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Dunmore CJ, Bachmann S, Synek A, Pahr DH, Skinner MM, Kivell TL. The deep trabecular structure of first metacarpals in extant hominids. Am J Biol Anthropol 2024; 183:e24695. [PMID: 36790736 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Recent studies have associated subarticular trabecular bone distribution in the extant hominid first metacarpal (Mc1) with observed thumb use, to infer fossil hominin thumb use. Here, we analyze the entire Mc1 to test for interspecific differences in: (1) the absolute volume of trabecular volume fraction, (2) the distribution of the deeper trabecular network, and (3) the distribution of trabeculae in the medullary cavity, especially beneath the Mc1 disto-radial flange. MATERIALS AND METHODS Trabecular bone was imaged using micro-computed tomography in a sample of Homo sapiens (n = 11), Pan paniscus (n = 10), Pan troglodytes (n = 11), Gorilla gorilla (n = 10) and Pongo sp., (n = 7). Using Canonical Holistic Morphometric Analysis (cHMA), we tested for interspecific differences in the trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and its relative distribution (rBV/TV) throughout the Mc1, including within the head, medullary cavity, and base. RESULTS P. paniscus had the highest, and H. sapiens the lowest, BV/TV relative to other species. rBV/TV distribution statistically distinguished the radial concentrations and lack of medullary trabecular bone in the H. sapiens Mc1 from all other hominids. H. sapiens and, to a lesser extent, G. gorilla also had a significantly higher trabecular volume beneath the disto-radial flange relative to other hominids. DISCUSSION These results are consistent with differences in observed thumb use in these species and may also reflect systemic differences in bone volume fraction. The trabecular bone extension into the medullary cavity and concentrations beneath the disto-radial flange may represent crucial biomechanical signals that will aid in the inference of fossil hominin thumb use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Dunmore
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Sebastian Bachmann
- Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander Synek
- Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dieter H Pahr
- Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Anatomy and Biomechanics, Division Biomechanics, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems, Austria
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Orr CM, Atkinson R, Ernewein J, Tocheri MW. Carpal kinematics and morphological correlates of wrist ulnar deviation mobility in nonhuman anthropoid primates. Am J Biol Anthropol 2024; 183:e24728. [PMID: 36924247 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Primates employ wrist ulnar deviation during a variety of locomotor and manipulative behaviors. Extant hominoids share a derived condition in which the ulnar styloid process has limited articulation or is completely separated from the proximal carpals, which is often hypothesized to increase ulnar deviation range of motion. Acute angulation of the hamate's triquetral facet is also hypothesized to facilitate ulnar deviation mobility and mechanics. In this study, we test these longstanding ideas. METHODS Three-dimensional (3D) carpal kinematics were examined using a cadaveric sample of Pan troglodytes, Pongo sp., and five monkey species. Ulnar styloid projection and orientation of the hamate's triquetral facet were quantified using 3D models. RESULTS Although carpal rotation patterns in Pan and Pongo were uniquely similar in some respects, P. troglodytes exhibited overall kinematic similarity with large terrestrial cercopithecoids (Papio and Mandrillus). Pongo, Macaca, and Ateles had high wrist ulnar deviation ranges of motion, but Pongo did this via a unique mechanism. In Pongo, the triquetrum functions as a distal carpal rather than part of the proximal row. Ulnar styloid projection and wrist ulnar deviation range of motion were not correlated but ulnar deviation range of motion and the triquetrohamate facet orientation were correlated. CONCLUSIONS Increased ulnar deviation mobility is not the function of ulnar styloid withdrawal in hominoids. Instead, this feature probably reduces stress on the ulnar side wrist or is a byproduct of adaptations that increase supination. Orientation of the hamate's triquetral facet offers some potential to reconstruct ulnar deviation mobility in extinct primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caley M Orr
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Richard Atkinson
- Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, Illinois, USA
| | - Jamie Ernewein
- Modern Human Anatomy Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Matthew W Tocheri
- Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- Human Origins Program, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
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Bird EE, Kivell TL, Dunmore CJ, Tocheri MW, Skinner MM. Trabecular bone structure of the proximal capitate in extant hominids and fossil hominins with implications for midcarpal joint loading and the dart-thrower's motion. Am J Biol Anthropol 2024; 183:e24824. [PMID: 37493308 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This research examines whether the distribution of trabecular bone in the proximal capitates of extant hominids, as well as several fossil hominin taxa, is associated with the oblique path of the midcarpal joint known as the dart-thrower's motion (DTM). MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed proximal capitates from extant (Pongo n = 12; Gorilla n = 11; Pan n = 10; fossil and recent Homo sapiens n = 29) and extinct (Australopithecus sediba n = 2; Homo naledi n = 1; Homo floresiensis n = 2; Neandertals n = 3) hominids using a new canonical holistic morphometric analysis, which quantifies and visualizes the distribution of trabecular bone using relative bone volume as a fraction of total volume (rBV/TV). RESULTS Homo sapiens and Neandertals had a continuous band of high rBV/TV that extended