1
|
Boës X, Van Bocxlaer B, Prat S, Feibel C, Lewis J, Arrighi V, Taylor N, Harmand S. Aridity, availability of drinking water and freshwater foods, and hominin and archeological sites during the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene in the western region of the Turkana Basin (Kenya): A review. J Hum Evol 2024; 186:103466. [PMID: 38134581 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103466] [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: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Although the Turkana Basin is one of the driest regions of the East African Rift, its Plio-Pleistocene sediments are rich in freshwater vertebrates and invertebrates, providing evidence that freshwater resources were available to hominins in this region during the Plio-Pleistocene (4.2-0.7 Ma). Here we provide an overview of the hydroconnectivity of the Turkana Basin. We then review the period during which freshwater river and lake systems expanded into the western region of the Turkana Basin, where hominin and archeological sites have been discovered in sediments dating back to the Late Pliocene-Pleistocene. Freshwater conditions are reconstructed from river and lake sediments and the flora and micro- and macofauna they contain. Data synthesis suggests that drinking water and freshwater foods prevailed in the western region of the Turkana Basin at 4.20-3.98 Ma, 3.70-3.10 Ma, 2.53-2.22 Ma, then between 2.10 and 1.30 Ma and intermittently from 1.27 to 0.75 Ma. Milestones in hominin evolution occurred in this context, such as the first occurrence of Australopithecus anamensis (4.20-4.10 Ma) and Kenyanthropus platyops (3.50 Ma and 3.30-3.20 Ma), the presence of Paranthropus aethiopicus (2.53-2.45 Ma), early Homo (2.33 Ma), Paranthropus boisei (2.25 Ma and 1.77-1.72 Ma) and Homo ergaster/Homo erectus (1.75 Ma, 1.47-1.42 Ma and 1.10-0.90 Ma). Developments in hominin behavior also occurred during this timeframe, including the first known stone tools (3.30 Ma), the oldest Oldowan sites (2.34 Ma and 2.25 Ma) in the Turkana Basin, the earliest known evidence for the emergence of bifacial shaping in eastern Africa (1.80 Ma), and the first known Acheulean site (1.76 Ma). Our synthesis suggests that, diachronic variation in hydroconnectivity played a role on the amount of drinking water and freshwater foods available in the western region of the Turkana Basin, despite regional aridity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Boës
- Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (INRAP), 140 Avenue Du Maréchal Leclerc, 33323 Bordeaux-Bègles, France; CNRS/MNHN/UPVD, Alliance Sorbonne Université, UMR 7194, Musée de L'Homme, Palais Chaillot, 17 Place Du Trocadéro, 75116 Paris Cedex 16, France; Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
| | | | - Sandrine Prat
- CNRS/MNHN/UPVD, Alliance Sorbonne Université, UMR 7194, Musée de L'Homme, Palais Chaillot, 17 Place Du Trocadéro, 75116 Paris Cedex 16, France
| | - Craig Feibel
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Human Evolutionary Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Jason Lewis
- Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Chronicle Heritage, 319 E Palm Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
| | - Vincent Arrighi
- Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (INRAP), 13 Rue Du Négoce, 31650 Orens de Gameville, France
| | - Nicholas Taylor
- Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Turkana University College, Lodwar Rd., Lodwar, Kenya
| | - Sonia Harmand
- Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Laboratoire TRACES-UMR 5608, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Maison de La Recherche, 5 Allée Antonio Machado, 31058 Toulouse, France; Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique (IFRA), UMIFRE, USR 3336, CNRS, Laikipia Road, Kileleshwa, Nairobi, Kenya
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dean MC, Garrevoet J, Van Malderen SJM, Santos F, Mirazón Lahr M, Foley R, Le Cabec A. The Distribution and Biogenic Origins of Zinc in the Mineralised Tooth Tissues of Modern and Fossil Hominoids: Implications for Life History, Diet and Taphonomy. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1455. [PMID: 38132281 PMCID: PMC10740576 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Zinc is incorporated into enamel, dentine and cementum during tooth growth. This work aimed to distinguish between the processes underlying Zn incorporation and Zn distribution. These include different mineralisation processes, the physiological events around birth, Zn ingestion with diet, exposure to the oral environment during life and diagenetic changes to fossil teeth post-mortem. Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence (SXRF) was used to map zinc distribution across longitudinal polished ground sections of both deciduous and permanent modern human, great ape and fossil hominoid teeth. Higher resolution fluorescence intensity maps were used to image Zn in surface enamel, secondary dentine and cementum, and at the neonatal line (NNL) and enamel-dentine-junction (EDJ) in deciduous teeth. Secondary dentine was consistently Zn-rich, but the highest concentrations of Zn (range 197-1743 ppm) were found in cuspal, mid-lateral and cervical surface enamel and were similar in unerupted teeth never exposed to the oral environment. Zinc was identified at the NNL and EDJ in both modern and fossil deciduous teeth. In fossil specimens, diagenetic changes were identified in various trace element distributions but only demineralisation appeared to markedly alter Zn distribution. Zinc appears to be tenacious and stable in fossil tooth tissues, especially in enamel, over millions of years.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M. Christopher Dean
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jan Garrevoet
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany; (J.G.); (S.J.M.V.M.)
| | - Stijn J. M. Van Malderen
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany; (J.G.); (S.J.M.V.M.)
| | - Frédéric Santos
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France; (F.S.); (A.L.C.)
| | - Marta Mirazón Lahr
- Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge CB2 1QH, UK; (M.M.L.); (R.F.)
| | - Robert Foley
- Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge CB2 1QH, UK; (M.M.L.); (R.F.)
| | - Adeline Le Cabec
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France; (F.S.); (A.L.C.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Cazenave M, Kivell TL. Challenges and perspectives on functional interpretations of australopith postcrania and the reconstruction of hominin locomotion. J Hum Evol 2023; 175:103304. [PMID: 36563461 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103304] [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: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In 1994, Hunt published the 'postural feeding hypothesis'-a seminal paper on the origins of hominin bipedalism-founded on the detailed study of chimpanzee positional behavior and the functional inferences derived from the upper and lower limb morphology of the Australopithecus afarensis A.L. 288-1 partial skeleton. Hunt proposed a model for understanding the potential selective pressures on hominins, made robust, testable predictions based on Au. afarensis functional morphology, and presented a hypothesis that aimed to explain the dual functional signals of the Au. afarensis and, more generally, early hominin postcranium. Here we synthesize what we have learned about Au. afarensis functional morphology and the dual functional signals of two new australopith discoveries with relatively complete skeletons (Australopithecus sediba and StW 573 'Australopithecus prometheus'). We follow this with a discussion of three research approaches that have been developed for the purpose of drawing behavioral inferences in early hominins: (1) developments in the study of extant apes as models for understanding hominin origins; (2) novel and continued developments to quantify bipedal gait and locomotor economy in extant primates to infer the locomotor costs from the anatomy of fossil taxa; and (3) novel developments in the study of internal bone structure to extract functional signals from fossil remains. In conclusion of this review, we discuss some of the inherent challenges of the approaches and methodologies adopted to reconstruct the locomotor modes and behavioral repertoires in extinct primate taxa, and notably the assessment of habitual terrestrial bipedalism in early hominins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marine Cazenave
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA; Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK; Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Grine FE, Mongle CS, Fleagle JG, Hammond AS. The taxonomic attribution of African hominin postcrania from the Miocene through the Pleistocene: Associations and assumptions. J Hum Evol 2022; 173:103255. [PMID: 36375243 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Postcranial bones may provide valuable information about fossil taxa relating to their locomotor habits, manipulative abilities and body sizes. Distinctive features of the postcranial skeleton are sometimes noted in species diagnoses. Although numerous isolated postcranial fossils have become accepted by many workers as belonging to a particular species, it is worthwhile revisiting the evidence for each attribution before including them in comparative samples in relation to the descriptions of new fossils, functional analyses in relation to particular taxa, or in evolutionary contexts. Although some workers eschew the taxonomic attribution of postcranial fossils as being less important (or interesting) than interpreting their functional morphology, it is impossible to consider the evolution of functional anatomy in a taxonomic and phylogenetic vacuum. There are 21 widely recognized hominin taxa that have been described from sites in Africa dated from the Late Miocene to the Middle Pleistocene; postcranial elements have been attributed to 17 of these. The bones that have been thus assigned range from many parts of a skeleton to isolated elements. However, the extent to which postcranial material can be reliably attributed to a specific taxon varies considerably from site to site and species to species, and is often the subject of considerable debate. Here, we review the postcranial remains attributed to African hominin taxa from the Late Miocene to the Middle and Late Pleistocene and place these assignations into categories of reliability. The catalog of attributions presented here may serve as a guide for making taxonomic decisions in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frederick E Grine
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA; Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA.
