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Kemp AD. Effects of binocular cue availability on leaping performance in Cheirogaleus medius: implications for primate origins. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb245434. [PMID: 38348492 PMCID: PMC10918687 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245434] [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: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Multiple competing hypotheses attribute the evolution of the suite of traits that distinguish primates from their closest relatives, including forward-facing eyes, which create a wide field of binocular vision, to specific behavioral and ecological factors. The grasp-leaping hypothesis suggests that the evolution of these traits in basal primates was driven by the demands of a form of leaping locomotion unique to primates. Whether the grasp-leaping hypothesis provides a viable mechanism for the evolution of primates' forward-facing eyes remains untested. To determine whether grasp-leaping locomotion may have contributed to driving the evolution of primates' forward-facing eyes, the importance of vision within the binocular field for this type of leaping was evaluated experimentally in Cheirogaleus medius, one of the cheirogaleid primate species considered reasonable living analogs of the earliest primates. Availability of binocular visual cues was experimentally restricted using a head-mounted blinder that narrowed the binocular visual field without altering the total visual field. Animals altered their launch behavior, reduced their horizontal leap speed, and were significantly more likely to select paths that offered the shortest available leaps when their binocular field was restricted. Restriction of binocular cue availability also significantly increased the probability of adverse landings even when statistically controlling for potentially confounding variables such as leap distance, horizontal leap speed, learning effects, etc. These results suggest a functional mechanism by which selection for improved grasp-leaping could also have contributed to the evolution of forward-facing eyes in the earliest crown primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Addison D. Kemp
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
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2
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Monclús-Gonzalo O, Alba DM, Duhamel A, Fabre AC, Marigó J. Early euprimates already had a diverse locomotor repertoire: Evidence from ankle bone morphology. J Hum Evol 2023; 181:103395. [PMID: 37320961 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103395] [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: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The morphological adaptations of euprimates have been linked to their origin and early evolution in an arboreal environment. However, the ancestral and early locomotor repertoire of this group remains contentious. Although some tarsal bones like the astragalus and the calcaneus have been thoroughly studied, the navicular remains poorly studied despite its potential implications for foot mobility. Here, we evaluate early euprimate locomotion by assessing the shape of the navicular-an important component of the midtarsal region of the foot-using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics in relation to quantified locomotor repertoire in a wide data set of extant primates. We also reconstruct the locomotor repertoire of representatives of the major early primate lineages with a novel phylogenetically informed discriminant analysis and characterize the changes that occurred in the navicular during the archaic primate-euprimate transition. To do so, we included in our study an extensive sample of naviculars (36 specimens) belonging to different species of adapiforms, omomyiforms, and plesiadapiforms. Our results indicate that navicular shape embeds a strong functional signal, allowing us to infer the type of locomotion of extinct primates. We demonstrate that early euprimates displayed a diverse locomotor behavior, although they did not reach the level of specialization of some living forms. Finally, we show that the navicular bone experienced substantial reorganization throughout the archaic primate-euprimate transition, supporting the major functional role of the tarsus during early primate evolution. This study demonstrates that navicular shape can be used as a reliable proxy for primate locomotor behavior. In addition, it sheds light on the diverse locomotor behavior of early primates as well as on the archaic primate-euprimate transition, which involved profound morphological changes within the tarsus, including the navicular bone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriol Monclús-Gonzalo
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anaïs Duhamel
- University of Lyon, ENSL, CNRS, LGL-TPE, Villeurbanne 69622, France
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, 3005 Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Life Sciences Department, Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK.
