1
|
Arlegi M, Lorenzo C. Evolutionary selection and morphological integration in the hand of modern humans. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024:e25024. [PMID: 39228137 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.25024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 08/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To enhance our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of the modern human hand by analyzing the degree of integration and ability to respond to selection pressures of each phalanx and metacarpal bone. MATERIALS AND METHODS The sample comprised 96 adult individuals, both female and male, from Euro-American, Afro-American, and European populations. We collected 10 linear measurements from the 19 metacarpals and proximal, middle, and distal phalanges that constitute the five digits of the hand. Using these data, we constructed variance/covariance matrices to quantify the degree of integration and assess the hand ability to respond to selective pressures. RESULTS Distal phalanges are the most evolvable and flexible elements, while being the least integrated and constrained. The thumb is similarly integrated as the second and third rays, while medial rays (fourth and fifth digits) are more integrated. However, the thumb presents different integration and response to selection patterns. No significant relationship was found between functionality and the indices of selection and integration. Finally, the correlation between hand and foot indices yielded significant results for conditional evolvability and flexibility. DISCUSSION The findings suggest different evolutionary trajectories for the metacarpal and distal phalanx in the modern human thumb, likely reflecting varying functional and developmental pressures. The first metacarpal, characterized by high flexibility and low evolvability, appears to have reached a stable, optimal morphology, under stabilizing selection. In contrast, the distal phalanx seems to have undergone directional evolution, suggesting specialization for a specific function. Comparisons between hands and feet suggest that these structures evolve differently under directional selection but similarly under stabilizing selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mikel Arlegi
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Carlos Lorenzo
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Tarragona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ma M, Luo S, Tang X, Chen Q. Age structure and growth pattern of a high-altitude lizard population based on age determination by skeletochronology. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 337:491-500. [PMID: 35226410 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Age determination provides crucial data regarding the life history of a species. Skeletochronology is considered to be a reliable method for age determination but is seldom applied to the genus Phrynocephalus (Agamidae) as it requires careful bone histological analysis to determine the formation of the lines of arrested growth (LAGs). We analyzed LAGs in different bones of Phrynocephalus vlangalii, a small, high-altitude lizard, and demonstrated that the phalanges are the best materials for skeletochronology in this species. We also found that the proximal half of the phalangeal diaphysis exhibits the most complete LAGs because of the unidirectional longitudinal growth of the phalange. Histologically, as the embryo bone that developed during the embryonic period was preserved even in very old individuals, no LAGs were eroded by endosteal resorption in the phalanges. The maximum age was 4 years for males and 5 years for females. It was determined that the age at maturity was 3 years for males and 2 or 3 years for females. On the basis of age determination, the age structures of both sexes were compared, and age-specific growth differences between the sexes were also analyzed. No differences in the snout-vent length were observed between sexes in any age group. However, the tail length of males aged 3 and above was significantly longer than that of females. Thus, the use of phalanges in the age determination of P. vlangalii is effective and can be widely applied to the ecological studies of this species as well as other small lizards.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ming Ma
- Department of Animal and Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Shuang Luo
- Department of Animal and Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Xiaolong Tang
- Department of Animal and Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Qiang Chen
- Department of Animal and Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
van Heteren AH, Friess M, Détroit F, Balzeau A. Covariation of proximal finger and toe phalanges in Homo sapiens: A novel approach to assess covariation of serially corresponding structures. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 177:471-488. [PMID: 36787692 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES As hands and feet are serially repeated corresponding structures in tetrapods, the morphology of fingers and toes is expected to covary due to a shared developmental origin. The present study focuses on the covariation of the shape of proximal finger and toe phalanges of adult Homo sapiens to determine whether covariation is different in the first ray relative to the others, as its morphology is also different. MATERIAL AND METHODS Proximal phalanges of 76 individuals of unknown sex (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, and the Natural History Museum, London) were digitized using a surface scanner. Landmarks were positioned on 3D surface models of the phalanges. Generalized Procrustes analysis and two-block partial least squares (PLS) analyses were conducted. A novel landmark-based geometric morphometric approach focusing on covariation is based on a PCoA of the angles between PLS axes in morphospace. The results can be statistically evaluated. RESULTS The difference in PCo scores between the first and the other rays indicates that the integration between the thumb and the big toe is different from that between the lateral rays of the hand and foot. DISCUSSION We speculate that the results are possibly the evolutionary consequence of differential selection pressure on the big toe relative to the other toes related to the rise of bipedalism, which is proposed to have emerged very early in the hominin clade. In contrast, thumb morphology and its precision grip never ceased undergoing changes, suggesting less acute selection pressures related to the evolution of the precision grip.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anneke H van Heteren
- PaleoFED Team, UMR 7194, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, 17, Place du Trocadéro, Paris, 75016, France
| | - Martin Friess
- Éco-Anthropologie, UMR 7206, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Université de Paris, Paris, 75016, France
| | - Florent Détroit
- PaleoFED Team, UMR 7194, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, 17, Place du Trocadéro, Paris, 75016, France
| | - Antoine Balzeau
- PaleoFED Team, UMR 7194, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, 17, Place du Trocadéro, Paris, 75016, France.,Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, Tervuren, 3080, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
McKenna KZ, Wagner GP, Cooper KL. A developmental perspective of homology and evolutionary novelty. Curr Top Dev Biol 2021; 141:1-38. [PMID: 33602485 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The development and evolution of multicellular body plans is complex. Many distinct organs and body parts must be reproduced at each generation, and those that are traceable over long time scales are considered homologous. Among the most pressing and least understood phenomena in evolutionary biology is the mode by which new homologs, or "novelties" are introduced to the body plan and whether the developmental changes associated with such evolution deserve special treatment. In this chapter, we address the concepts of homology and evolutionary novelty through the lens of development. We present a series of case studies, within insects and vertebrates, from which we propose a developmental model of multicellular organ identity. With this model in hand, we make predictions regarding the developmental evolution of body plans and highlight the need for more integrative analysis of developing systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Z McKenna
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Günter P Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.
