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Davies TW, Gunz P, Spoor F, Alemseged Z, Gidna A, Hublin JJ, Kimbel WH, Kullmer O, Plummer WP, Zanolli C, Skinner MM. Dental morphology in Homo habilis and its implications for the evolution of early Homo. Nat Commun 2024; 15:286. [PMID: 38177110 PMCID: PMC10767101 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44375-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The phylogenetic position of Homo habilis is central to debates over the origin and early evolution of the genus Homo. A large portion of the species hypodigm consists of dental remains, but they have only been studied at the often worn enamel surface. We investigate the morphology of the H. habilis enamel-dentine junction (EDJ), which is preserved in cases of moderate tooth wear and known to carry a strong taxonomic signal. Geometric morphometrics is used to characterise dentine crown shape and size across the entire mandibular and maxillary tooth rows, compared with a broad comparative sample (n = 712). We find that EDJ morphology in H. habilis is for the most part remarkably primitive, supporting the hypothesis that the H. habilis hypodigm has more in common with Australopithecus than later Homo. Additionally, the chronologically younger specimen OH 16 displays a suite of derived features; its inclusion in H. habilis leads to excessive levels of variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W Davies
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
| | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fred Spoor
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Zeresenay Alemseged
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Agness Gidna
- Department of Cultural Heritage, Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, P. O. Box 1, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Collège de France, Paris, France
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - William H Kimbel
- Institute of Human Origins, and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Ottmar Kullmer
- Palaeobiology and Environment workgroup, Institute of Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - William P Plummer
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33600, Pessac, France
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Gautney JR. A new approach to exploratory data analysis in hominin phylogenetic reconstruction. J Hum Evol 2023; 182:103412. [PMID: 37499423 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103412] [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: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The phylogenetic relationships between fossil hominin taxa have been a contentious topic for decades. Recent discoveries of new taxa, rather than resolving the issue, have only further confused it. Compounding this problem are the limitations of some of the tools frequently used by paleoanthropologists to analyze these relationships. Most commonly, phylogenetic questions are investigated using analytical methods such as maximum parsimony and Bayesian analysis. While these are useful analytical tools, these tree-building methods can have limitations when investigating taxa that may have complex evolutionary histories. Exploratory data analysis can provide information about patterns in a dataset that are obscured by tree-based methods. These patterns include phylogenetic signal conflict, which is not depicted in tree-based methods. Signal conflict can have a number of sources, including methodological issues with character choice, taxonomic issues, homoplasy, and gene flow between taxa. In this study, an exploratory data analysis of fossil hominin morphological data is conducted using the tree-based analytical method neighbor-joining and the network-based analytical method neighbor-net with the goal of visualizing phylogenetic signal conflict within a hominin morphological data set. The data set is divided into cranial regions, and each cranial region is analyzed individually to investigate which regions of the skull contain the highest levels of signal conflict. Results of this analysis show that conflicting phylogenetic signals are present in the hominin fossil record during the relatively speciose period between 3 and 1 Ma, and they also indicate that levels of signal conflict vary by cranial region. Possible sources of these conflicting signals are then explored. Exploratory data analyses such as this can be a useful tool in generating phylogenetic hypotheses and in refining character choice. This study also highlights the value network-based approaches can bring to the hominin phylogenetic analysis toolkit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna R Gautney
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Weber State University, 1299 Edvalson St., Ogden, UT, USA.
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Eliason CM, Cooper JC, Hackett SJ, Zahnle E, Pequeño Saco TZ, Maddox JD, Hains T, Hauber ME, Bates JM. Interspecific hybridization explains rapid gorget colour divergence in Heliodoxa hummingbirds (Aves: Trochilidae). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221603. [PMID: 36866078 PMCID: PMC9974296 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Hybridization is a known source of morphological, functional and communicative signal novelty in many organisms. Although diverse mechanisms of established novel ornamentation have been identified in natural populations, we lack an understanding of hybridization effects across levels of biological scales and upon phylogenies. Hummingbirds display diverse structural colours resulting from coherent light scattering by feather nanostructures. Given the complex relationship between feather nanostructures and the colours they produce, intermediate coloration does not necessarily imply intermediate nanostructures. Here, we characterize nanostructural, ecological and genetic inputs in a distinctive Heliodoxa hummingbird from the foothills of eastern Peru. Genetically, this individual is closely allied with Heliodoxa branickii and Heliodoxa gularis, but it is not identical to either when nuclear data are assessed. Elevated interspecific heterozygosity further suggests it is a hybrid backcross to H. branickii. Electron microscopy and spectrophotometry of this unique individual reveal key nanostructural differences underlying its distinct gorget colour, confirmed by optical modelling. Phylogenetic comparative analysis suggests that the observed gorget coloration divergence from both parentals to this individual would take 6.6-10 My to evolve at the current rate within a single hummingbird lineage. These results emphasize the mosaic nature of hybridization and suggest that hybridization may contribute to the structural colour diversity found across hummingbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad M. Eliason
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
- Grainger Bioinformatics Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Jacob C. Cooper
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66044, USA
- Directora de Monitoreo y Evaluacion de Recursos Naturales del Territorio, Plataforma digital única del Estado Peruano, Iquitos, Perú
| | - Shannon J. Hackett
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
- Pritzker Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Evolution, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Erica Zahnle
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66044, USA
| | - Tatiana Z. Pequeño Saco
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Bioenergética, Universidad Científica del Perú, Iquitos, Perú
| | - Joseph Dylan Maddox
- Pritzker Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Evolution, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Bioenergética, Universidad Científica del Perú, Iquitos, Perú
| | - Taylor Hains
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
- Pritzker Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Evolution, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Mark E. Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behaviour, School at Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - John M. Bates
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
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Caparros M, Prat S. Protocol combining tree-based Maximum Parsimony and web-like Phylogenetic Networks analyses to investigate reticulate human evolution. STAR Protoc 2022; 3:101191. [PMID: 35308130 PMCID: PMC8931433 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Our protocol combines Maximum Parsimony and Phylogenetic Networks approaches to understand the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary processes of hominin species that might have shared inheritance from multiple ancestors. By addressing the questions of pattern and process in human phylogeny, the protocol can be used to clarify the taxonomic definition(s) of diverse hominin groups and ascertain whether or not the mode of evolution of genus Homo is reticulate. Using high quality and informative phenotypic data sets is necessary to yield meaningful results. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Caparros and Prat (2021).
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Caparros
- UMR 7194 "Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique" CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Alliance Sorbonne Université, Musée de l’Homme, Palais de Chaillot, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75116 Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Prat
- UMR 7194 "Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique" CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Alliance Sorbonne Université, Musée de l’Homme, Palais de Chaillot, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75116 Paris, France
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