular canal size variation in 16 fossil anthropoid species dating from the Late Eocene to the Late Miocene, and use these data to reconstruct evolutionary changes in locomotor adaptations in anthropoid primates over the last 35 Ma. Phylogenetically informed regression analyses of semicircular canal size reveal three important aspects of anthropoid locomotor evolution: (i) the earliest anthropoid primates engaged in relatively slow locomotor behaviours, suggesting that this was the basal anthropoid pattern; (ii) platyrrhines from the Miocene of South America were relatively agile compared with earlier anthropoids; and (iii) while the last common ancestor of cercopithecoids and hominoids likely was relatively slow like earlier stem catarrhines, the results suggest that the basal crown catarrhine may have been a relatively agile animal. The latter scenario would indicate that hominoids of the later Miocene secondarily derived their relatively slow locomotor repertoires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M Ryan
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Quantitative Imaging, EMS Energy Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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49
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Kikuchi Y, Nakano Y, Nakatsukasa M, Kunimatsu Y, Shimizu D, Ogihara N, Tsujikawa H, Takano T, Ishida H. Functional morphology and anatomy of cervical vertebrae in Nacholapithecus kerioi, a middle Miocene hominoid from Kenya. J Hum Evol 2012; 62:677-95. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2011] [Revised: 02/07/2012] [Accepted: 03/13/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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50
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NAKATSUKASA MASATO, KUNIMATSU YUTAKA, SHIMIZU DAISUKE, NAKANO YOSHIHIKO, KIKUCHI YASUHIRO, ISHIDA HIDEMI. Hind limb of the Nacholapithecus kerioi holotype and implications for its positional behavior. ANTHROPOL SCI 2012. [DOI: 10.1537/ase.120731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- MASATO NAKATSUKASA
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto
| | - YUTAKA KUNIMATSU
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto
| | | | | | - YASUHIRO KIKUCHI
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga
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