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Tomizawa Y, Nakatsukasa M, Ponce de León MS, Zollikofer CPE, Morimoto N. Shaft structure of the first metatarsal contains a strong phylogenetic signal in apes and humans. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024:e24987. [PMID: 38922796 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Metatarsal bones constitute a key functional unit of the foot in primates. While the form-function relationships of metatarsals have been extensively studied, particularly in relation to the loss of the grasping ability of the foot in humans in contrast to apes, the effect of phyletic history on the metatarsal morphology and its variability remains largely unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS Here, we evaluate how the strength of the phylogenetic signal varies from the first to the fifth metatarsal in humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, gibbons, and Japanese macaques. We use computed tomography imaging and morphometric mapping to quantify the second moment of area around and along the metatarsal shaft and evaluate the strength of the phylogenetic signal with multivariate K-statistics. RESULTS The shaft structure of the first metatarsal, but not the others, correlates well with the phylogeny of apes and humans. DISCUSSION Given the importance of the first metatarsal for grasping and bipedal/quadrupedal locomotion, the strong phylogenetic but weak functional signal in its structure is unexpected. These findings suggest that the evolutionary diversification of hominoid locomotor behaviors, including human bipedality, is only partly reflected in form-function relationships of key skeletal elements, and that phylogenetic history acted as a major evolutionary constraint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuma Tomizawa
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Masato Nakatsukasa
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | | | - Naoki Morimoto
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Wollmann JS, Marshall AS, Schrank M, Gruss LT. Tibial torsion and pressures in the feet during walking: Implications for patterns of metatarsal robusticity. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 180:115-126. [PMID: 36790669 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The Dmanisi Homo fossils include a tibia with a low degree of torsion and metatarsals with a pattern of robusticity differing from modern humans. It has been proposed that low tibial torsion would cause a low foot progression angle (FPA) in walking, and consequently increased force applied to the medial rays. This could explain the more robust MT III and IV from Dmanisi. Here we experimentally tested these hypothesized biomechanical relationships in living human subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS We measured transmalleolar axis (TMA, a proxy for tibial torsion), FPA, and plantar pressure distributions during walking in young men (n = 40). TMA was measured externally using a newly developed method. A pressure mat recorded FPA and pressure under the metatarsal heads (MT I vs. MT II-IV vs. MT V). RESULTS TMA is positively correlated with FPA, but only in the right foot. Plantar pressure under MT II-IV does increase with lower TMA, as predicted, but FPA does not affect pressure. Body mass index also influenced plantar pressure distribution. DISCUSSION Lower tibial torsion in humans is associated with slightly increased pressures along the middle rays of the foot during walking, but not because of changes in FPA. Therefore, it is possible that the low degree of torsion in the Dmanisi Homo tibia is related to the unusual pattern of robusticity in the associated metatarsals, but the mechanism behind this relationship is unclear. Future work will explore TMA, FPA, and plantar pressures during running.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica S Wollmann
- Department of Anthropological Sciences, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Aubree S Marshall
- Department of Anthropological Sciences, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, USA.,Department of Biology, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, USA.,Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - McKenzie Schrank
- Department of Anthropological Sciences, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, USA.,Department of Biology, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, USA.,Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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Anaya A, Patel BA, Orr CM, Ward CV, Almécija S. Evolutionary trends of the lateral foot in catarrhine primates: Contextualizing the fourth metatarsal of Australopithecus afarensis. J Hum Evol 2021; 161:103078. [PMID: 34749002 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103078] [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: 12/20/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In 2000, a complete fourth metatarsal (Mt4) of the ∼3- to 4-Million-year-old hominin Australopithecus afarensis was recovered in Hadar, Ethiopia. This metatarsal presented a mostly human-like morphology, suggesting that a rigid lateral foot may have evolved as early as ∼3.2 Ma. The lateral foot is integral in providing stability during the push off phase of gait and is key in understanding the transition to upright, striding bipedalism. Previous comparisons of this fossil were limited to Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla, and modern humans. This study builds on previous studies by contextualizing the Mt4 morphology of A. afarensis (A.L. 333-160) within a diverse comparative sample of nonhuman hominoids (n = 144) and cercopithecids (n = 138) and incorporates other early hominins (n = 3) and fossil hominoids that precede the Pan-Homo split (n = 4) to better assess the polarity of changes in lateral foot morphology surrounding this divergence. We investigate seven morphological features argued to be functionally linked to human-like bipedalism. Our results show that some human-like characters used to assess midfoot and lateral foot stiffness in the hominin fossil record are present in our Miocene ape sample as well as in living cercopithecids. Furthermore, modern nonhuman hominoids can be generally distinguished from other species in most metrics. These results suggest that the possession of a rigid foot in hominins could represent a conserved trait, whereas the specialized pedal grasping mechanics of extant apes may be more derived, in which case some traits often used to infer bipedal locomotion in early hominins may, instead, reflect a lower reliance on pedal grasping. Another possibility is that early hominins reverted from modern ape Mt4 morphology into a more plesiomorphic condition when terrestrial bipedality became a dominant behavior. More fossils dating around the Pan-Homo divergence time are necessary to test these competing hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisha Anaya
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27705, USA; Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA.
