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Harper CM, Patel BA. Trabecular bone variation in the gorilla calcaneus. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24939. [PMID: 38631677 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Calcaneal external shape differs among nonhuman primates relative to locomotion. Such relationships between whole-bone calcaneal trabecular structure and locomotion, however, have yet to be studied. Here we analyze calcaneal trabecular architecture in Gorilla gorilla gorilla, Gorilla beringei beringei, and G. b. graueri to investigate general trends and fine-grained differences among gorilla taxa relative to locomotion. MATERIALS AND METHODS Calcanei were micro-CT scanned. A three-dimensional geometric morphometric sliding semilandmark analysis was carried out and the final landmark configurations used to position 156 volumes of interest. Trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular spacing (Tb.Sp), and bone volume fraction (BV/TV) were calculated using the BoneJ plugin for ImageJ and MATLAB. Non-parametric MANOVAs were run to test for significant differences among taxa in parameter raw values and z-scores. Parameter distributions were visualized using color maps and summarized using principal components analysis. RESULTS There are no significant differences in raw BV/TV or Tb.Th among gorillas, however G. b. beringei significantly differs in z-scores for both parameters (p = <0.0271). All three taxa exhibit relatively lower BV/TV and Tb.Th in the posterior half of the calcaneus. This gradation is exacerbated in G. b. beringei. G. b. graueri significantly differs from other taxa in Tb.Sp z-scores (p < 0.001) indicating a different spacing distribution. DISCUSSION Relatively higher Tb.Th and BV/TV in the anterior calcaneus among gorillas likely reflects higher forces associated with body mass (transmitted through the subtalar joint) relative to forces transferred through the posterior calcaneus. The different Tb.Sp pattern in G. b. graueri may reflect proposed differences in foot positioning during locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Harper
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey, USA
| | - Biren A Patel
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Human and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Kralick AE, Canington SL, Eller AR, McGrath K. Specimens as individuals: Four interventions and recommendations for great ape skeletal collections research and curation. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:336-355. [PMID: 37750542 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Extensive discourse surrounds the ethics of human skeletal research and curation, but there has yet to be a similar discussion of the treatment of great ape skeletal remains, despite the clear interest in their ethical treatment when alive. Here we trace the history of apes who were killed and collected for natural history museums during the early 20th century and showcase how the guiding research questions of the colonial era continue to influence scholarship. We discuss best practices for improving industry and academic standards of research on, and the curation of, ape remains. The suggested interventions involve restoring individual identity and narrative to great apes while engaging with contextual reflexivity and decolonial theory. The resulting recommendations include contextualizing the individual, piecing individuals back together, challenging/questioning the captive-wild dichotomy, and collaborative international conversations. Our objective is to encourage a conversation regarding ethical and theoretical considerations in great ape skeletal remains research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra E Kralick
- Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Stephanie L Canington
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrea R Eller
- Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Kate McGrath
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Oneonta, Oneonta, New York, USA
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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Ruff CB, Junno JA, Burgess ML, Canington SL, Harper C, Mudakikwa A, McFarlin SC. Body proportions and environmental adaptation in gorillas. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 177:501-529. [PMID: 36787793 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Limb length and trunk proportions are determined in a large, taxonomically and environmentally diverse sample of gorillas and related to variation in locomotion, climate, altitude, and diet. MATERIALS AND METHODS The sample includes 299 gorilla skeletons, 115 of which are infants and juveniles, distributed between western lowland (G. gorilla gorilla), low and high elevation grauer (G. beringei graueri), and Virunga mountain gorillas (G. b. beringei). Limb bone and vertebral column lengths scaled to body mass are compared between subgroups by age group. RESULTS All G. beringei have relatively short 3rd metapodials and manual proximal phalanges compared to G. gorilla, and this difference is apparent in infancy. All G. beringei also have shortened total limb lengths relative to either body mass or vertebral column length, although patterns of variation in individual skeletal elements are more complex, and infants do not display the same patterns as adults. Mountain gorillas have relatively long clavicles, present in infancy, and a relatively long thoracic (but not lumbosacral) vertebral column. DISCUSSION A variety of environmental factors likely contributed to observed patterns of morphological variation among extant gorillas. We interpret the short hand and foot bones of all G. beringei as genetic adaptations to greater terrestriality in the last common ancestor of G. beringei; variation in other limb lengths to climatic adaptation, both genetic and developmental; and the larger thorax of G. b. beringei to adaptation to reduced oxygen pressure at high altitudes, again as a product of both genetic differences and environmental influences during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Ruff
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - M Loring Burgess
- Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Stephanie L Canington
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Christine Harper
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey, USA
| | - Antoine Mudakikwa
- Rwanda Development Board, Department of Tourism and Conservation, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Shannon C McFarlin
