1
|
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
|
2
|
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
|
3
|
Bobe R, Braun DR, Behrensmeyer AK, Harris JWK. Introduction: Hominin paleobiology in the early Pleistocene Okote Member, Koobi Fora Formation, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2020; 145:102811. [PMID: 32464366 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102811] [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]
Affiliation(s)
- René Bobe
- Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique; Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, School of Anthropology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Interdisciplinary Centre for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour (ICArEHB), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
| | - David R Braun
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Anna K Behrensmeyer
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - John W K Harris
- National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya; Department of History and Archaeology, University of Nairobi, Kenya
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Richmond B, Green D, Lague M, Chirchir H, Behrensmeyer A, Bobe R, Bamford M, Griffin N, Gunz P, Mbua E, Merritt S, Pobiner B, Kiura P, Kibunjia M, Harris J, Braun D. The upper limb of Paranthropus boisei from Ileret, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2020; 141:102727. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2017] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
5
|
Abstract
Here we present evidence of hominin locomotor behavior from the trabecular bone of the femur. We show evidence for habitual use of highly flexed hip postures, which could potentially indicate regular climbing in a South African hominin from Sterkfontein, which is either Paranthropus robustus or Homo. Second, we present evidence that Australopithecus africanus likely did not climb at the frequencies seen in extant nonhuman apes, and exhibits a modern, human-like pattern of loading at the hip joint. These results challenge the prevailing view of a single transition to bipedalism within the hominin clade by providing evidence of climbing in a more recent, non-Australopithecus South African hominin, and add to the increasing evidence for locomotor diversity in the hominin clade. Bipedalism is a defining trait of the hominin lineage, associated with a transition from a more arboreal to a more terrestrial environment. While there is debate about when modern human-like bipedalism first appeared in hominins, all known South African hominins show morphological adaptations to bipedalism, suggesting that this was their predominant mode of locomotion. Here we present evidence that hominins preserved in the Sterkfontein Caves practiced two different locomotor repertoires. The trabecular structure of a proximal femur (StW 522) attributed to Australopithecus africanus exhibits a modern human-like bipedal locomotor pattern, while that of a geologically younger specimen (StW 311) attributed to either Homo sp. or Paranthropus robustus exhibits a pattern more similar to nonhuman apes, potentially suggesting regular bouts of both climbing and terrestrial bipedalism. Our results demonstrate distinct morphological differences, linked to behavioral differences between Australopithecus and later hominins in South Africa and contribute to the increasing evidence of locomotor diversity within the hominin clade.
Collapse
|
6
|
Bermúdez de Castro JM, Martínez de Pinillos M, López-Polín L, Martín-Francés L, García-Campos C, Modesto-Mata M, Rosell J, Martinón-Torres M. A descriptive and comparative study of two Early Pleistocene immature scapulae from the TD6.2 level of the Gran Dolina cave site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain). J Hum Evol 2020; 139:102689. [PMID: 31902740 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102689] [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] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Here we present the descriptive and comparative study of two immature scapulae recovered from the TD6.2 level of the Gran Dolina cave site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain) and assigned to Homo antecessor. This is the first time that data on the morphology and dimensions of the scapulae of a European late Early Pleistocene hominin population are provided. Considering the state of development and the linear dimensions, the scapula ATD6-116 could belong to a child of about 2-4 years. The morphology of ATD6-116 clearly departs from that of the Australopithecus afarensis juvenile specimen DIK-1-1, pointing to functional differences in locomotor behavior between Australopithecus and the late Early Pleistocene hominins. The immature scapula ATD6-118 belonged to an immature individual with a development of the scapula equivalent to that of adolescents of recent human populations. The scapulae ATD6-118 and KNM-WT 15000 present a similar state of development. Although the scapula KNM-WT 15000 is clearly larger than ATD6-118, these two specimens share some characteristics such as their relative narrowness and the value of the axilloglenoid and spinoglenoid angles. The glenoid fossa of ATD6-116 show a lateral orientation, whereas in ATD6-118 the glenoid fossa is slightly cranially oriented, but still within the range of variation of modern humans. The glenoid index of both ATD6-116 and ATD6-118 is low in accordance to the values usually observed in other early hominins, thus showing the primitive condition for this feature. Both scapulae show a ventrally placed axillary sulcus. The presence of this primitive feature in ATD-116 confirms that the shape of the axillary border has a genetic basis and it is not related to physical activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain; Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London WC1 H 0BW, UK.
| | - Marina Martínez de Pinillos
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain.
| | - Lucía López-Polín
- IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Unit Associated to CSIC, C/Marcel.lí Domingo s/n-Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
| | - Laura Martín-Francés
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33615 Pessac Cedex, France; Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain.
| | - Cecilia García-Campos
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain.
| | - Mario Modesto-Mata
- Equipo Primeros Pobladores de Extremadura, Casa de la Cultura Rodríguez Moñino, Avda. Cervantes s/n., 10003 Cáceres, Spain.