across the scaphoid, lunate, and hamate subarticular regions, but other fossil hominins and extant great apes did not. A. sediba expressed a distinct combination of human-like and Pan-like rBV/TV distribution. Both H. floresiensis and H. naledi had high rBV/TV on the ulnar-side of the capitate but low rBV/TV on the radial-side. CONCLUSION The proximal capitates of H. sapiens and Neandertals share a distinctive distribution of trabecular bone that suggests that these two species of Homo regularly load(ed) their midcarpal joints along the full extent of the oblique path of the DTM. The observed pattern in A. sediba suggests that human-like stress at the capito-scaphoid articular surface was combined with Pan-like wrist postures, whereas the patterns in H. floresiensis and H. naledi suggest their midcarpal joints were loaded differently from that of H. sapiens and Neandertals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E Bird
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Christopher J Dunmore
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Matthew W Tocheri
- Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
- Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Bardo A, Dunmore CJ, Cornette R, Kivell TL. Morphological integration and shape covariation between the trapezium and first metacarpal among extant hominids. Am J Biol Anthropol 2024; 183:e24800. [PMID: 37377134 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The shape of the trapezium and first metacarpal (Mc1) markedly influence thumb mobility, strength, and the manual abilities of extant hominids. Previous research has typically focused solely on trapezium-Mc1 joint shape. Here we investigate how morphological integration and shape covariation between the entire trapezium (articular and non-articular surfaces) and the entire Mc1 reflect known differences in thumb use in extant hominids. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed shape covariation in associated trapezia and Mc1s across a large, diverse sample of Homo sapiens (n = 40 individuals) and other extant hominids (Pan troglodytes, n = 16; Pan paniscus, n = 13; Gorilla gorilla gorilla, n = 27; Gorilla beringei, n = 6; Pongo pygmaeus, n = 14; Pongo abelii, n = 9) using a 3D geometric morphometric approach. We tested for interspecific significant differences in degree of morphological integration and patterns of shape covariation between the entire trapezium and Mc1, as well as within the trapezium-Mc1 joint specifically. RESULTS Significant morphological integration was only found in the trapezium-Mc1 joint of H. sapiens and G. g. gorilla. Each genus showed a specific pattern of shape covariation between the entire trapezium and Mc1 that was consistent with different intercarpal and carpometacarpal joint postures. DISCUSSION Our results are consistent with known differences in habitual thumb use, including a more abducted thumb during forceful precision grips in H. sapiens and a more adducted thumb in other hominids used for diverse grips. These results will help to infer thumb use in fossil hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ameline Bardo
- Département Homme et Environnement, UMR 7194 - HNHP, CNRS-MNHN, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK
| | - Christopher J Dunmore
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- Institute of Systematic, Evolution, Biodiversity (ISYEB), UMR 7205-CNRS/MNHN/UPMC/EPHE, National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Scarberry SR, Prutchi H, Frye BM, Herr J, Scott C, Long CM, Jorgensen MJ, Shively CA, Kavanagh K. Development and assessment of a stair ascension challenge as a measure of aging and physical function in nonhuman primates. Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23582. [PMID: 38050788 PMCID: PMC10843660 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Nonhuman primates (NHPs) are valuable models for studying healthspan, including frailty development. Frailty metrics in people centers on functional measures, including usual gait speed which can be predictive of all-cause mortality. This concept that physical competencies are able to prognosticate an individual's health trajectory over chronologic aging is well-accepted and has led to refinements in how physical function is evaluated, and include measures of strength and power along with walking speed. NHP studies of aging require evaluation of physical function, which can be difficult in field and research settings. We compared stair climb velocity to usual walking speed in 28 peri-geriatric to geriatric NHPs, as incorporating a climbing obstacle integrates multiple components of physical function: isolated leg and back strength, proprioception, balance, and range of motion. We find that stair climbing speed was reliable between observers, and whether timing was in-person take from video capture. The stair climb rates were 50% more associated with chronological age than walking speed (R = -0.68 vs. -0.45) and only stair climbing speeds were retained as predictive of age when walking speed and bodyweight were included in multivariate models (overall R2 = 0.44; p < 0.0001). When comparing young (10-16 years) versus geriatric (16-29 years) stair climbing speed was significantly different (p < 0.001), while walking speeds only tended to be slower (p = 0.12) suggesting that the additional challenge of a stair climb better unmasks subclinical frailty development that usual walking speed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon R. Scarberry
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hannah Prutchi
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Brett M. Frye
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biology, Emory and Henry College, Emory, Virginia, USA
| | - Justin Herr
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Christie Scott
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Chrissy M. Long
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Matthew J. Jorgensen
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Carol A. Shively
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kylie Kavanagh