| | - Judit Marigó
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Departament de Geologia, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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3
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Schottenstein NH, Hubbe M, Hunter J. Modules and Mosaics in the Evolution of the Tetonius – Pseudotetonius Dentition. J MAMM EVOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-019-09488-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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4
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New fossils, systematics, and biogeography of the oldest known crown primate Teilhardina from the earliest Eocene of Asia, Europe, and North America. J Hum Evol 2019; 128:103-131. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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5
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Kay RF. 100 years of primate paleontology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 165:652-676. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard F. Kay
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology and Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences; Duke University; Durham North Carolina 27708
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6
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Dagosto M, Gebo D, Ni X, Smith T. Estimating body size in early primates: The case of Archicebus and Teilhardina. J Hum Evol 2018; 115:8-19. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Revised: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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7
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Femenias-Gual J, Marigó J, Minwer-Barakat R, Moyà-Solà S. New dental and postcranial material of Agerinia smithorum (Primates, Adapiformes) from the type locality Casa Retjo-1 (early Eocene, Iberian Peninsula). J Hum Evol 2017; 113:127-136. [PMID: 29054163 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Revised: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/10/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
New material attributed to Agerinia smithorum from Casa Retjo-1 (early Eocene, NE Iberian Peninsula), consisting of 13 isolated teeth and a fragment of calcaneus, is studied in this work. These fossils allow the first description of the calcaneus and the upper premolars for the genus Agerinia, as well as the first description of the P2 and M2 for A. smithorum. The newly recovered lower teeth are virtually identical to the holotype of A. smithorum and are clearly distinguishable from the other species of Agerinia. The upper teeth also show clear differences with Agerinia marandati. The morphology of the calcaneal remains reveals that A. smithorum practiced a moderately active arboreal quadrupedal mode of locomotion, showing less leaping proclivity than notharctines but more than asiadapids. All the morphological features observed in the described material reinforce the hypothesis of a single lineage consisting of the species A. smithorum, A. marandati, and Agerinia roselli. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis developed in this work, which incorporates the newly described remains of A. smithorum, maintains the position of Agerinia as closely related to sivaladapids and asiadapids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan Femenias-Gual
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Judit Marigó
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Centre de Recherches sur La Paléobiodiversité et Les Paléoenvironnements (CR2P, UMR 7207), Sorbonne Universités - MNHN, CNRS, UMPC-Paris 6, 57 Rue Cuvier, CP38, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Raef Minwer-Barakat
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Unit of Anthropology, BABVE Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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8
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Femenias-Gual J, Minwer-Barakat R, Marigó J, Poyatos-Moré M, Moyà-Solà S. Agerinia marandati sp. nov., a new early Eocene primate from the Iberian Peninsula, sheds new light on the evolution of the genus Agerinia. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3239. [PMID: 28462042 PMCID: PMC5410143 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Eocene was the warmest epoch of the Cenozoic and recorded the appearance of several orders of modern mammals, including the first occurrence of Euprimates. During the Eocene, Euprimates were mainly represented by two groups, adapiforms and omomyiforms, which reached great abundance and diversity in the Northern Hemisphere. Despite this relative abundance, the record of early Eocene primates from the European continent is still scarce and poorly known, preventing the observation of clear morphological trends in the evolution of the group and the establishment of phylogenetic relationships among different lineages. However, knowledge about the early Eocene primates from the Iberian Peninsula has been recently increased through the description of new material of the genus Agerinia from several fossil sites from Northeastern Spain. METHODS Here we present the first detailed study of the euprimate material from the locality of Masia de l'Hereuet (early Eocene, NE Spain). The described remains consist of one fragment of mandible and 15 isolated teeth. This work provides detailed descriptions, accurate measurements, high-resolution figures and thorough comparisons with other species of Agerinia as well with other Eurasian notharctids. Furthermore, the position of the different species of Agerinia has been tested with two phylogenetic analyses. RESULTS The new material from Masia de l'Hereuet shows several traits that were previously unknown for the genus Agerinia, such as the morphology of the upper and lower fourth deciduous premolars and the P2, and the unfused