| | - Carrie S Mongle
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA; Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA; Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA
| | - John G Fleagle
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA
| | - Ashley S Hammond
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA; New York Consortium of Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10024, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Comparative description and taxonomic affinity of 3.7-million-year-old hominin mandibles from Woranso-Mille (Ethiopia). J Hum Evol 2022; 173:103265. [PMID: 36306541 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103265] [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: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Fossil discoveries of early Australopithecus species from Woranso-Mille have played a significant role in improving our understanding of mid-Pliocene hominin evolution and diversity. Here, we describe two mandibles with dentitions, recovered from sediments immediately above a tuff radiometrically dated to 3.76 ± 0.02 Ma, and assess their taxonomic affinity. The two mandibles (MSD-VP-5/16 and MSD-VP-5/50) show morphological similarities with both Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis. Some of the unique features that distinguish Au. anamensis from Au. afarensis are present in the mandibles, which also share a few derived features with Au. afarensis. Their retention of more Kanapoi Au. anamensis-like traits, compared to the fewer derived features they share with Au. afarensis, and the presence of Au. anamensis at Woranso-Mille in 3.8-million-year-old deposits, lends support to their assignment to Au. anamensis. However, it is equally arguable that the few derived dentognathic features they share with Au. afarensis could be taxonomically more significant, making it difficult to conclusively assign these specimens to either species. Regardless of which species they are assigned to, the mosaic nature of the dentognathic morphology and geological age of the two mandibles lends further support to the hypothesized ancestor-descendant relationship between Au. anamensis and Au. afarensis. However, there is now limited fossil evidence indicating that these two species may have overlapped in time. Hence, the last appearance of Au. anamensis and first appearance of Au. afarensis are currently unknown. Recovery of Australopithecus fossils from 4.1 to 3.8 Ma is critical to further address the timing of these events.
Collapse
|
6
|
Hardin AM, Knigge RP, Duren DL, Williams-Blangero S, Subedi J, Mahaney MC, Sherwood RJ. Genetic influences on dentognathic morphology in the Jirel population of Nepal. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2022; 305:2137-2157. [PMID: 34981668 PMCID: PMC9250551 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Patterns of genetic variation and covariation impact the evolution of the craniofacial complex and contribute to clinically significant malocclusions in modern human populations. Previous quantitative genetic studies have estimated the heritabilities and genetic correlations of skeletal and dental traits in humans and nonhuman primates, but none have estimated these quantitative genetic parameters across the dentognathic complex. A large and powerful pedigree from the Jirel population of Nepal was leveraged to estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations in 62 maxillary and mandibular arch dimensions, incisor and canine lengths, and post-canine tooth crown areas (N ≥ 739). Quantitative genetic parameter estimation was performed using maximum likelihood-based variance decomposition. Residual heritability estimates were significant for all traits, ranging from 0.269 to 0.898. Genetic correlations were positive for all trait pairs. Principal components analyses of the phenotypic and genetic correlation matrices indicate an overall size effect across all measurements on the first principal component. Additional principal components demonstrate positive relationships between post-canine tooth crown areas and arch lengths and negative relationships between post-canine tooth crown areas and arch widths, and between arch lengths and arch widths. Based on these findings, morphological variation in the human dentognathic complex may be constrained by genetic relationships between dental dimensions and arch lengths, with weaker genetic correlations between these traits and arch widths allowing for variation in arch shape. The patterns identified are expected to have impacted the evolution of the dentognathic complex and its genetic architecture as well as the prevalence of dental crowding in modern human populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Hardin
- Biology Department, Western Oregon University
- Craniofacial Research Center, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri School of Medicine
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Missouri School of Medicine
| | - Ryan P. Knigge
- Craniofacial Research Center, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri School of Medicine
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Missouri School of Medicine
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota Medical School
| | - Dana L. Duren
- Craniofacial Research Center, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri School of Medicine
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Missouri School of Medicine
| | - Sarah Williams-Blangero
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
| | | | - Michael C. Mahaney
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
| | - Richard J. Sherwood
- Craniofacial Research Center, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri School of Medicine
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Missouri School of Medicine
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hanegraef H, David R, Spoor F. Morphological variation of the maxilla in modern humans and African apes. J Hum Evol 2022; 168:103210. [PMID: 35617847 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Differences in morphology among modern humans and African apes are frequently used when assessing whether hominin fossils should be attributed to a single species or represent evidence for taxic diversity. A good understanding of the degree and structure of the intergeneric, interspecific, and intraspecific variation, including aspects such as sexual dimorphism and age, are key in this context. Here we explore the variation and differences shown by the maxilla of extant hominines, as maxillary morphology is central in the diagnosis of several hominin taxa. Our sample includes adults of all currently recognized hominine species and subspecies, with a balanced species sex ratio. In addition, we compared the adults with a small sample of late juveniles. The morphology of the maxillae was captured using three-dimensional landmarks, and the size and shape were analyzed using geometric morphometric methods. Key observations are that 1) the maxillae of all extant hominine species and subspecies show statistically significant differences, but complete separation in shape is only seen at the genus level; 2) the degree of variation is not consistent between genera, with subspecies of Gorilla being more different from each other than are species of Pan; 3) the pattern of sexual shape dimorphism is different in Pan, Gorilla, and Homo, often showing opposite trends; and 4) differentiation between maxillary shapes is increased after adjustment for static intraspecific allometry. These results provide a taxonomically up-to-date comparative morphological framework to help interpret the hominin fossil record, and we discuss the practical implications in that context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hester Hanegraef
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom; Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Romain David
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fred Spoor
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom; Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Pugh KD. Phylogenetic analysis of Middle-Late Miocene apes. J Hum Evol 2022; 165:103140. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
|
9
|
Canine sexual dimorphism in Ardipithecus ramidus was nearly human-like. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2116630118. [PMID: 34853174 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116630118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Body and canine size dimorphism in fossils inform sociobehavioral hypotheses on human evolution and have been of interest since Darwin's famous reflections on the subject. Here, we assemble a large dataset of fossil canines of the human clade, including all available Ardipithecus ramidus fossils recovered from the Middle Awash and Gona research areas in Ethiopia, and systematically examine canine dimorphism through evolutionary time. In particular, we apply a Bayesian probabilistic method that reduces bias when estimating weak and moderate levels of dimorphism. Our results show that Ar. ramidus canine dimorphism was significantly weaker than in the bonobo, the least dimorphic and behaviorally least aggressive among extant great apes. Average male-to-female size ratios of the canine in Ar. ramidus are estimated as 1.06 and 1.13 in the upper and lower canines, respectively, within modern human population ranges of variation. The slightly greater magnitude of canine size dimorphism in the lower than in the upper canines of Ar. ramidus appears to be shared with early Australopithecus, suggesting that male canine reduction was initially more advanced in the behaviorally important upper canine. The available fossil evidence suggests a drastic size reduction of the male canine prior to Ar. ramidus and the earliest known members of the human clade, with little change in canine dimorphism levels thereafter. This evolutionary pattern indicates a profound behavioral shift associated with comparatively weak levels of male aggression early in human evolution, a pattern that was subsequently shared by Australopithecus and Homo.