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
- College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia
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Syeda SM, Tsegai ZJ, Cazenave M, Skinner MM, Kivell TL. Cortical bone distribution of the proximal phalanges in great apes: implications for reconstructing manual behaviours. J Anat 2023; 243:707-728. [PMID: 37358024 PMCID: PMC10557399 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Primate fingers are typically in direct contact with the environment during both locomotion and manipulation, and aspects of external phalangeal morphology are known to reflect differences in hand use. Since bone is a living tissue that can adapt in response to loading through life, the internal bone architecture of the manual phalanges should also reflect differences in manual behaviours. Here, we use the R package Morphomap to analyse high-resolution microCT scans of hominid proximal phalanges of digits 2-5 to determine whether cortical bone structure reflects variation in manual behaviours between bipedal (Homo), knuckle-walking (Gorilla, Pan) and suspensory (Pongo) taxa. We test the hypothesis that relative cortical bone distribution patterns and cross-sectional geometric properties will differ both among extant great apes and across the four digits due to locomotor and postural differences. Results indicate that cortical bone structure reflects the varied hand postures employed by each taxon. The phalangeal cortices of Pongo are significantly thinner and have weaker cross-sectional properties relative to the African apes, yet thick cortical bone under their flexor sheath ridges corresponds with predicted loading during flexed finger grips. Knuckle-walking African apes have even thicker cortical bone under the flexor sheath ridges, as well as in the region proximal to the trochlea, but Pan also has thicker diaphyseal cortices than Gorilla. Humans display a distinct pattern of distodorsal thickening, as well as relatively thin cortices, which may reflect the lack of phalangeal curvature combined with frequent use of flexed fingered hand grips during manipulation. Within each taxon, digits 2-5 have a similar cortical distribution in Pongo, Gorilla and, unexpectedly, Homo, which suggest similar loading of all fingers during habitual locomotion or hand use. In Pan, however, cortical thickness differs between the fingers, potentially reflecting differential loading during knuckle-walking. Inter- and intra-generic variation in phalangeal cortical bone structure reflects differences in manual behaviours, offering a comparative framework for reconstructing hand use in fossil hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samar M. Syeda
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
| | - Zewdi J. Tsegai
- Department of Organismal Biology and AnatomyUniversity of ChicagoChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Marine Cazenave
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
- Division of AnthropologyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health SciencesUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
| | - Matthew M. Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
| | - Tracy L. Kivell
- Department of Human OriginsMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
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Fannin LD, Joy MS, Dominy NJ, McGraw WS, DeSilva JM. Downclimbing and the evolution of ape forelimb morphologies. R Soc Open Sci 2023; 10:230145. [PMID: 37680499 PMCID: PMC10480693 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
The forelimbs of hominoid primates (apes) are decidedly more flexible than those of monkeys, especially at the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. It is tempting to link the greater mobility of these joints to the functional demands of vertical climbing and below-branch suspension, but field-based kinematic studies have found few differences between chimpanzees and monkeys when comparing forelimb excursion angles during vertical ascent (upclimbing). There is, however, a strong theoretical argument for focusing instead on vertical descent (downclimbing), which motivated us to quantify the effects of climbing directionality on the forelimb kinematics of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys). We found that the shoulders and elbows of chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys subtended larger joint angles during bouts of downclimbing, and that the magnitude of this difference was greatest among chimpanzees. Our results cast new light on the functional importance of downclimbing, while also burnishing functional hypotheses that emphasize the role of vertical climbing during the evolution of apes, including the human lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke D. Fannin
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Mary S. Joy
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Nathaniel J. Dominy
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - W. Scott McGraw
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Jeremy M. DeSilva
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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Meyer MR, Jung JP, Spear JK, Araiza IF, Galway-Witham J, Williams SA. Knuckle-walking in Sahelanthropus? Locomotor inferences from the ulnae of fossil hominins and other hominoids. J Hum Evol 2023; 179:103355. [PMID: 37003245 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Because the ulna supports and transmits forces during movement, its morphology can signal aspects of functional adaptation. To test whether, like extant apes, some hominins habitually recruit the forelimb in locomotion, we separate the ulna shaft and ulna proximal complex for independent shape analyses via elliptical Fourier methods to identify functional signals. We examine the relative influence of locomotion, taxonomy, and body mass on ulna contours in Homo sapiens (n = 22), five species of extant apes (n = 33), two Miocene apes (Hispanopithecus and Danuvius), and 17 fossil hominin specimens including