| | - Biren A Patel
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA; Human and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Caley M Orr
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Carol V Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA; New York Consortium of Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, 10024, USA; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
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Patel BA, Orr CM, Jashashvili T. Strength properties of extant hominoid hallucal and pollical metapodials. J Hum Evol 2020; 143:102774. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Wilson LAB, De Groote I, Humphrey LT. Sex differences in the patterning of age-related bone loss in the human hallucal metatarsal in rural and urban populations. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 171:628-644. [PMID: 31925961 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Age-degenerative features of the metatarsals are poorly known despite the importance of metatarsal bone properties for investigating mobility patterns. We assessed the role of habitual activity in shaping the patterning and magnitude of sexual dimorphism in age-related bone loss in the hallucal metatarsal. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cross-sections were extracted at midshaft from micro-computed tomography scan models of individuals from medieval rural (Abingdon Vineyard) and early industrial urban (Spitalfields) settings (n = 71). A suite of cross-sectional geometry dimensions and biomechanical properties were compared between populations. RESULTS The rural group display generally stronger and larger metatarsals that show a greater capacity to resist torsion and that have comparatively greater bending strength along the medio-lateral plane. Men in both groups show greater values of cortical area than women, but only in the urban group do men show lower magnitudes of age-related decline compared to females. Women in rural and urban populations show different patterns of age-related decline in bone mass, particularly old women in the urban group show a marked decline in cortical area that is absent for women in the rural group. DISCUSSION Lifetime exposure to hard, physical activity in an agricultural setting has contributed to the attainment of greater bone mass and stronger bones in young adults. Furthermore, over the life-course, less of this greater amount of bone is lost, such that sustained activity levels may have acted to buffer against age-related decline, and this is most pronounced for women, who are expected to experience greater bone loss later in life than men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Isabelle De Groote
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
- Department of Archaeology, Section Prehistory of western Europe, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Louise T Humphrey
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum London, London, UK
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Lewton KL, Patel BA. Calcaneal elongation and bone strength in leaping galagids. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 171:430-438. [PMID: 31710709 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Small-bodied vertical clinging and leaping primates have elongated calcanei which enhance leap performance by optimizing leap velocity, distance, and acceleration, but at the expense of experiencing relatively large forces during takeoff and landing. This study tests the hypothesis that the elongated calcaneus of leaping galagids is adapted to resist larger and more stereotyped bending loads compared to more quadrupedal galagids. MATERIALS AND METHODS The calcanei of 14 individuals of Otolemur and 14 individuals of Galago (three species of each genus) were μCT scanned. Calcaneal cross-sectional properties (maximum and minimum second moments of area and polar section modulus) were obtained from a slice representing the 50% position of bone segment length and dimensionless ratios were created for each variable using calcaneal cuboid facet area as a proxy for body mass. RESULTS There were no significant differences in size-adjusted bending strength between Galago and Otolemur. Galago exhibited more elliptically shaped calcaneal cross sections, however, suggesting that its calcanei are more adapted to stereotyped loading regimes than those of Otolemur. DISCUSSION The results suggest that the calcaneus of specialized leapers is adapted to more stereotyped loading patterns. The lack of predicted bone strength differences between Galago and Otolemur may be related to body size differences between these taxa, or it may indicate that loads encountered by Galago during naturalistic leaping are not reflected in the available experimental force data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristi L Lewton
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Biological Sciences, Human & Evolutionary Biology Section, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Biren A Patel
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Biological Sciences, Human & Evolutionary Biology Section, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
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Marchi D, Harper C, Chirchir H, Ruff C. Relative fibular strength and locomotor behavior in KNM-WT 15000 and OH 35. J Hum Evol 2019; 131:48-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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HIGURASHI YASUO, GOTO RYOSUKE, NAKANO YOSHIHIKO. Integrative experimental and morphological study of the metacarpal and metatarsal bones of the Japanese macaque ( Macaca fuscata). ANTHROPOL SCI 2019. [DOI: 10.1537/ase.190511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- YASUO HIGURASHI
- Laboratory of System Physiology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi
- Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita
| | - RYOSUKE GOTO
- Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita
| | - YOSHIHIKO NAKANO
- Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita
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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
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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
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