Collapse
|
10
|
Haile-Selassie Y. From Trees to the Ground: The Significance of Australopithecus anamensis in Human Evolution. JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1086/716743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
11
|
Carlson KJ, Green DJ, Jashashvili T, Pickering TR, Heaton JL, Beaudet A, Stratford D, Crompton R, Kuman K, Bruxelles L, Clarke RJ. The pectoral girdle of StW 573 ('Little Foot') and its implications for shoulder evolution in the Hominina. J Hum Evol 2021; 158:102983. [PMID: 33888323 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The ca. 3.67 Ma adult skeleton known as 'Little Foot' (StW 573), recovered from Sterkfontein Member 2 breccia in the Silberberg Grotto, is remarkable for its morphology and completeness. Preservation of clavicles and scapulae, including essentially complete right-side elements, offers opportunities to assess morphological and functional aspects of a nearly complete Australopithecus pectoral girdle. Here we describe the StW 573 pectoral girdle and offer quantitative comparisons to those of extant hominoids and selected homininans. The StW 573 pectoral girdle combines features intermediate between those of humans and other apes: a long and curved clavicle, suggesting a relatively dorsally positioned scapula; an enlarged and uniquely proportioned supraspinous fossa; a relatively cranially oriented glenoid fossa; and ape-like reinforcement of the axillary margin by a stout ventral bar. StW 573 scapulae are as follows: smaller than those of some homininans (i.e., KSD-VP-1/1 and KNM-ER 47000A), larger than others (i.e., A.L. 288-1, Sts 7, and MH2), and most similar in size to another australopith from Sterkfontein, StW 431. Moreover, StW 573 and StW 431 exhibit similar structural features along their axillary margins and inferior angles. As the StW 573 pectoral girdle (e.g., scapular configuration) has a greater affinity to that of apes-Gorilla in particular-rather than modern humans, we suggest that the StW 573 morphological pattern appears to reflect adaptations to arboreal behaviors, especially those with the hand positioned above the head, more than human-like manipulatory capabilities. When compared with less complete pectoral girdles from middle/late Miocene apes and that of the penecontemporaneous KSD-VP-1/1 (Australopithecus afarensis), and mindful of consensus views on the adaptiveness of arboreal positional behaviors soliciting abducted glenohumeral joints in early Pliocene taxa, we propose that the StW 573 pectoral girdle is a reasonable model for hypothesizing pectoral girdle configuration of the crown hominin last common ancestor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristian J Carlson
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050, South Africa.
| | - David J Green
- Department of Anatomy, Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Buies Creek, NC 27506, USA; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050, South Africa
| | - Tea Jashashvili
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Department of Geology and Paleontology, Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia
| | - Travis R Pickering
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050, South Africa; Plio-Pleistocene Palaeontology Section, Department of Vertebrates, Ditsong National Museum, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Jason L Heaton
- Department of Biology, Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, AL 35254, USA; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050, South Africa; Plio-Pleistocene Palaeontology Section, Department of Vertebrates, Ditsong National Museum, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050 South Africa; Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, PO Box 2034, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Dominic Stratford
- School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050 South Africa
| | - Robin Crompton
- Department of Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L7 8TX, UK
| | - Kathleen Kuman
- School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050 South Africa
| | - Laurent Bruxelles
- TRACES, UMR 5608 of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, Jean Jaurès University, 31058 Toulouse, France; French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Researches (INRAP), 30900 Nîmes, France; School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050 South Africa
| | - Ronald J Clarke
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Lawrence J, Kimbel WH. Morphological integration of the canine region within the hominine alveolar arch. J Hum Evol 2021; 154:102942. [PMID: 33838563 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102942] [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: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The early hominin record is characterized by numerous shifts in dental proportions (e.g., canine reduction and megadontia) linked to changes in diet and social behavior. Recent studies suggest that hominins exhibit a reduction in the magnitude of covariation between the anterior and posterior dental components compared with other extant great apes. They point toward, but do not directly test, the relative independence of canine morphology within the hominin alveolar arch. This study focuses specifically on the how the canine region covaries with other regions of the dental arch because the canine region has drastically reduced in size and changed in shape across human evolution. We examine extant primate species most commonly used as a comparative framework for fossil hominin morphology: Gorilla gorilla (n = 27), Pan troglodytes (n = 27), and Homo sapiens (n = 30). We used geometric morphometric methods to test for size and shape covariation between the canine region with other dental regions. We also examined the influence of sexual dimorphism and allometry on intraspecific and interspecific patterns of covariation. The analysis of size and shape covariation between the mandibular canine and other individual tooth regions elucidated complex, species-specific, and sex-specific morphological relationships in the mandibular alveolar arch. There was little evidence to support different patterns of morphological integration between humans on the one hand and nonhuman apes on the other. Canine region morphology was relatively independent from other dental regions across species based on shape and did not significantly covary more with either the incisor or postcanine region in any species. The size correlations between the canine and other dental regions were moderate to high. The species-specific results of this study question the ability to make a priori assumptions about morphological integration in the extant hominin mandibular alveolar arch and its application to the fossil record.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julie Lawrence
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA; School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
| | - William H Kimbel
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA; School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Decaup PH, Garot E, Rouas P. Prevalence of talon cusp: Systematic literature review, meta-analysis and new scoring system. Arch Oral Biol 2021; 125:105112. [PMID: 33780721 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2021.105112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Talon cusp is a developmental anomaly consisting of a vertical ridge or cusp projecting labially or lingually from an anterior permanent or primary tooth. A range of prevalence between 0.06 % and 40.8 % has been reported in the literature. Although many epidemiological studies have been conducted, no synthesis of these data has been performed to date. The aim of this paper was to determine the prevalence of talon cusp and to investigate the link between sex and talon cusp. SOURCE A systematic search was undertaken using the PubMed/Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library electronic databases for publications from 1981 to 2020 investigating the prevalence of talon cusp and the link between talon cusp and sex. STUDY SELECTION Three reviewers selected the studies independently, extracted the data in accordance with the PRISMA statement, and assessed the risk of bias via the GRADE & Cochrane approaches. RESULTS From 39 potentially eligible studies, 9 were selected for full text analysis and 8 were included in the meta-analysis, representing 35,224 participants. The meta-analyses were performed with a random model, calculating a weighted-mean prevalence (at least one talon cusp per individual) of 1.67 %. Sex and talon cusp were not statistically significantly associated in our study (OR = 1.10; 95 % CI [0.82-1.47]; p > 0.05). DISCUSSION We report the first prevalence of talon cusp provided by meta-analysis in a non-syndromic sample. A non-statistically significant association between sex and talon cusp is relevant in terms of genetic etiology. In order to improve the homogeneity and accuracy of the results of further studies, we propose a new universal scoring system for talon cusp. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Talon cusp is a developmental anomaly with various clinical implications. Therapeutics may vary from simple monitoring to extraction of the supporting tooth. This condition occurs in approximately 1.67 % of the population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Hadrien Decaup
- Univ. de Bordeaux, UFR des Sciences Odontologiques, Bordeaux, France; Univ. de Bordeaux, PACEA, UMR 5199, Pessac, France.