Sahelanthropus, Ardipithecus, Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and early Homo. Ulna proximal complex contours correlate with body mass but not locomotor patterns, while ulna shafts significantly correlate with locomotion. African apes' ulna shafts are more robust and curved than Asian apes and are unlike other terrestrial mammals (including other primates), curving ventrally rather than dorsally. Because this distinctive curvature is absent in orangutans and hylobatids, it is likely a function of powerful flexors engaged in wrist and hand stabilization during knuckle-walking, and not an adaptation to climbing or suspensory behavior. The OH 36 (purported Paranthropus boisei) and TM 266 (assigned to Sahelanthropus tchadensis) fossils differ from other hominins by falling within the knuckle-walking morphospace, and thus appear to show forelimb morphology consistent with terrestrial locomotion. Discriminant function analysis classifies both OH 36 and TM 266 with Pan and Gorilla with high posterior probability. Along with its associated femur, the TM 266 ulna shaft contours and its deep, keeled trochlear notch comprise a suite of traits signaling African ape-like quadrupedalism. While implications for the phylogenetic position and hominin status of S. tchadensis remain equivocal, this study supports the growing body of evidence indicating that S. tchadensis was not an obligate biped, but instead represents a late Miocene hominid with knuckle-walking adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc R Meyer
- Department of Anthropology, Chaffey College, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737, USA.
| | - Jason P Jung
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
| | - Jeffrey K Spear
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Isabella Fx Araiza
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Julia Galway-Witham
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Scott A Williams
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
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Sarringhaus L, Lewton KL, Iqbal S, Carlson KJ. Ape femoral-humeral rigidities and arboreal locomotion. Am J Biol Anthropol 2022; 179:624-639. [PMID: 36790629 PMCID: PMC9828227 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study investigates patterns of bone functional adaptations in extant apes through comparing hindlimb to forelimb bone rigidity ratios in groups with varying levels of arboreality. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using CT scans, bone rigidity (J) was calculated at three regions of interest (ROI) along femoral and humeral diaphyses in Homo, Pongo, Pan, and Gorilla with further comparisons made between species and subspecies divisions within Pan and Gorilla. RESULTS Consistent with previous work on extant hominoids, species exhibited differences in midshaft femoral to humeral (F/H) rigidity ratios. Results of the present study confirm that these midshaft differences extend to 35% and 65% diaphyseal ROIs. Modern humans, exhibiting larger ratios, and orangutans, exhibiting smaller ratios, bracketed the intermediate African apes in comparisons. Within some African apes, limb rigidity ratios varied significantly between taxonomic groups. Eastern gorillas exhibited the highest mean ratios and chimpanzees the lowest at all three ROIs. In posthoc comparisons, chimpanzees and bonobos did not differ in relative limb rigidity ratios at any of the three ROIs. However, western gorillas were more similar to bonobos than eastern gorillas at 50% and 35% ROIs, but not at the 65% ROI. CONCLUSION Species, and to a lesser extent subspecies, can be distinguished by F/H limb rigidity ratios according to broad positional behavior patterns at multiple regions of interest along the diaphyses. Similarity of bonobos and western gorillas is in line with behavioral data of bonobos being the most terrestrial of Pan species, and western gorillas the most arboreal of the Gorilla groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Sarringhaus
- Department of Evolutionary AnthropologyDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUSA,Department of AnthropologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA,Department of BiologyJames Madison UniversityHarrisonburgVirginiaUSA
| | - Kristi L. Lewton
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of MedicineUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Safiyyah Iqbal
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Kristian J. Carlson
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of MedicineUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA,Evolutionary Studies InstituteUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
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Hopper LM, Lake BR, Leinwand JG, Fultz A, Ross SR. Assessing chimpanzees’ fluency of movement: applications for monitoring health and welfare. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Wennemann SE, Lewton KL, Orr CM, Almécija S, Tocheri MW, Jungers WL, Patel BA. A geometric morphometric approach to investigate primate proximal phalanx diaphysis shape. Am J Biol Anthropol 2022; 177:581-602. [PMID: 35755956 PMCID: PMC9231826 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Current approaches to quantify phalangeal curvature assume that the long axis of the bone's diaphysis approximates the shape of a portion of a circle (included angle method) or a parabola (second-degree polynomial method). Here we developed, tested, and employed an alternative geometric morphometrics-based approach to quantify diaphysis shape of proximal phalanges in humans, apes and monkeys with diverse locomotor behaviors. 