| | - Kimberly L Cooper
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Warburton NM, Cake MA, Kelman KR. Extreme bilateral polydactyly in a wild-caught western grey kangaroo. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2020; 304:1361-1374. [PMID: 33034115 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24530] [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: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Polydactyly is a congenital malformation resulting from an autosomal dominant mutation manifesting as supernumerary digits of the hands or feet. It is most commonly reported in humans and domestic mammals, though there have also been isolated examples across a range of wild vertebrate species. Here we report a case of extremely unusual bilateral preaxial polydactyly on the pectoral limbs of a male western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) from the South West region of Western Australia, in which two supernumerary digits were present on each manus. A supernumerary digit I on each manus was rudimentary in morphology without extrinsic muscular connections. However, supernumerary digit II present on each manus had fully developed extrinsic and intrinsic muscular connections, suggesting that these digits possessed normal function in flexion and extension. An alternative hypothesis is that the two supernumerary digits are both representatives of the most radial digit I, though this would then require the true digit I to have taken on the appearance of digit II by acquiring an additional phalanx and modified muscular attachments. The carpal bones exhibited a number of subtle differences in morphology when compared to normal pentadactyl individuals. The presence of a distal, rather than proximal, epiphysis on the first metacarpal was unexpected but further investigation suggested that this characteristic is perhaps more variable (in this species at least) than has been previously recognized. This case provides an unusual example to be considered within the broader context of limb development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie M Warburton
- Medical, Molecular and Forensic Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia.,Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Martin A Cake
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Khama R Kelman
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Siomava N, Fuentes JSM, Diogo R. Deconstructing the long‐standing a priori assumption that serial homology generally involves ancestral similarity followed by anatomical divergence. J Morphol 2020; 281:1110-1132. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Siomava
- Department of Anatomy Howard University College of Medicine Washington District of Columbia USA
| | | | - Rui Diogo
- Department of Anatomy Howard University College of Medicine Washington District of Columbia USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Kjosness KM, Reno PL. Identifying the homology of the short human pisiform and its lost ossification center. EvoDevo 2019; 10:32. [PMID: 31788181 PMCID: PMC6876086 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-019-0145-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The pisiform and calcaneus are paralogous bones of the wrist and ankle and are the only carpal and tarsal, respectively, to develop from two ossification centers with an associated growth plate in mammals. Human pisiforms and calcanei have undergone drastic evolutionary changes since our last common ancestor with chimpanzees and bonobos. The human pisiform is truncated and has lost an ossification center with the associated growth plate, while the human calcaneus has expanded and retained two ossification centers and a growth plate. Mammalian pisiforms represent a wide range of morphologies but extremely short pisiforms are rare and ossification center loss is even rarer. This raises the question of whether the sole human pisiform ossification center is homologous to the primary center or the secondary center of other species. We performed an ontogenetic study of pisiform and calcaneus ossification patterns and timing in macaques, apes, and humans (n = 907) from museum skeletal collections to address this question. Results Human pisiforms ossify irregularly and lack characteristic features of other primates while they develop. Pisiform primary and secondary center ossification timing typically matches that of the calcaneus of non-human primates, while the human pisiform corresponds with calcaneal secondary center ossification. Finally, human pisiforms ossify at the same dental stages as pisiform and calcaneal secondary centers in other hominoids. Conclusions These data indicate that the human pisiform is homologous to the pisiform epiphysis of other species, and that humans have lost a primary ossification center and associated growth plate while retaining ossification timing of the secondary center. This represents an exceptional evolutionary event and demonstrates a profound developmental change in the human wrist that is unusual not only among primates, but among mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey M Kjosness
- Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, 4170 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131 USA
| | - Philip L Reno
- Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, 4170 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131 USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Pazzaglia UE, Sibilia V, Casati L, Salvi AG, Minini A, Reguzzoni M. The missing segment of the autopod 1st ray: new insights from a morphometric study of the human hand. J Anat 2018; 233:828-842. [PMID: 30368800 PMCID: PMC6231165 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Whether the 1st segment of the human autopod 1st ray is a 'true' metapodial with loss of the proximal or mid phalanx or the original basal phalanx with loss of the metacarpal has been a long-lasting discussion. The actual knowledge of the developmental pattern of upper autopod segments at a fetal age of 20-22 weeks, combined with X-ray morphometry of normal long bones of the hand in the growing ages, was used for analysis of the parameters, percentage length, position of epiphyseal ossification centers and proximal/distal growth rate. The symmetric growth pattern in the fetal anlagen changed to unidirectional in the postnatal development in relation to epiphyseal ossification formation. The percentage length assessment, the distribution of the epiphyseal ossification centers, and differential proximal/distal growth rate among the growing hand segments supported homology of most proximal segment of the thumb with the 2nd-5th proximal phalanges and that of the proximal phalanx of the thumb with the 2nd-5th mid phalanges in the same hand. Published case reports of either metanalysis of 'triphalangeal thumb' and 'proximal/distal epiphyseal ossification centers' were used to support the applied morphometric methodology; in particular, the latter did not give evidence of growth pattern inversion of the proximal segment of the thumb. The presented data support the hypothesis that during evolution, the lost segment of the autopod 1st ray is the metacarpal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ugo E. Pazzaglia
- Department of Medical and Surgical SpecialtiesRadiological Sciences and Public HealthUniversity of BresciaBresciaItaly
| | - Valeria Sibilia
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational MedicineUniversity of MilanMilanoItaly
| | - Lavinia Casati
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational MedicineUniversity of MilanMilanoItaly
| | - Andrea G. Salvi
- Department of Medical and Surgical SpecialtiesRadiological Sciences and Public HealthUniversity of BresciaBresciaItaly
| | - Andrea Minini
- Department of Medical and Surgical SpecialtiesRadiological Sciences and Public HealthUniversity of BresciaBresciaItaly
| | - Marcella Reguzzoni
- Department of Surgical and Morphological SciencesUniversity of InsubriaVareseItaly
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Alghamdi MA, Ziermann JM, Diogo R. An untold story: The important contributions of Muslim scholars for the understanding of human anatomy. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2017; 300:986-1008. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Revised: 08/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Malak A. Alghamdi
- Department of Anatomy; Howard University College of Medicine; Washington DC 20059
| | - Janine M. Ziermann
- Department of Anatomy; Howard University College of Medicine; Washington DC 20059
| | - Rui Diogo
- Department of Anatomy; Howard University College of Medicine; Washington DC 20059
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Reno PL, Kjosness KM, Hines JE. The Role of Hox in Pisiform and Calcaneus Growth Plate Formation and the Nature of the Zeugopod/Autopod Boundary. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2016; 326:303-21. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2016] [Revised: 06/13/2016] [Accepted: 06/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Philip L. Reno
- Department of Anthropology; The Pennsylvania State University; University Park Pennsylvania
| | - Kelsey M. Kjosness
- Department of Anthropology; The Pennsylvania State University; University Park Pennsylvania
| | - Jasmine E. Hines
- Department of Anthropology; The Pennsylvania State University; University Park Pennsylvania
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Miyashita T, Diogo R. Evolution of Serial Patterns in the Vertebrate Pharyngeal Apparatus and Paired Appendages via Assimilation of Dissimilar Units. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
|
12
|
Machnicki AL, Lovejoy CO, Reno PL. Developmental identity versus typology: Lucy has only four sacral segments. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 160:729-39. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Revised: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - C. Owen Lovejoy
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical SciencesKent State UniversityKent OH
| | - Philip L. Reno
- Department of AnthropologyPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park PA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Diogo R, Esteve-Altava B, Smith C, Boughner JC, Rasskin-Gutman D. Anatomical Network Comparison of Human Upper and Lower, Newborn and Adult, and Normal and Abnormal Limbs, with Notes on Development, Pathology and Limb Serial Homology vs. Homoplasy. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0140030. [PMID: 26452269 PMCID: PMC4599883 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
How do the various anatomical parts (modules) of the animal body evolve into very different integrated forms (integration) yet still function properly without decreasing the individual's survival? This long-standing question remains unanswered for multiple reasons, including lack of consensus about conceptual definitions and approaches, as well as a reasonable bias toward the study of hard tissues over soft tissues. A major difficulty concerns the non-trivial technical hurdles of addressing this problem, specifically the lack of quantitative tools to quantify and compare variation across multiple disparate anatomical parts and tissue types. In this paper we apply for the first time a powerful new quantitative tool, Anatomical Network Analysis (AnNA), to examine and compare in detail the musculoskeletal modularity and integration of normal and abnormal human upper and lower limbs. In contrast to other morphological methods, the strength of AnNA is that it allows efficient and direct empirical comparisons among body parts with even vastly different architectures (e.g. upper and lower limbs) and diverse or complex tissue composition (e.g. bones, cartilages and muscles), by quantifying the spatial organization of these