| | - Elsa Garot
- Univ. de Bordeaux, UFR des Sciences Odontologiques, Bordeaux, France; Univ. de Bordeaux, PACEA, UMR 5199, Pessac, France
| | - Patrick Rouas
- Univ. de Bordeaux, UFR des Sciences Odontologiques, Bordeaux, France; Univ. de Bordeaux, PACEA, UMR 5199, Pessac, France
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Melillo SM, Gibert L, Saylor BZ, Deino A, Alene M, Ryan TM, Haile-Selassie Y. New Pliocene hominin remains from the Leado Dido'a area of Woranso-Mille, Ethiopia. J Hum Evol 2021; 153:102956. [PMID: 33711722 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Fossiliferous deposits at Woranso-Mille span the period when Australopithecus anamensis gave rise to Australopithecus afarensis (3.8-3.6 Ma) and encompass the core of the A. afarensis range (ca. 3.5-3.2 Ma). Within the latter period, fossils described to date include the intriguing but taxonomically unattributed Burtele foot, dentognathic fossils attributed to Australopithecus deyiremeda, and one specimen securely attributed to A. afarensis (the Nefuraytu mandible). These fossils suggest that at least one additional hominin lineage lived alongside A. afarensis in the Afar Depression. Here we describe a collection of hominin fossils from a new locality in the Leado Dido'a area of Woranso-Mille (LDD-VP-1). The strata in this area are correlated to the same chron as those in the Burtele area (C2An.3n; 3.59-3.33 Ma), and similar in age to the Maka Sands and the Basal through lower Sidi Hakoma Members of the Hadar Formation. We attribute all but one of the LDD hominin specimens to A. afarensis, based on diagnostic morphology of the mandible, maxilla, canines, and premolars. The LDD specimens generally fall within the range of variation previously documented for A. afarensis but increase the frequency of some rare morphological variants. However, one isolated M3 is extremely small, and its taxonomic affinity is currently unknown. The new observations support previous work on temporal trends in A. afarensis and demonstrate that the large range of variation accepted for this species is present even within a limited spatiotemporal range. The value added with this sample lies in its contribution to controlling for spatiotemporal differences among site samples in the A. afarensis hypodigm and its contemporaneity with non-A. afarensis specimens at Woranso-Mille.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Melillo
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Luis Gibert
- Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Beverly Z Saylor
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Alan Deino
- Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Mulugeta Alene
- School of Earth Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Timothy M Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Yohannes Haile-Selassie
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, OH, USA; Departments of Anthropology and Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Dumouchel L, Bobe R, Wynn JG, Barr WA. The environments of Australopithecus anamensis at Allia Bay, Kenya: A multiproxy analysis of early Pliocene Bovidae. J Hum Evol 2021; 151:102928. [PMID: 33453510 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Australopithecus anamensis, among the earliest fully bipedal hominin species, lived in eastern Africa around 4 Ma. Much of what is currently known about the paleoecology of A. anamensis comes from the type locality, Kanapoi, Kenya. Here, we extend knowledge of the range of environments occupied by A. anamensis by presenting the first multiproxy paleoecological analysis focusing on Bovidae excavated from another important locality where A. anamensis was recovered, locality 261-1 (ca. 3.97 Ma) at Allia Bay, East Turkana, Kenya. Paleoenvironments are reconstructed using astragalar ecomorphology, mesowear, hypsodonty index, and oxygen and carbon isotopes from dental enamel. We compare our results to those obtained from Kanapoi. Our results show that the bovid community composition is similar between the two fossil assemblages. Allia Bay and Kanapoi bovid astragalar ecomorphology spans the spectrum of modern morphologies indicative of grassland, woodland, and even forest-adapted forms. Dietary reconstructions based on stable isotopes, mesowear, and hypsodonty reveal that these bovids' diet encompassed the full C3 to C4 dietary spectrum and overlap in the two data sets. Our results allow us to confidently extend our reconstructions of the paleoenvironments of A. anamensis at Kanapoi to Allia Bay, where this pivotal hominin species is associated with heterogeneous settings including habitats with varying degrees of tree cover, including grasslands, bushlands, and woodlands.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Dumouchel
- Department of Anthropology, Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount Street, Wichita, KS 67260, USA.
| | - René Bobe
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Institute of Cognitive & Evolutionary Anthropology, School of Anthropology, University of Oxford, 64 Banbury Rd, Park Town, Oxford, OX2 6PN, UK; Paleo-Primate Project Gorongosa, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique; Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour (ICArEHB), Universidade Do Algarve, Campus de Penha, Faro, 8005-139, Portugal
| | - Jonathan G Wynn
- Division of Earth Sciences, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA
| | - W Andrew Barr
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, 800 22(nd)Street Northwest, Suite 6000, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
A comprehensive survey of Retzius periodicities in fossil hominins and great apes. J Hum Evol 2020; 149:102896. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
|
17
|
A genotype:phenotype approach to testing taxonomic hypotheses in hominids. Naturwissenschaften 2020; 107:40. [PMID: 32870408 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-020-01696-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Paleontology has long relied on assumptions about the genetic and developmental influences on skeletal variation. The last few decades of developmental genetics have elucidated the genetic pathways involved in making teeth and patterning the dentition. Quantitative genetic analyses have refined this genotype:phenotype map even more, especially for primates. We now have the ability to define dental traits with a fair degree of fidelity to the underlying genetic architecture; for example, the molar module component (MMC) and the premolar-molar module (PMM) that have been defined through quantitative genetic analyses. We leverage an extensive dataset of extant and extinct hominoid dental variation to explore how these two genetically patterned phenotypes have evolved through time. We assess MMC and PMM to test the hypothesis that these two traits reveal a more biologically informed taxonomy at the genus and species levels than do more traditional measurements. Our results indicate that MMC values for hominids fall into two categories and that Homo is derived compared with earlier taxa. We find a more variable, species-level pattern for PMM. These results, in combination with previous research, demonstrate that MMC reflects the phenotypic output of a more evolutionarily stable, or phylogenetically congruent, genetic mechanism, and PMM is a reflection of a more evolutionarily labile mechanism. These results suggest that the human lineage since the split with chimpanzees may not represent as much genus-level variation as has been inferred from traits whose etiologies are not understood.
Collapse
|
18
|
Skinner MM, Leakey MG, Leakey LN, Manthi FK, Spoor F. Hominin dental remains from the Pliocene localities at Lomekwi, Kenya (1982-2009). J Hum Evol 2020; 145:102820. [PMID: 32593871 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2020] [Revised: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence for both taxonomic diversity and early stone manufacture during the Pliocene highlights the importance of the hominin fossil record from this epoch in eastern Africa. Here, we describe dental remains from Lomekwi (West Turkana, Kenya), which date from between 3.2 and 3.5 Ma. The sample was collected between 1982 and 2009 and includes five gnathic specimens and a total of 67 teeth (mostly isolated permanent postcanine teeth). Standard linear dimensions indicate that, although the Lomekwi teeth are relatively small, there is broad overlap in size with contemporary Australopithecus afarensis and Australopithecus deyiremeda specimens at most tooth positions. However, some dental characters differentiate this sample from these species, including a relatively large P4 and M3 compared with the M1, a high incidence of well-developed protostylids, and specific accessory molar cuspules. Owing to a lack of well-preserved tooth crowns (and the complete absence of mandibular teeth) in the holotype and paratype of Kenyanthropus platyops, and limited comparable gnathic morphology in the new specimens, it cannot be determined whether these Lomekwi specimens should be attributed to this species. Attribution of these specimens is further complicated by a lack of certainty about position along the tooth row of many of the molar specimens. More comprehensive shape analyses of the external and internal morphology of these specimens, and additional fossil finds, would facilitate the taxonomic attribution of specimens in this taxonomically diverse period of human evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M Skinner
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.