mandible. Moreover, this material clearly differs from the other described species of Agerinia, A. roselli and A. smithorum, thus allowing the erection of the new species Agerinia marandati. The phylogenetic analyses place the three species of Agerinia in a single clade, in which A. smithorum is the most primitive species of this genus. DISCUSSION The morphology of the upper molars reinforces the distinction of Agerinia from other notharctids like Periconodon. The analysis of the three described species of the genus, A. smithorum, A. marandati and A. roselli, reveals a progressive change in several morphological traits such as the number of roots and the position of the P1 and P2, the molarization of the P4, the reduction of the paraconid on the lower molars and the displacement of the mental foramina. These gradual modifications allow for the interpretation that these three species, described from the early Eocene of the Iberian Peninsula, are part of a single evolutionary lineage. The stratigraphical position of Masia de l'Hereuet and Casa Retjo-1 (type locality of A. smithorum) and the phylogenetic analyses developed in this work support this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan Femenias-Gual
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raef Minwer-Barakat
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Judit Marigó
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Centre de Recherches sur la Paléobiodiversité et les Paléoenvironnements (CR2P, UMR 7207), Sorbonne Universités –MNHN, CNRS, UMPC-Paris6–, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Miquel Poyatos-Moré
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Sem Sælands vei 1, Oslo, Norway
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Unit of Anthropology, BABVE Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Yapuncich GS, Seiffert ER, Boyer DM. Quantification of the position and depth of the flexor hallucis longus groove in euarchontans, with implications for the evolution of primate positional behavior. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 163:367-406. [PMID: 28345775 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Revised: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE On the talus, the position and depth of the groove for the flexor hallucis longus tendon have been used to infer phylogenetic affinities and positional behaviors of fossil primates. This study quantifies aspects of the flexor hallucis longus groove (FHLG) to test if: (1) a lateral FHLG is a derived strepsirrhine feature, (2) a lateral FHLG reflects inverted and abducted foot postures, and (3) a deeper FHLG indicates a larger muscle. METHODS We used linear measurements of microCT-generated models from a sample of euarchontans (n = 378 specimens, 125 species) to quantify FHLG position and depth. Data are analyzed with ANOVA, Ordinary and Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares, and Bayesian Ancestral State Reconstruction (ASR). RESULTS Extant strepsirrhines, adapiforms, plesiadapiforms, dermopterans, and Ptilocercus exhibit lateral FHLGs. Extant anthropoids, subfossil lemurs, and Tupaia have medial FHLGs. FHLGs of omomyiforms and basal fossil anthropoids are intermediate between those of strepsirrhines and extant anthropoids. FHLG position has few correlations with pedal inversion features. Relative FHLG depth is not significantly correlated with body mass. ASRs support a directional model for FHLG position and a random walk model for FHLG depth. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of lateral FHLGs in many non-euprimates suggests a lateral FHLG is not a derived strepsirrhine feature. The lack of correlations with pedal inversion features suggests a lateral FHLG is not a sufficient indicator of strepsirrhine-like foot postures. Instead, a lateral FHLG may reduce the risk of tendon displacement in abducted foot postures on large diameter supports. A deep FHLG does not indicate a larger muscle, but likely reduces bowstringing during plantarflexion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel S Yapuncich
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Erik R Seiffert
- Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Doug M Boyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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10
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Samuels ME, Regnault S, Hutchinson JR. Evolution of the patellar sesamoid bone in mammals. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3103. [PMID: 28344905 PMCID: PMC5363259 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The patella is a sesamoid bone located in the major extensor tendon of the knee joint, in the hindlimb of many tetrapods. Although numerous aspects of knee morphology are ancient and conserved among most tetrapods, the evolutionary occurrence of an ossified patella is highly variable. Among extant (crown clade) groups it is found in most birds, most lizards, the monotreme mammals and almost all placental mammals, but it is absent in most marsupial mammals as well as many reptiles. Here, we integrate data from the literature and first-hand studies of fossil and recent skeletal remains to reconstruct the evolution of the mammalian patella. We infer that bony patellae most likely evolved between four and six times in crown group Mammalia: in monotremes, in the extinct multituberculates, in one or more stem-mammal genera outside of therian or eutherian mammals and up to three times in therian mammals. Furthermore, an ossified patella was lost several times in mammals, not including those with absent hindlimbs: once or more in marsupials (with some re-acquisition) and at least once in bats. Our inferences about patellar evolution in mammals are reciprocally informed by the existence of several human genetic conditions in which the patella is either absent or severely reduced. Clearly, development of the patella is under close genomic control, although its responsiveness to its mechanical environment is also important (and perhaps variable among taxa). Where a bony patella is present it plays an important role in hindlimb function, especially in resisting gravity by providing an enhanced lever system for the knee joint. Yet the evolutionary origins, persistence and modifications of a patella in diverse groups with widely varying habits and habitats-from digging to running to aquatic, small or large body sizes, bipeds or quadrupeds-remain complex and perplexing, impeding a conclusive synthesis of form, function, development and genetics across mammalian evolution. This meta-analysis takes an initial step toward such a synthesis by collating available data and elucidating areas of promising future inquiry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E. Samuels
- Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHU Ste-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sophie Regnault
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Structure and Motion Laboratory, The Royal Veterinary College, London Hertfordshire, UK
| | - John R. Hutchinson
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Structure and Motion Laboratory, The Royal Veterinary College, London Hertfordshire, UK
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11
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New euprimate postcrania from the early Eocene of Gujarat, India, and the strepsirrhine–haplorhine divergence. J Hum Evol 2016; 99:25-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Revised: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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12
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Bloch JI, Chester SG, Silcox MT. Cranial anatomy of Paleogene Micromomyidae and implications for early primate evolution. J Hum Evol 2016; 96:58-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Revised: 04/04/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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13
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Soligo C, Smaers JB. Contextualising primate origins--an ecomorphological framework. J Anat 2016; 228:608-29. [PMID: 26830706 PMCID: PMC4804135 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecomorphology - the characterisation of the adaptive relationship between an organism's morphology and its ecological role - has long been central to theories of the origin and early evolution of the primate order. This is exemplified by two of the most influential theories of primate origins: Matt Cartmill's Visual Predation Hypothesis, and Bob Sussman's Angiosperm Co-Evolution Hypothesis. However, the study of primate origins is constrained by the absence of data directly documenting the events under investigation, and has to rely instead on a fragmentary fossil record and the methodological assumptions inherent in phylogenetic comparative analyses of extant species. These constraints introduce particular challenges for inferring the ecomorphology of primate origins, as morphology and environmental context must first be inferred before the relationship between the two can be considered. Fossils can be integrated in comparative analyses and observations of extant model species and laboratory experiments of form-function relationships are critical for the functional interpretation of the morphology of extinct species. Recent developments have led to important advancements, including phylogenetic comparative methods based on more realistic models of evolution, and improved methods for the inference of clade divergence times, as well as an improved fossil record. This contribution will review current perspectives on the origin and early evolution of primates, paying particular attention to their phylogenetic (including cladistic relationships and character evolution) and environmental (including chronology, geography, and physical environments) contextualisation, before attempting an up-to-date ecomorphological synthesis of primate origins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeroen B Smaers
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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14
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Yapuncich GS, Gladman JT, Boyer DM. Predicting euarchontan body mass: A comparison of tarsal and dental variables. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2015; 157:472-506. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2014] [Revised: 01/14/2015] [Accepted: 02/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Justin T. Gladman
- The Graduate Center; City University of New York; New York NY 10016
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP); New York NY 10028
| | - Doug M. Boyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology; Duke University; Durham NC 27708
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP); New York NY 10028
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15
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Gebo DL, Smith R, Dagosto M, Smith T. Additional postcranial elements of Teilhardina belgica: the oldest European primate. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 156:388-406. [PMID: 25388600 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Teilhardina belgica is one of the earliest fossil primates ever recovered and the oldest fossil primate from Europe. As such, this taxon has often been hypothesized as a basal tarsiiform on the basis of its primitive dental formula with four premolars and a simplified molar cusp pattern. Until recently [see Rose et al.: Am J Phys Anthropol 146 (2011) 281-305; Gebo et al.: J Hum Evol 63 (2012) 205-218], little was known concerning its postcranial anatomy with the exception of its well-known tarsals. In this article, we describe additional postcranial elements for T. belgica and compare these with other tarsiiforms and with primitive adapiforms. The forelimb of T. belgica indicates an arboreal primate with prominent forearm musculature, good elbow rotational mobility, and a horizontal, rather than a vertical body posture. The lateral hand positions imply grasps adaptive for relatively large diameter supports given its small body size. The hand is long with very long fingers, especially the middle phalanges. The hindlimb indicates foot inversion capabilities, frequent leaping, arboreal quadrupedalism, climbing, and grasping. The long and well-muscled hallux can be coupled with long lateral phalanges to reconstruct a foot with long grasping digits. Our phyletic analysis indicates that we can identify several postcranial characteristics shared in common for stem primates as well as note several derived postcranial characters for Tarsiiformes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Gebo