parts-their topological patterns relative to each other-using tools borrowed from network theory. Our results reveal similarities between the skeletal networks of the normal newborn/adult upper limb vs. lower limb, with exception to the shoulder vs. pelvis. However, when muscles are included, the overall musculoskeletal network organization of the upper limb is strikingly different from that of the lower limb, particularly that of the more proximal structures of each limb. Importantly, the obtained data provide further evidence to be added to the vast amount of paleontological, gross anatomical, developmental, molecular and embryological data recently obtained that contradicts the long-standing dogma that the upper and lower limbs are serial homologues. In addition, the AnNA of the limbs of a trisomy 18 human fetus strongly supports Pere Alberch's ill-named "logic of monsters" hypothesis, and contradicts the commonly accepted idea that birth defects often lead to lower integration (i.e. more parcellation) of anatomical structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rui Diogo
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Borja Esteve-Altava
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States of America
- Structure & Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom
- Theoretical Biology Research Group, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Christopher Smith
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Julia C. Boughner
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Diego Rasskin-Gutman
- Theoretical Biology Research Group, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Reno PL. Genetic and developmental basis for parallel evolution and its significance for hominoid evolution. Evol Anthropol 2015; 23:188-200. [PMID: 25347977 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Greater understanding of ape comparative anatomy and evolutionary history has brought a general appreciation that the hominoid radiation is characterized by substantial homoplasy.(1-4) However, little consensus has been reached regarding which features result from repeated evolution. This has important implications for reconstructing ancestral states throughout hominoid evolution, including the nature of the Pan-Homo last common ancestor (LCA). Advances from evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) have expanded the diversity of model organisms available for uncovering the morphogenetic mechanisms underlying instances of repeated phenotypic change. Of particular relevance to hominoids are data from adaptive radiations of birds, fish, and even flies demonstrating that parallel phenotypic changes often use similar genetic and developmental mechanisms. The frequent reuse of a limited set of genes and pathways underlying phenotypic homoplasy suggests that the conserved nature of the genetic and developmental architecture of animals can influence evolutionary outcomes. Such biases are particularly likely to be shared by closely related taxa that reside in similar ecological niches and face common selective pressures. Consideration of these developmental and ecological factors provides a strong theoretical justification for the substantial homoplasy observed in the evolution of complex characters and the remarkable parallel similarities that can occur in closely related taxa. Thus, as in other branches of the hominoid radiation, repeated phenotypic evolution within African apes is also a distinct possibility. If so, the availability of complete genomes for each of the hominoid genera makes them another model to explore the genetic basis of repeated evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philip L Reno
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Kjosness KM, Hines JE, Lovejoy CO, Reno PL. The pisiform growth plate is lost in humans and supports a role for Hox in growth plate formation. J Anat 2014; 225:527-38. [PMID: 25279687 PMCID: PMC4292754 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The human pisiform is a small, nodular, although functionally significant, bone of the wrist. In most other mammals, including apes and Australopithecus afarensis, pisiforms are elongate. An underappreciated fact is that the typical mammalian pisiform forms from two ossification centers. We hypothesize that: (i) the presence of a secondary ossification center in mammalian pisiforms indicates the existence of a growth plate; and (ii) human pisiform reduction results from growth plate loss. To address these hypotheses, we surveyed African ape pisiform ossification and confirmed the presence of a late-forming secondary ossification center in chimpanzees and gorillas. Identification of the initial ossification center occurs substantially earlier in apes relative to humans, raising questions concerning the homology of the human pisiform and the two mammalian ossification centers. Second, we conducted histological and immunohistochemical analyses of pisiform ossification in mice. We confirm the presence of two ossification centers separated by organized columnar and hypertrophic chondrocyte zones. Flattened chondrocytes were highly mitotic, indicating the presence of a growth plate. Hox genes have been proposed to play a fundamental role in growth plate patterning. The existence of a pisiform growth plate presents an interesting test case for the association between Hox expression and growth plate formation, and could explain the severe effects on the pisiform observed in Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 knockout mice. Consistent with this hypothesis, we show that Hoxd11 is expressed adjacent to the pisiform in late-stage embryonic mouse limbs supporting a role for Hox genes in growth plate specification. This raises questions concerning the mechanisms regulating Hox expression in the developing carpus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey M Kjosness
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|