| | - Meave G Leakey
- Turkana Basin Institute, PO Box 24926, Nairobi, 00502, Kenya; Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, 11794, USA
| | - Louise N Leakey
- Turkana Basin Institute, PO Box 24926, Nairobi, 00502, Kenya; Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, 11794, USA
| | - Fredrick K Manthi
- Department of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Fred Spoor
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany; Centre for Human Evolution Research, Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK; Department of Anthropology, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
García-Campos C, Modesto-Mata M, Martinón-Torres M, Martínez de Pinillos M, Martín-Francés L, Arsuaga JL, Bermúdez de Castro JM. Sexual dimorphism of the enamel and dentine dimensions of the permanent canines of the Middle Pleistocene hominins from Sima de los Huesos (Burgos, Spain). J Hum Evol 2020; 144:102793. [PMID: 32442650 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism is an important component of the total variation seen in populations and plays a key role in taxonomic debates. In this study, microtomographic (microcomputed tomography) techniques were applied to a sample of hominin teeth from the Sima de los Huesos site (Spain). Dental tissue proportions of the permanent canines were assessed to characterize the pattern and degree of sexual dimorphism within this population. In addition, the possible similarities and differences with the Homo neanderthalensis remains from Krapina (Croatia) and with a recent modern human sample were evaluated. A combination of classical statistical approaches with more novel techniques allowed us not only to ratify the sex allocation of the individuals previously assigned in the literature but also to estimate the sex of the youngest individuals, which were not assessed in previous studies. Likewise, the sexes of certain extensively worn canines and isolated pieces were estimated. As a result, the sex ratio observed in our dental sample from the Sima de los Huesos population is 5:9 (Nm:Nf). In general terms, both Sima de los Huesos and Krapina dental samples have a degree of sexual dimorphism in their permanent canine tissue proportions that does not surpass that of modern humans. The marked dimorphic root volume of Sima de los Huesos mandibular canines is the exception, which surpasses the modern human mean, although it falls within the 95% confidence interval. Therefore, our results do not support that dental tissue proportions of the European Middle Pleistocene populations were more dimorphic than in modern humans. However, the differences in canine tissue proportions are great enough to allow sex estimation with a high degree of confidence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia García-Campos
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo de La Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain; Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK.
| | - Mario Modesto-Mata
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo de La Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain; Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo de La Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain; Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Marina Martínez de Pinillos
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo de La Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain; Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Laura Martín-Francés
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo de La Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain; Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK; Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33615, Pessac Cedex, France
| | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo de La Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain; Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Balolia KL, Jakeman EC, Massey JS, Groves C, Wood B. Mandibular corpus shape is a taxonomic indicator in extant hominids. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 172:25-40. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katharine L. Balolia
- School of Archaeology and AnthropologyThe Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Elise C. Jakeman
- School of Archaeology and AnthropologyThe Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Jason S. Massey
- Department of Integrative Biology and PhysiologyUniversity of Minnesota Medical School Minneapolis Minnesota
| | - Colin Groves
- School of Archaeology and AnthropologyThe Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Bernard Wood
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human PaleobiologyGeorge Washington University Washington District of Columbia
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Dumouchel L, Bobe R. Paleoecological implications of dental mesowear and hypsodonty in fossil ungulates from Kanapoi. J Hum Evol 2020; 140:102548. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
22
|
New fossils of Australopithecus anamensis from Kanapoi, West Turkana, Kenya (2012–2015). J Hum Evol 2020; 140:102368. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
23
|
Diets of mammalian fossil fauna from Kanapoi, northwestern Kenya. J Hum Evol 2020; 140:102338. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2016] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
|
24
|
Sanders WJ. Proboscidea from Kanapoi, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2020; 140:102547. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
25
|
Manthi FK, Plavcan JM, Ward CV. Introduction to special issue Kanapoi: Paleobiology of a Pliocene site in Kenya. J Hum Evol 2020; 140:102718. [PMID: 32057416 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This paper introduces this Special Issue of the Journal of Human Evolution entitled "Kanapoi: Paleobiology of a Pliocene site in Kenya." Kanapoi, West Turkana, Kenya, is part of the Omo-Turkana Basin and is the type site of the earliest known genus of Australopithecus, A. anamensis. Kanapoi preserves among the earliest earliest evidence of Australopithecus in deposits dated between 4.195 to 4.108 million years old. Explored by several teams since the 1960s, the Kanapoi sediments have yielded a rich and abundant fauna, providing important information about the paleoenvironments and the context surrounding the earliest evolution of the genus Australopithecus, as well as about the evolution and biogeography of African Pliocene vertebrate faunas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fredrick K Manthi
- Integrative Anatomy Program, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, M263 Medical Sciences Building, One Hospital Drive, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - J Michael Plavcan
- Department of Anthropology, 330 Old Main, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Carol V Ward
- Department of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Frost SR, Ward CV, Manthi FK, Plavcan JM. Cercopithecid fossils from Kanapoi, West Turkana, Kenya (2007-2015). J Hum Evol 2020; 140:102642. [PMID: 31959361 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Recent fieldwork at Kanapoi has expanded the sample of fossil cercopithecids, facilitating a re-appraisal of their taxonomy. The assemblage now includes at least one species of cercopithecin, two papionins, and two colobines. The guenon Nanopithecus browni is similar in dental size to extant Miopithecus. We tentatively re-affirm the identification of Parapapio cf. ado and confirm the presence of Theropithecus. The colobines include a small form tentatively attributed to Kuseracolobus and a second larger species. The Kanapoi fossils represent the oldest occurrences of guenons in Africa and of the important genus Theropithecus, the most abundant and widespread primate in the Neogene of Africa. In the assemblage, Parapapio cf. ado is the most abundant form, comprising the majority of specimens. All of the other taxa are comparatively rare. Colobines make up a small part of the Kanapoi fossil assemblage compared to most other contemporary sites, including Allia Bay, Kenya, where, like Kanapoi, Australopithecus anamensis has been found. The presence of Theropithecus is consistent with the presence of some relatively open habitat at Kanapoi. While the ecological preferences of the small cercopithecin are unknown, most guenons are associated with relatively wooded habitats, as are most colobines, suggesting the availability of at least some wooded areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Frost
- Department of Anthropology, 1218 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1218, USA.
| | - Carol V Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, M263 Medical Sciences Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA.
| | - Fredrick K Manthi
- Department of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - J Michael Plavcan
- Department of Anthropology, 330 Old Main, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
The ecology of Australopithecus anamensis in the early Pliocene of Kanapoi, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2020; 140:102717. [PMID: 31916996 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Australopithecus anamensis is a pivotal species in human evolution. It is likely to be the direct ancestor of Australopithecus afarensis and the species that may have given rise to the Homo and Paranthropus lineages. It had a suite of adaptations for habitual bipedalism and a diet that differed from that of earlier hominin species. Under what environmental and ecological conditions did this suite of adaptations arise? The early Pliocene site of Kanapoi in the Lake Turkana Basin of Kenya has the largest sample of A. anamensis in eastern Africa and a rich record of fossil vertebrates. Most Kanapoi fossils are chronologically well constrained by radiometrically dated tephras between the ages of 4.2 and 4.1 million years ago. Sedimentological, isotopic, and faunal data indicate that the environments of Kanapoi during the early Pliocene had a complex range of vegetation types that included closed woodlands, shrubs, and grasslands near a river (for most of the sequence) or lake. These were dynamic landscapes that could shift rapidly from fluvial to lacustrine conditions, and then back. Australopithecus anamensis shared its environments with at least 10 species of very large herbivores, which undoubtedly played a major role in modifying the landscape by opening wooded areas and providing pathways for bipedal hominins. Hominins may have competed for terrestrial resources with abundant suids (Nyanzachoerus and Notochoerus) and for arboreal resources with monkeys (Parapapio being the most common cercopithecid). Kanapoi had a formidable group of predators that included a very abundant species of hyena (Parahyaena howelli), two sabre-tooth felids (Dinofelis and Homotherium), a giant otter (Enhydriodon cf. dikikae), and three species of crocodiles. Various measures of abundance indicate that A. anamensis was an important component of the Kanapoi early Pliocene ecosystems, and that its key adaptations allowed this species to thrive in complex and dynamic landscapes.