100 landmarks of the central longitudinal axis were extracted from 3D surface models and analyzed using 2DGM methods, including Generalized Procrustes Analyses. Principal components analyses were performed and PC1 scores (>80% of variation) represented the dorsopalmar shape of the bone's central longitudinal axis and separated taxa consistently and in accord with known locomotor behavioral profiles. The most suspensory taxa, including orangutans, hylobatids and spider monkeys, had significantly lower PC1 scores reflecting the greatest amounts of phalangeal curvature. In contrast, bipedal humans and the quadrupedal cercopithecoid monkeys sampled (baboons, proboscis monkeys) exhibited significantly higher PC1 scores reflecting flatter phalanges. African ape (gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos) phalanges fell between these two extremes and were not significantly different from each other. PC1 scores were significantly correlated with both included angle and the a coefficient of a second-degree polynomial calculated from the same landmark dataset, but had a significantly higher correlation with included angles. Our alternative approach for quantifying diaphysis shape of proximal phalanges to investigate dorsopalmar curvature is replicable and does not assume a priori either a circle or parabola model of shape, making it an attractive alternative compared with existing methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie E. Wennemann
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Kristi L. Lewton
- 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 80217, USA
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA,Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Matthew W. Tocheri
- Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada,Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20013, USA,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia
| | - William L. Jungers
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA,Association Vahatra, BP 3972, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
| | - 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,Corresponding author: Biren A. Patel, 1333 San Pablo Street, BMT 404, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles CA, 90033, USA;
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12
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Deckers K, Tsegai ZJ, Skinner MM, Zeininger A, Kivell TL. Ontogenetic changes to metacarpal trabecular bone structure in mountain and western lowland gorillas. J Anat 2022; 241:82-100. [PMID: 35122239 PMCID: PMC9178373 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The trabecular bone morphology of adult extant primates has been shown to reflect mechanical loading related to locomotion. However, ontogenetic studies of humans and other mammals suggest an adaptive lag between trabecular bone response and current mechanical loading patterns that could result in adult trabecular bone morphology reflecting juvenile behaviours. This study investigates ontogenetic changes in the trabecular bone structure of the third metacarpal of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei; n = 26) and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla; n = 26) and its relationship to expected changes in locomotor loading patterns. Results show that trabecular bone reflects predicted mechanical loading throughout ontogeny. Bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness and trabecular number are low at birth and increase with age, although degree of anisotropy remains relatively stable throughout ontogeny. A high concentration of bone volume fraction can be observed in the distopalmar region of the third metacarpal epiphysis in early ontogeny, consistent with the high frequency of climbing, suspensory and other grasping behaviours in young gorillas. High trabecular bone concentration increases dorsally in the epiphysis during the juvenile period as terrestrial knuckle-walking becomes the primary form of locomotion. However, fusion of the epiphysis does not take place until 10-11 years of age, and overall trabecular structure does not fully reflect the adult pattern until 12 years of age, indicating a lag between adult-like behaviours and adult-like trabecular morphology. We found minimal differences in trabecular ontogeny between mountain and western lowland gorillas, despite presumed variation in the frequencies of arboreal locomotor behaviours. Altogether, ontogenetic changes in Gorilla metacarpal trabecular structure reflect overall genus-level changes in locomotor behaviours throughout development, but with some ontogenetic lag that should be considered when drawing functional conclusions from bone structure in extant or fossil adolescent specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Deckers
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK
| | - Zewdi J Tsegai
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Angel Zeininger
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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13
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Bird EE, Kivell TL, Skinner MM. Patterns of internal bone structure and functional adaptation in the hominoid scaphoid, lunate, and triquetrum. American J Phys Anthropol 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emma E. Bird
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | - Tracy L. Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
- Department of Human Evolution Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
| | - Matthew M. Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
- Department of Human Evolution Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
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14
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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15