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,Human Origins Program, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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Arias-Martorell J, Zeininger A, Kivell TL. Trabecular structure of the elbow reveals divergence in knuckle-walking biomechanical strategies of African apes. Evolution 2021; 75:2959-2971. [PMID: 34570906 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14354] [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] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
African apes engage in a distinct form of locomotion called knuckle-walking, but there is much ambiguity as to when and how this locomotor behavior evolved. This study aims to elucidate potential differences in knuckle-walking elbow posture and loading in African apes through the study of trabecular bone. Using a whole-epiphysis approach, we quantified variation in the trabecular structure of the distal humerus of chimpanzees, western lowland gorillas, and mountain gorillas in comparison to orang-utans, siamangs, and a sample of Old and New World monkeys. Results demonstrate differences in the distribution of trabecular bone within the distal humerus that are consistent across taxa that habitually use a flexed-elbow posture in comparison to those that use an extended elbow during locomotion. Western lowland gorillas show an extended-elbow pattern consistent with the straight forelimb position during knuckle-walking, whereas chimpanzees show a flexed-elbow pattern. Unexpectedly, mountain gorillas show an intermediate pattern between their western counterparts and chimpanzees. The differences found in elbow joint posture between chimpanzees and gorillas, and between gorilla species, point to diversification in the knuckle-walking biomechanical strategies among African apes, which has implications in the debate regarding the locomotor behavior from which human bipedalism arose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Arias-Martorell
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Edifici ICTA-ICP, Carrer Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.,Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Laboratory, School of Anthropology and Conservation, Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Angel Zeininger
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Laboratory, School of Anthropology and Conservation, Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Harper CM, Ruff CB, Sylvester AD. Gorilla calcaneal morphological variation and ecological divergence. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 174:49-65. [PMID: 32871028 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The primate foot has been extensively investigated because of its role in weight-bearing; however, the calcaneus has been relatively understudied. Here we examine entire gorilla calcaneal external shape to understand its relationship with locomotor behavior. MATERIALS AND METHODS Calcanei of Gorilla gorilla gorilla (n = 43), Gorilla beringei graueri (n = 20), and Gorilla beringei beringei (n = 15) were surface or micro-CT scanned. External shape was analyzed through a three-dimensional geometric morphometric sliding semilandmark analysis. Semilandmarks were slid relative to an updated Procrustes average in order to minimize the bending energy of the thin plate spline interpolation function. Shape variation was summarized using principal components analysis of shape coordinates. Procrustes distances between taxa averages were calculated and resampling statistics run to test pairwise differences. Linear measures were collected and regressed against estimated body mass. RESULTS All three taxa exhibit statistically different morphologies (p < .001 for pairwise comparisons). G. g. gorilla demonstrates an anteroposteriorly elongated calcaneus with a deeper cuboid pivot region and mediolaterally flatter posterior talar facet. G. b. beringei possesses the flattest cuboid and most medially-angled posterior talar facets. G. b. graueri demonstrates intermediate articular facet morphology, a medially-angled tuberosity, and an elongated peroneal trochlea. DISCUSSION Articular facet differences separate gorillas along a locomotor gradient. G. g. gorilla is adapted for arboreality with greater joint mobility, while G. b. beringei is adapted for more stereotypical loads associated with terrestriality. G. b. graueri's unique posterolateral morphology may be due to a secondary transition to greater arboreality from a more terrestrial ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Harper
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Christopher B Ruff
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Adam D Sylvester
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Fatica LM, Almécija S, McFarlin SC, Hammond AS. Pelvic shape variation among gorilla subspecies: Phylogenetic and ecological signals. J Hum Evol 2019; 137:102684. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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McRae R, Aronsen GP. Inventory and Assessment of theGorilla gorilla(Savage, 1847) Skeletal Collection Housed at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. BULLETIN OF THE PEABODY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2018. [DOI: 10.3374/014.059.0205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan McRae
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven CT 06520-8277 USA
| | - Gary P. Aronsen
- Biological Anthropology Laboratories, Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven CT 06520-8277 USA
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Ruff CB, Burgess ML, Junno J, Mudakikwa A, Zollikofer CPE, Ponce de León MS, McFarlin SC. Phylogenetic and environmental effects on limb bone structure in gorillas. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 166:353-372. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B. Ruff
- Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineCenter for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, 1830 E. Monument StBaltimore Maryland 21205
| | - M. Loring Burgess
- Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineCenter for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, 1830 E. Monument StBaltimore Maryland 21205
| | | | - Antoine Mudakikwa
- Department of Tourism and ConservationRwanda Development BoardKigali Rwanda
| | | | | | - Shannon C. McFarlin
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human PaleobiologyThe George Washington UniversityWashington DC
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