Collapse
|
28
|
Davies TW, Delezene LK, Gunz P, Hublin JJ, Skinner MM. Endostructural morphology in hominoid mandibular third premolars: Discrete traits at the enamel-dentine junction. J Hum Evol 2019; 136:102670. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
|
29
|
Haile-Selassie Y, Melillo SM, Vazzana A, Benazzi S, Ryan TM. A 3.8-million-year-old hominin cranium from Woranso-Mille, Ethiopia. Nature 2019; 573:214-219. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1513-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
|
30
|
Davies TW, Delezene LK, Gunz P, Hublin JJ, Skinner MM. Endostructural morphology in hominoid mandibular third premolars: Geometric morphometric analysis of dentine crown shape. J Hum Evol 2019; 133:198-213. [PMID: 31358180 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
In apes, the mandibular third premolar (P3) is adapted for a role in honing the large upper canine. The role of honing was lost early in hominin evolution, releasing the tooth from this functional constraint and allowing it to respond to subsequent changes in masticatory demands. This led to substantial morphological changes, and as such the P3 has featured prominently in systematic analyses of the hominin clade. The application of microtomography has also demonstrated that examination of the enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) increases the taxonomic value of variations in crown morphology. Here we use geometric morphometric techniques to analyze the shape of the P3 EDJ in a broad sample of fossil hominins, modern humans, and extant apes (n = 111). We test the utility of P3 EDJ shape for distinguishing among hominoids, address the affinities of a number of hominin specimens of uncertain taxonomic attribution, and characterize the changes in P3 EDJ morphology across our sample, with particular reference to features relating to canine honing and premolar 'molarization'. We find that the morphology of the P3 EDJ is useful in taxonomic identification of individual specimens, with a classification accuracy of up to 88%. The P3 EDJ of canine-honing apes displays a tall protoconid, little metaconid development, and an asymmetrical crown shape. Plio-Pleistocene hominin taxa display derived masticatory adaptations at the EDJ, such as the molarized premolars of Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus, which have well-developed marginal ridges, an enlarged talonid, and a large metaconid. Modern humans and Neanderthals display a tall dentine body and reduced metaconid development, a morphology shared with premolars from Mauer and the Cave of Hearths. Homo naledi displays a P3 EDJ morphology that is unique among our sample; it is quite unlike Middle Pleistocene and recent Homo samples and most closely resembles Australopithecus, Paranthropus and early Homo specimens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W Davies
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NZ, UK; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Lucas K Delezene
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NZ, UK; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Haile-Selassie Y, Ryan TM. Comparative description and taxonomy of new hominin juvenile mandibles from the Pliocene of Woranso-Mille (Central Afar, Ethiopia). J Hum Evol 2019; 132:15-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
|
32
|
Joordens JC, Feibel CS, Vonhof HB, Schulp AS, Kroon D. Relevance of the eastern African coastal forest for early hominin biogeography. J Hum Evol 2019; 131:176-202. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Revised: 03/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
|
33
|
Meyer MR, Williams SA. Earliest axial fossils from the genus Australopithecus. J Hum Evol 2019; 132:189-214. [PMID: 31203847 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Australopitheus anamensis fossils demonstrate that craniodentally and postcranially the taxon was more primitive than its evolutionary successor Australopithecus afarensis. Postcranial evidence suggests habitual bipedality combined with primitive upper limbs and an inferred significant arboreal adaptation. Here we report on A. anamensis fossils from the Assa Issie locality in Ethiopia's Middle Awash area dated to ∼4.2 Ma, constituting the oldest known Australopithecus axial remains. Because the spine is the interface between major body segments, these fossils can be informative on the adaptation, behavior and our evolutionary understanding of A. anamensis. The atlas, or first cervical vertebra (C1), is similar in size to Homo sapiens, with synapomorphies in the articular facets and transverse processes. Absence of a retroglenoid tubercle suggests that, like humans, A. anamensis lacked the atlantoclavicularis muscle, resulting in reduced capacity for climbing relative to the great apes. The retroflexed C2 odontoid process and long C6 spinous process are reciprocates of facial prognathism, a long clivus and retroflexed foramen magnum, rather than indications of locomotor or postural behaviors. The T1 is derived in shape and size as in Homo with an enlarged vertebral body epiphyseal surfaces for mitigating the high-magnitude compressive loads of full-time bipedality. The full costal facet is unlike the extant great ape demifacet pattern and represents the oldest evidence for the derived univertebral pattern in hominins. These fossils augment other lines of evidence in A. anamensis indicating habitual bipedality despite some plesiomorphic vertebral traits related to craniofacial morphology independent of locomotor or postural behaviors (i.e., a long clivus and a retroflexed foramen magnum). Yet in contrast to craniodental lines of evidence, some aspects of vertebral morphology in A. anamensis appear more derived than its descendant A. afarensis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marc R Meyer
- Department of Anthropology, Chaffey College, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 91737, 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
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Lazagabaster IA. Dental microwear texture analysis of Pliocene Suidae from Hadar and Kanapoi in the context of early hominin dietary breadth expansion. J Hum Evol 2019; 132:80-100. [PMID: 31203853 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 04/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Stable carbon isotope studies suggest that early hominins may have diversified their diet as early as 3.76 Ma. Early Pliocene hominins, including Australopithecus anamensis, had diets that were dominated by C3 resources while Late Pliocene hominins, including Australopithecus afarensis-a putative descendant of A. anamensis-had diets that included both C3 and C4 resources. It has been hypothesized that the expansion of C4 grasslands in eastern Africa during the Pliocene could have prompted hominins to incorporate C4 resources in their diets. However, dental microwear analyses suggest that diet diversification did not involve changes in the mechanical properties of the foods consumed. To provide contextual and comparative information on this issue, the diet of suids from the A. anamensis site of Kanapoi and the A. afarensis site of Hadar is investigated. Using dental microwear texture analyses, it is shown that despite significant dietary overlap, there is evidence for dietary niche partitioning among suids. Based on comparisons with the diet of extant African suids, it is inferred that Nyanzachoerus pattersoni (n = 21) was a mixed feeder, Nyanzachoerus jaegeri (n = 4) and Notochoerus euilus (n = 61) were habitual grazers, and Kolpochoerus afarensis (n = 34) had a broad diet that included hard brittle foods and underground resources. The dental microwear of Ny. pattersoni and Ny. jaegeri/No. euilus do not differ significantly between Kanapoi and Hadar. Most differences are driven by K. afarensis, a suid absent at Kanapoi but present at Hadar. Food availability probably differed between Hadar and Kanapoi, and it is likely that A. afarensis did not exploit some of the foods (e.g., underground resources) consumed by suids. It is hypothesized that despite the incorporation of C4 resources in the diet, a significant dietary change towards flexible diets in the hominin lineage had yet to come.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio A Lazagabaster
- The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and Departments of Maritime Civilizations and Archaeology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; Institute of Human Origins and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Quinn RL. Isotopic equifinality and rethinking the diet of
Australopithecus anamensis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 169:403-421. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rhonda L. Quinn
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social WorkSeton Hall University South Orange New Jersey
- Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesRutgers University Piscataway New Jersey
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Complete permanent mandibular dentition of early Homo from the upper Burgi Member of the Koobi Fora Formation, Ileret, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2019; 131:152-175. [PMID: 31182200 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The KNM-ER 64060 dentition derives from a horizon that most likely dates to between 2.02 and 2.03 Ma. A proximate series of postcranial bones (designated KNM-ER 64061) derives from the same siltstone unit and may be associated with the dentition, but their separation on the surface of the site leaves some room for doubt. KNM-ER 64060 is one of fewer than ten hominin specimens from the Early Pleistocene of East Africa that comprises a full or nearly complete mandibular dentition. Its taxonomic attribution is potentially significant, especially if the postcranial elements are related. At least three, and probably four hominin species, including Paranthropus boisei and Homo erectus (= H. ergaster), are known at about this time in East Africa. Other penecontemporaneous fossils have been referred to a single, highly variable species, H. habilis, or two taxa, namely H. habilis and H. rudolfensis. Although the weight of evidence supports the attribution of these specimens to two species, there is notable lack of agreement over the assignation of individual fossils. We take a conservative approach and group all such specimens under the designation "early Homo sp." for comparative purposes. KNM-ER 64060 is clearly attributable to Homo rather than Paranthropus. The preponderance of the evidence suggests that the affinities of KNM-ER 64060 are with fossils assigned to the early Homo sp. category rather than with H. erectus. This is indicated by the overall sizes of the KNM-ER 64060 canine, premolar and molar crowns, the size relationships of the P3 to P4, the relative narrowness of its premolar crowns, the cusp proportions of the M1 and especially those of the M2 and M3, and seemingly the possession of a two-rooted P4. Some of these comparisons suggest further that among the fossils comprising the early Homo sp. sample, the KNM-ER 64060 dentition exhibits greater overall similarity to specimens such as OH 7 and OH 16 that represent Homo habilis sensu stricto.