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Bird EE, Kivell TL, Skinner MM. Cortical and trabecular bone structure of the hominoid capitate. J Anat 2021; 239:351-373. [PMID: 33942895 PMCID: PMC8273598 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Morphological variation in the hominoid capitate has been linked to differences in habitual locomotor activity due to its importance in movement and load transfer at the midcarpal joint proximally and carpometacarpal joints distally. Although the shape of bones and their articulations are linked to joint mobility, the internal structure of bones has been shown experimentally to reflect, at least in part, the loading direction and magnitude experienced by the bone. To date, it is uncertain whether locomotor differences among hominoids are reflected in the bone microarchitecture of the capitate. Here, we apply a whole‐bone methodology to quantify the cortical and trabecular architecture (separately and combined) of the capitate across bipedal (modern Homo sapiens), knuckle‐walking (Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla sp.), and suspensory (Pongo sp.) hominoids (n = 69). It is hypothesized that variation in bone microarchitecture will differentiate these locomotor groups, reflecting differences in habitual postures and presumed loading force and direction. Additionally, it is hypothesized that trabecular and cortical architecture in the proximal and distal regions, as a result of being part of mechanically divergent joints proximally and distally, will differ across these portions of the capitate. Results indicate that the capitate of knuckle‐walking and suspensory hominoids is differentiated from bipedal Homo primarily by significantly thicker distal cortical bone. Knuckle‐walking taxa are further differentiated from suspensory and bipedal taxa by more isotropic trabeculae in the proximal capitate. An allometric analysis indicates that size is not a significant determinate of bone variation across hominoids, although sexual dimorphism may influence some parameters within Gorilla. Results suggest that internal trabecular and cortical bone is subjected to different forces and functional adaptation responses across the capitate (and possibly other short bones). Additionally, while separating trabecular and cortical bone is normal protocol of current whole‐bone methodologies, this study shows that when applied to carpals, removing or studying the cortical bone separately potentially obfuscates functionally relevant signals in bone structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E Bird
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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16
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Harper CM, Ruff CB, Sylvester AD. Scaling and relative size of the human, nonhuman ape, and baboon calcaneus. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 305:100-122. [PMID: 33843151 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Among human and nonhuman apes, calcaneal morphology exhibits significant variation that has been related to locomotor behavior. Due to its role in weight-bearing, however, both body size and locomotion may impact calcaneal morphology. Determining how calcaneal morphologies vary as a function of body size is thus vital to understanding calcaneal functional adaptation. Here, we study calcaneus allometry and relative size in humans (n = 120) and nonhuman primates (n = 278), analyzing these relationships in light of known locomotor behaviors. Twelve linear measures and three articular facet surface areas were collected on calcaneus surface models. Body mass was estimated using femoral head superoinferior breadth. Relationships between calcaneal dimensions and estimated body mass were analyzed across the sample using phylogenetic least squares regression analyses (PGLS). Differences between humans and pooled nonhuman primates were tested using RMA ANCOVAs. Among (and within) genera residual differences from both PGLS regressions and isometry were analyzed using ANOVAs with post hoc multiple comparison tests. The relationships between all but two calcaneus dimensions and estimated body mass exhibit phylogenetic signal at the smallest taxonomic scale. This signal disappears when reanalyzed at the genus level. Calcaneal morphology varies relative to both body size and locomotor behavior. Humans have larger calcanei for estimated body mass relative to nonhuman primates as a potential adaptation for bipedalism. More terrestrial taxa exhibit longer calcaneal tubers for body mass, increasing the triceps surae lever arm. Among nonhuman great apes, more arboreal taxa have larger cuboid facet surface areas for body mass, increasing calcaneocuboid mobility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Harper
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Camden, New Jersey, USA
| | - Christopher B Ruff
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Adam D Sylvester
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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17
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Bucchi A, Luengo J, Del Bove A, Lorenzo C. Insertion sites in manual proximal phalanges of African apes and modern humans. Am J Phys Anthropol 2021; 173:556-567. [PMID: 33460049 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The primary aim of this study was to describe the insertion sites of the ligaments holding the flexor digitorum profundus and superficialis muscles (flexor ridges) in proximal phalanges 2-5 of African apes and modern humans. To interpret differences in flexor ridge size based on general behavioral differences among taxa. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed 3D models of manual proximal phalanges 2-5 from 29 gorillas (Gorilla beringei and Gorilla gorilla), 30 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and 36 recent modern humans. Flexor ridges (mm2) were compared within and across genera. RESULTS Gorillas and chimpanzees had larger flexor ridges for phalanges 2-4 than humans and this difference subsists when controlling for body size. Each genus had a unique insertion size pattern across the digits, with the most heterogeneous pattern found in chimpanzees, followed by humans, and lastly gorillas. These patterns corresponded strongly to the differences in the size of the phalanges within each genus, except for phalanx 5 in humans, which had a larger flexor ridge than expected. DISCUSSION When comparing these genera, the flexor ridges signal differences between taxa that use their hands for manipulation and locomotion (gorillas and chimpanzees) and taxa that use them exclusively for manipulation (humans). This functional signal was also apparent in the PP5 of humans, whose larger FR may be indicating the high recruitment of this digit during forceful precision grip characteristic of humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Bucchi