- Department of Anthropology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115
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16
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Boyer DM, Seiffert ER, Gladman JT, Bloch JI. Evolution and allometry of calcaneal elongation in living and extinct primates. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67792. [PMID: 23844094 PMCID: PMC3701013 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 05/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Specialized acrobatic leaping has been recognized as a key adaptive trait tied to the origin and subsequent radiation of euprimates based on its observed frequency in extant primates and inferred frequency in extinct early euprimates. Hypothesized skeletal correlates include elongated tarsal elements, which would be expected to aid leaping by allowing for increased rates and durations of propulsive acceleration at takeoff. Alternatively, authors of a recent study argued that pronounced distal calcaneal elongation of euprimates (compared to other mammalian taxa) was related primarily to specialized pedal grasping. Testing for correlations between calcaneal elongation and leaping versus grasping is complicated by body size differences and associated allometric affects. We re-assess allometric constraints on, and the functional significance of, calcaneal elongation using phylogenetic comparative methods, and present an evolutionary hypothesis for the evolution of calcaneal elongation in primates using a Bayesian approach to ancestral state reconstruction (ASR). Results show that among all primates, logged ratios of distal calcaneal length to total calcaneal length are inversely correlated with logged body mass proxies derived from the area of the calcaneal facet for the cuboid. Results from phylogenetic ANOVA on residuals from this allometric line suggest that deviations are explained by degree of leaping specialization in prosimians, but not anthropoids. Results from ASR suggest that non-allometric increases in calcaneal elongation began in the primate stem lineage and continued independently in haplorhines and strepsirrhines. Anthropoid and lorisid lineages show stasis and decreasing elongation, respectively. Initial increases in calcaneal elongation in primate evolution may be related to either development of hallucal-grasping or a combination of grasping and more specialized leaping behaviors. As has been previously suggested, subsequent increases in calcaneal elongation are likely adaptations for more effective acrobatic leaping, highlighting the importance of this behavior in early euprimate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doug M Boyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America.
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17
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Ni X, Gebo DL, Dagosto M, Meng J, Tafforeau P, Flynn JJ, Beard KC. The oldest known primate skeleton and early haplorhine evolution. Nature 2013; 498:60-4. [PMID: 23739424 DOI: 10.1038/nature12200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 04/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Reconstructing the earliest phases of primate evolution has been impeded by gaps in the fossil record, so that disagreements persist regarding the palaeobiology and phylogenetic relationships of the earliest primates. Here we report the discovery of a nearly complete and partly articulated skeleton of a primitive haplorhine primate from the early Eocene of China, about 55 million years ago, the oldest fossil primate of this quality ever recovered. Coupled with detailed morphological examination using propagation phase contrast X-ray synchrotron microtomography, our phylogenetic analysis based on total available evidence indicates that this fossil is the most basal known member of the tarsiiform clade. In addition to providing further support for an early dichotomy between the strepsirrhine and haplorhine clades, this new primate further constrains the age of divergence between tarsiiforms and anthropoids. It also strengthens the hypothesis that the earliest primates were probably diurnal, arboreal and primarily insectivorous mammals the size of modern pygmy mouse lemurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xijun Ni
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xi Zhi Men Wai Street, Beijing 100044, China.
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Boyer DM, Seiffert ER. Patterns of astragalar fibular facet orientation in extant and fossil primates and their evolutionary implications. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 151:420-47. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2013] [Accepted: 03/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Doug M. Boyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology; Duke University; Durham; NC; 27708
| | - Erik R. Seiffert
- Department of Anatomical Sciences; Stony Brook University, Health Sciences Center T-8; Stony Brook; NY; 11794-8081
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