Collapse
|
37
|
Simpson SW, Levin NE, Quade J, Rogers MJ, Semaw S. Ardipithecus ramidus postcrania from the Gona Project area, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia. J Hum Evol 2019; 129:1-45. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
38
|
Liao W, Xing S, Li D, Martinón-Torres M, Wu X, Soligo C, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Wang W, Liu W. Mosaic dental morphology in a terminal Pleistocene hominin from Dushan Cave in southern China. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2347. [PMID: 30787352 PMCID: PMC6382942 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38818-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies reveal high degrees of morphological diversity in Late Pleistocene humans from East Asia. This variability was interpreted as complex demographic patterns with several migrations and possible survival of archaic groups. However, lack of well-described, reliably classified and accurately dated sites has seriously limited understanding of human evolution in terminal Pleistocene. Here we report a 15,000 years-old H. sapiens (Dushan 1) in South China with unusual mosaic features, such as large dental dimensions, cingulum-like structures at the dentine level in the posterior dentition and expression of a "crown buccal vertical groove complex", all of which are uncommon in modern humans and more typically found in Middle Pleistocene archaic humans. They could represent the late survival of one of the earliest modern humans to settle in an isolated region of southern China and, hence, the retention of primitive-like traits. They could also represent a particularity of this group and, hence, reflect a high degree of regional variation. Alternatively, these features may be the result of introgression from some late-surviving archaic population in the region. Our study demonstrates the extreme variability of terminal Pleistocene populations in China and the possibility of a complex demographic story in the region.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Anthropology Museum of Guangxi, Nanning, 530028, Guangxi, China
| | - Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Dawei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Anthropology Museum of Guangxi, Nanning, 530028, Guangxi, China
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Department of Anthropology, University College London (UCL), 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
- National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca s/n, Burgos, 09002, Spain
| | - Xiujie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Christophe Soligo
- Department of Anthropology, University College London (UCL), 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Department of Anthropology, University College London (UCL), 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
- National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca s/n, Burgos, 09002, Spain
| | - Wei Wang
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, China.
| | - Wu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China.
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, 100044, China.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
DeSilva J, McNutt E, Benoit J, Zipfel B. One small step: A review of Plio‐Pleistocene hominin foot evolution. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 168 Suppl 67:63-140. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy DeSilva
- Department of AnthropologyDartmouth College Hanover New Hampshire
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and School of GeosciencesUniversity of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Ellison McNutt
- Department of AnthropologyDartmouth College Hanover New Hampshire
| | - Julien Benoit
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and School of GeosciencesUniversity of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Bernhard Zipfel
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and School of GeosciencesUniversity of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Pitirri MK, Begun D. A new method to quantify mandibular corpus shape in extant great apes and its potential application to the hominoid fossil record. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 168:318-328. [PMID: 30537105 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Mandibular corpus robusticity (corpus breadth/corpus height) is the most commonly utilized descriptor of the mandibular corpus in the great ape and hominin fossil records. As a consequence of its contoured shape, linear metrics used to characterize mandibular robusticity are inadequate to quantify the shape of the mandibular corpus. Here, we present an alternative to the traditional assessment of mandibular shape by analyzing the outline of the mandibular corpus in cross-section using landmarks and semilandmarks. MATERIALS AND METHODS Outlines of the mandibular corpus in cross-section between M1 and M2 were quantified in a sample of hominoids and analyzed using generalized Procrustes analysis, Procrustes ANOVA, CVA, and cluster analysis. Corpus breadth and width were also collected from the same sample and analyzed using regression, ANOVA, and cluster analysis. RESULTS Analysis of corpus outline shape revealed significant differences in mandibular corpus shape that are independent of size and sex at the genus level across hominoids. Cluster analysis based on the analysis of corpus outline shape results in almost all specimens grouping based on taxonomic affinity (99.28% correct classification). Comparison of these results to results using traditional measures of mandibular robusticity shows that analysis of the outline of the corpus in cross-section discriminate extant great apes more reliably. CONCLUSION The strong taxonomic signal revealed by this analysis indicates that quantification of the outline of the mandibular corpus more fully captures mandibular corpus shape and offers the potential for greater power in discriminating among taxa in the hominoid fossil record.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Kathleen Pitirri
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania.,Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, St. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Begun
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, St. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
McNutt EJ, Zipfel B, DeSilva JM. The evolution of the human foot. Evol Anthropol 2018; 27:197-217. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2017] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ellison J. McNutt
- Department of Anthropology; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire
- Ecology, Evolution, Ecosystems, and Society; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire
| | - Bernhard Zipfel
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and School of Geosciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Jeremy M. DeSilva
- Department of Anthropology; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and School of Geosciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
van Casteren A, Oelze VM, Angedakin S, Kalan AK, Kambi M, Boesch C, Kühl HS, Langergraber KE, Piel AK, Stewart FA, Kupczik K. Food mechanical properties and isotopic signatures in forest versus savannah dwelling eastern chimpanzees. Commun Biol 2018; 1:109. [PMID: 30271989 PMCID: PMC6123729 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0115-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimpanzees are traditionally described as ripe fruit specialists with large incisors but relatively small postcanine teeth, adhering to a somewhat narrow dietary niche. Field observations and isotopic analyses suggest that environmental conditions greatly affect habitat resource utilisation by chimpanzee populations. Here we combine measures of dietary mechanics with stable isotope signatures from eastern chimpanzees living in tropical forest (Ngogo, Uganda) and savannah woodland (Issa Valley, Tanzania). We show that foods at Issa can present a considerable mechanical challenge, most saliently in the external tissues of savannah woodland plants compared to their tropical forest equivalents. This pattern is concurrent with different isotopic signatures between sites. These findings demonstrate that chimpanzee foods in some habitats are mechanically more demanding than previously thought, elucidating the broader evolutionary constraints acting on chimpanzee dental morphology. Similarly, these data can help clarify the dietary mechanical landscape of extinct hominins often overlooked by broad C3/C4 isotopic categories.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam van Casteren
- Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Vicky M Oelze
- Anthropology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Samuel Angedakin
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ammie K Kalan
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mohamed Kambi
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christophe Boesch
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hjalmar S Kühl
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kevin E Langergraber
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change and Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
| | - Alexander K Piel
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK
| | - Fiona A Stewart
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK
| | - Kornelius Kupczik
- Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Mandibular ramus shape variation and ontogeny in Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis. J Hum Evol 2018; 121:55-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Revised: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
|
44
|
Hominin hand bone fossils from Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa (1998–2003 excavations). J Hum Evol 2018; 118:89-102. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
45
|
Ruff CB. Functional morphology in the pages of the AJPA. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 165:688-704. [PMID: 29574828 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Ruff