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 35 Avinguda de Catalunya, Tarragona, Spain.,Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), 4 Zona Educacional, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
| | - Javier Luengo
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 35 Avinguda de Catalunya, Tarragona, Spain.,Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), 4 Zona Educacional, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
| | - Antonietta Del Bove
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 35 Avinguda de Catalunya, Tarragona, Spain.,Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), 4 Zona Educacional, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
| | - Carlos Lorenzo
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 35 Avinguda de Catalunya, Tarragona, Spain.,Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), 4 Zona Educacional, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
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18
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Harper CM, Ruff CB, Sylvester AD. Gorilla calcaneal morphological variation and ecological divergence. Am J Phys Anthropol 2020; 174:49-65. [PMID: 32871028 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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19
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [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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Abstract
While non-human primate studies have long been conducted in laboratories, and more recently at zoological parks, sanctuaries are increasingly considered a viable setting for research. Accredited sanctuaries in non-range countries house thousands of primates formerly used as subjects of medical research, trained performers or personal pets. In range countries, however, sanctuaries typically house orphaned primates confiscated from illegal poaching and the bushmeat and pet trafficking trades. Although the primary mission of these sanctuaries is to rescue and rehabilitate residents, many of these organizations are increasingly willing to participate in non-invasive research. Notably, from a scientific standpoint, most sanctuaries provide potential advantages over traditional settings, such as large, naturalistic physical and social environments which may result in more relevant models of primates' free-ranging wild counterparts than other captive settings. As a result, an impressive scope of research in the fields of primate behaviour, cognition, veterinary science, genetics and physiology have been studied in sanctuaries. In this review, we examine the range and form of research that has been conducted at accredited sanctuaries around the world. We also describe the potential challenges of sanctuary-based work and the considerations that external researchers may face when deciding to collaborate with primate sanctuaries on their research projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Ross
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 North Clark St., Chicago, IL 60614, USA
| | - Jesse G Leinwand
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 North Clark St., Chicago, IL 60614, USA
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21
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Dunmore CJ, Bardo A, Skinner MM, Kivell TL. Trabecular variation in the first metacarpal and manipulation in hominids. Am J Phys Anthropol 2019; 171:219-241. [PMID: 31762017 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The dexterity of fossil hominins is often inferred by assessing the comparative manual anatomy and behaviors of extant hominids, with a focus on the thumb. The aim of this study is to test whether trabecular structure is consistent with what is currently known about habitually loaded thumb postures across extant hominids. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyze first metacarpal (Mc1) subarticular trabecular architecture in humans (Homo sapiens, n = 10), bonobos (Pan paniscus, n = 10), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes, n = 11), as well as for the first time, gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla, n = 10) and orangutans (Pongo sp., n = 1, Pongo abelii, n = 3 and Pongo pygmaeus, n = 5). Using a combination of subarticular and whole-epiphysis approaches, we test for significant differences in relative trabecular bone volume (RBV/TV) and degree of anisotropy (DA) between species. RESULTS Humans have significantly greater RBV/TV on the radiopalmar aspects of both the proximal and distal Mc1 subarticular surfaces and greater DA throughout the Mc1 head than other hominids. Nonhuman great apes have greatest RBV/TV on the ulnar aspect of the Mc1 head and the palmar aspect of the Mc1 base. Gorillas possessed significantly lower DA in the Mc1 head than any other taxon in our sample. DISCUSSION These results are consistent with abduction of the thumb during forceful "pad-to-pad" precision grips in humans and, in nonhuman great apes, a habitually adducted thumb that is typically used in precision and power grips. This comparative context will help infer habitual manipulative and locomotor grips in fossil hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Dunmore
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Ameline Bardo
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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22