| | - Jordi Rosell
- Área de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain; IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Unit Associated to CSIC, C/Marcel.lí Domingo s/n-Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain; Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London WC1 H 0BW, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Komza K, Skinner MM. First metatarsal trabecular bone structure in extant hominoids and Swartkrans hominins. J Hum Evol 2019; 131:1-21. [PMID: 31182196 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.03.003] [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: 07/21/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Changes in first metatarsal (MT1) morphology within the hominin clade are crucial for reconstructing the evolution of a forefoot adapted for human-like gait. Studies of the external morphology of the MT1 in humans, non-human apes, and fossil hominins have documented changes in its robusticity, epiphyseal shape and its articulation with the medial cuneiform. Here, we test whether trabecular structure in the MT1 reflects different loading patterns in the forefoot across extant large apes and humans, and within this comparative context, infer locomotor behavior in two fossil hominins from Swartkrans, South Africa. Microtomographic scans were collected from the MT1 of Pongo sp. (n = 6), Gorilla gorilla (n = 10), Pan troglodytes (n = 10), Homo sapiens (n = 11), as well as SKX 5017 (Paranthropus robustus), and SK 1813 (Hominin gen. sp. indet.). Trabecular structure was quantified within the head and base using a 'whole-epiphysis' approach with medtool 4.2. We found that modern humans displayed relatively higher bone volume fraction (BV/TV) in the dorsal region of each epiphysis and a higher overall degree of anisotropy (DA), whereas great apes showed higher BV/TV in the plantar regions, reflecting dorsiflexion at the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint in the former and plantarflexion in the latter. Both fossils displayed low DA, with SKX 5017 showing a hyper-dorsal concentration of trabecular bone in the head (similar to humans), while SK 1813 showed a more central trabecular distribution not seen in either humans or non-human apes. Additionally, we found differences between non-human apes, modern humans, and the fossil taxa in trabecular spacing (Tb.Sp.), number (Tb.N.), and thickness (Tb.th.). While low DA in both fossils suggests increased mobility of the MT1, differences in their trabecular distributions could indicate variable locomotion in these Pleistocene hominins (recognizing that the juvenile status of SK 1813 is a potential confounding factor). In particular, evidence for consistent loading in hyper-dorsiflexion in SKX 5017 would suggest locomotor behaviors beyond human-like toe off during terrestrial locomotion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Klara Komza
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Canada; School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Hominin diversity and high environmental variability in the Okote Member, Koobi Fora Formation, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2019; 126:91-105. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
|
9
|
Humeral anatomy of the KNM-ER 47000 upper limb skeleton from Ileret, Kenya: Implications for taxonomic identification. J Hum Evol 2019; 126:24-38. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
10
|
Lague MR, Chirchir H, Green DJ, Mbua E, Harris JWK, Braun DR, Griffin NL, Richmond BG. Cross-sectional properties of the humeral diaphysis of Paranthropus boisei: Implications for upper limb function. J Hum Evol 2018; 126:51-70. [PMID: 30583844 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
A ∼1.52 Ma adult upper limb skeleton of Paranthropus boisei (KNM-ER 47000) recovered from the Koobi Fora Formation, Kenya (FwJj14E, Area 1A) includes most of the distal half of a right humerus (designated KNM-ER 47000B). Natural transverse fractures through the diaphysis of KNM-ER 470000B provide unobstructed views of cortical bone at two sections typically used for analyzing cross-sectional properties of hominids (i.e., 35% and 50% of humerus length from the distal end). Here we assess cross-sectional properties of KNM-ER 47000B and two other P. boisei humeri (OH 80-10, KNM-ER 739). Cross-sectional properties for P. boisei associated with bending/torsional strength (section moduli) and relative cortical thickness (%CA; percent cortical area) are compared to those reported for nonhuman hominids, AL 288-1 (Australopithecus afarensis), and multiple species of fossil and modern Homo. Polar section moduli (Zp) are assessed relative to a mechanically relevant measure of body size (i.e., the product of mass [M] and humerus length [HL]). At both diaphyseal sections, P. boisei exhibits %CA that is high among extant hominids (both human and nonhuman) and similar to that observed among specimens of Pleistocene Homo. High values for Zp relative to size (M × HL) indicate that P. boisei had humeral bending strength greater than that of modern humans and Neanderthals and similar to that of great apes, A. afarensis, and Homo habilis. Such high humeral strength is consistent with other skeletal features of P. boisei (reviewed here) that suggest routine use of powerful upper limbs for arboreal climbing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael R Lague
- School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Stockton University, 101 Vera King Farris Drive, Galloway, NJ 08205, USA.
| | - Habiba Chirchir
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, USA; Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, USA
| | - David J Green
- Department of Anatomy, Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, USA; Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, USA
| | - Emma Mbua
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mount Kenya University, Kenya
| | | | - David R Braun
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, USA; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
| | - Nicole L Griffin
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, USA
| | - Brian G Richmond
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany; Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, USA
| |
Collapse
|