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Kivell TL, Rosas A, Estalrrich A, Huguet R, García-Tabernero A, Ríos L, de la Rasilla M. New Neandertal wrist bones from El Sidrón, Spain (1994-2009). J Hum Evol 2017; 114:45-75. [PMID: 29447761 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Twenty-nine carpal bones of Homo neanderthalensis have been recovered from the site of El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain) during excavations between 1994 and 2009, alongside ∼2500 other Neandertal skeletal elements dated to ∼49,000 years ago. All bones of the wrist are represented, including adult scaphoids (n = 6), lunates (n = 2), triquetra (n = 4), pisiforms (n = 2), trapezia (n = 2), trapezoids (n = 5), capitates (n = 5), and hamates (n = 2), as well as one fragmentary and possibly juvenile scaphoid. Several of these carpals appear to belong to the complete right wrist of a single individual. Here we provide qualitative and quantitative morphological descriptions of these carpals, within a comparative context of other European and Near Eastern Neandertals, early and recent Homo sapiens, and other fossil hominins, including Homo antecessor, Homo naledi, and australopiths. Overall, the El Sidrón carpals show characteristics that typically distinguish Neandertals from H. sapiens, such as a relatively flat first metacarpal facet on the trapezium and a more laterally oriented second metacarpal facet on the capitate. However, there are some distinctive features of the El Sidrón carpals compared with most other Neandertals. For example, the tubercle of the trapezium is small with limited projection, while the scaphoid tubercle and hamate hamulus are among the largest seen in other Neandertals. Furthermore, three of the six adult scaphoids show a distinctive os-centrale portion, while another is a bipartite scaphoid with a truncated tubercle. The high frequency of rare carpal morphologies supports other evidence of a close genetic relationship among the Neandertals found at El Sidrón.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tracy L Kivell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Lab, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Almudena Estalrrich
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain; Department of Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Rosa Huguet
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social-Unidad Asociada al CSIC, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Antonio García-Tabernero
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Ríos
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marco de la Rasilla
- Área de Prehistoria Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Towle I, Irish JD, De Groote I. Behavioral inferences from the high levels of dental chipping in Homo naledi. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 164:184-192. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Revised: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ian Towle
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology; School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, John Moores University; Liverpool L3 3AF United Kingdom
| | - Joel D. Irish
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology; School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, John Moores University; Liverpool L3 3AF United Kingdom
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PaleoSciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3 WITS 2050 South Africa
| | - Isabelle De Groote
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology; School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, John Moores University; Liverpool L3 3AF United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Fuss J, Spassov N, Begun DR, Böhme M. Potential hominin affinities of Graecopithecus from the Late Miocene of Europe. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177127. [PMID: 28531170 PMCID: PMC5439669 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The split of our own clade from the Panini is undocumented in the fossil record. To fill this gap we investigated the dentognathic morphology of Graecopithecus freybergi from Pyrgos Vassilissis (Greece) and cf. Graecopithecus sp. from Azmaka (Bulgaria), using new μCT and 3D reconstructions of the two known specimens. Pyrgos Vassilissis and Azmaka are currently dated to the early Messinian at 7.175 Ma and 7.24 Ma. Mainly based on its external preservation and the previously vague dating, Graecopithecus is often referred to as nomen dubium. The examination of its previously unknown dental root and pulp canal morphology confirms the taxonomic distinction from the significantly older northern Greek hominine Ouranopithecus. Furthermore, it shows features that point to a possible phylogenetic affinity with hominins. G. freybergi uniquely shares p4 partial root fusion and a possible canine root reduction with this tribe and therefore, provides intriguing evidence of what could be the oldest known hominin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jochen Fuss
- Department of Geoscience, Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen, Sigwartstr. 10, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP). Sigwartstr. 10, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nikolai Spassov
- National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1 Blvd Tzar Osvoboditel, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - David R. Begun
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Madelaine Böhme
- Department of Geoscience, Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen, Sigwartstr. 10, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP). Sigwartstr. 10, Tübingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Ungar PS, Abella EF, Burgman JHE, Lazagabaster IA, Scott JR, Delezene LK, Manthi FK, Plavcan JM, Ward CV. Dental microwear and Pliocene paleocommunity ecology of bovids, primates, rodents, and suids at Kanapoi. J Hum Evol 2017; 140:102315. [PMID: 28499698 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Revised: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Reconstructions of habitat at sites like Kanapoi are key to understanding the environmental circumstances in which hominins evolved during the early Pliocene. While Australopithecus anamensis shows evidence of terrestrial bipedality traditionally associated with a more open setting, its enamel has low δ13C values consistent with consumption of C3 foods, which predominate in wooded areas of tropical Africa. Habitat proxies, ranging from paleosols and their carbonates to associated herbivore fauna and their carbon isotope ratios, suggest a heterogeneous setting with both grass and woody plant components, though the proportions of each have been difficult to pin down. Here we bring dental microwear texture analysis of herbivorous fauna to bear on the issue. We present texture data for fossil bovids, primates, rodents, and suids (n = 107 individuals in total) from the hominin bearing deposits at Kanapoi, and interpret these in the light of closely related extant mammals with known differences in diet. The Kanapoi bovid results, for example, are similar to those for extant variable grazers or graze-browse intermediate taxa. The Kanapoi suid data vary by taxon, with one similar to the pattern of extant grazers and the other more closely resembling mixed feeders. The Kanapoi primates and rodents are more difficult to associate with a specific environment, though it seems that grass was likely a component in the diets of both. All taxa evince microwear texture patterns consistent with a mosaic of discrete microhabitats or a heterogeneous setting including both tree and grass components.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter S Ungar
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA; Environmental Dynamics Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
| | - Elicia F Abella
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Jenny H E Burgman
- Environmental Dynamics Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | | | - Jessica R Scott
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Lucas K Delezene
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Fredrick K Manthi
- Department of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - J Michael Plavcan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Carol V Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Stelzer S, Gunz P, Neubauer S, Spoor F. Hominoid arcade shape: Pattern and magnitude of covariation. J Hum Evol 2017; 107:71-85. [PMID: 28526290 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Revised: 02/24/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The shape of the dental arcade and canine size distinguish extant humans from all apes. Humans are characterized by a parabolic arcade with short postcanine tooth rows and small canines, whereas apes have long, U-shaped arcades with large canines. The evolutionary and biomechanical mechanisms underlying arcade shape differences between and within groups are not well understood. It is unclear, for example, whether evolutionary changes in the covariation among modules comprising the upper and lower jaws are the cause and/or consequence of different arcade shapes. Here we use 3D geometric morphometric methods to explore to what extent the morphological differences in arcade shape between living hominoids are related to differences in covariation of upper and lower jaws, and the premaxilla and the maxilla. We show that all extant hominoids follow a very similar covariation pattern between upper and lower dental arcades, as well as between the premaxilla and the maxilla. We find comparably high magnitudes of covariation between the premaxilla and the maxilla in all groups. Between the upper and lower jaws, levels of covariation are similar in apes (Pan, Gorilla, Pongo, and Hylobates), but overall lower in extant humans. Our results demonstrate an independence of the pattern of arcade shape covariation from dental spatial arrangements. Importantly, we show that a shared hominoid pattern of covariation between premaxilla and maxilla together with the covariation of upper and lower jaw is consistent with major evolutionary arcade shape changes in hominoids. We suggest that with the reduction of canine and diastema size in hominins, the incisors move posteriorly and the tooth row becomes more parabolic. Our study provides a framework for addressing questions about fossil hominin dentognathic diversity, including inter- and intraspecific variation and associations of upper and lower jaw morphology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Stelzer
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
| | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Simon Neubauer
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Fred Spoor
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| |
Collapse
|