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Dunmore CJ, Kivell TL, Bardo A, Skinner MM. Metacarpal trabecular bone varies with distinct hand-positions used in hominid locomotion. J Anat 2019; 235:45-66. [PMID: 31099419 PMCID: PMC6580057 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Trabecular bone remodels during life in response to loading and thus should, at least in part, reflect potential variation in the magnitude, frequency and direction of joint loading across different hominid species. Here we analyse the trabecular structure across all non-pollical metacarpal distal heads (Mc2-5) in extant great apes, expanding on previous volume of interest and whole-epiphysis analyses that have largely focused on only the first or third metacarpal. Specifically, we employ both a univariate statistical mapping and a multivariate approach to test for both inter-ray and interspecific differences in relative trabecular bone volume fraction (RBV/TV) and degree of anisotropy (DA) in Mc2-5 subchondral trabecular bone. Results demonstrate that whereas DA values only separate Pongo from African apes (Pan troglodytes, Pan paniscus, Gorilla gorilla), RBV/TV distribution varies with the predicted loading of the metacarpophalangeal (McP) joints during locomotor behaviours in each species. Gorilla exhibits a relatively dorsal distribution of RBV/TV consistent with habitual hyper-extension of the McP joints during knuckle-walking, whereas Pongo has a palmar distribution consistent with flexed McP joints used to grasp arboreal substrates. Both Pan species possess a disto-dorsal distribution of RBV/TV, compatible with multiple hand postures associated with a more varied locomotor regime. Further inter-ray comparisons reveal RBV/TV patterns consistent with varied knuckle-walking postures in Pan species in contrast to higher RBV/TV values toward the midline of the hand in Mc2 and Mc5 of Gorilla, consistent with habitual palm-back knuckle-walking. These patterns of trabecular bone distribution and structure reflect different behavioural signals that could be useful for determining the behaviours of fossil hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Dunmore
- Skeletal Biology Research CentreSchool of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
| | - Tracy L. Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research CentreSchool of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
- Department of Human EvolutionMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Ameline Bardo
- Skeletal Biology Research CentreSchool of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
| | - Matthew M. Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research CentreSchool of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
- Department of Human EvolutionMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
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Galletta L, Stephens NB, Bardo A, Kivell TL, Marchi D. Three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of the first metacarpal distal articular surface in humans, great apes and fossil hominins. J Hum Evol 2019; 132:119-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Ruff CB, Harper CM, Goldstein DM, Daegling DJ, McGraw WS. Long bone structural proportions and locomotor behavior in Cercopithecidae. J Hum Evol 2019; 132:47-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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NAKATSUKASA MASATO, MORIMOTO NAOKI, NISHIMURA TAKESHI. Sesamoids of the pollical metacarpophalangeal joint and the evolution of hominoid hands. ANTHROPOL SCI 2019. [DOI: 10.1537/ase.190908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- MASATO NAKATSUKASA
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto
| | - NAOKI MORIMOTO
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto
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Canington SL, Sylvester AD, Burgess ML, Junno J, Ruff CB. Long bone diaphyseal shape follows different ontogenetic trajectories in captive and wild gorillas. Am J Phys Anthropol 2018; 167:366-376. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L. Canington
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland
| | - Adam D. Sylvester
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland
| | - M. Loring Burgess
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland
| | | | - Christopher B. Ruff
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland
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Neufuss J, Robbins MM, Baeumer J, Humle T, Kivell TL. Manual skills for food processing by mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Neufuss
- Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Laboratory, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology & Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Martha M Robbins
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jana Baeumer
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tatyana Humle
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology & Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Laboratory, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology & Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Neufuss J, Robbins MM, Baeumer J, Humle T, Kivell TL. Gait characteristics of vertical climbing in mountain gorillas and chimpanzees. J Zool (1987) 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Neufuss
- Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Laboratory; School of Anthropology and Conservation; Skeletal Biology Research Centre; University of Kent; Canterbury UK
| | - M. M. Robbins
- Department of Primatology; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| | - J. Baeumer
- Department of Primatology; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| | - T. Humle
- School of Anthropology and Conservation; Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology; University of Kent; Canterbury UK
| | - T. L. Kivell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Laboratory; School of Anthropology and Conservation; Skeletal Biology Research Centre; University of Kent; Canterbury UK
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
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Abstract
Evolution of the human hand has undergone a transition from use during locomotion to use primarily for manipulation. Previous comparative morphological and biomechanical studies have focused on potential changes in manipulative abilities during human hand evolution, but few have focused on functional signals for arboreal locomotion. Here, we provide this comparative context though the first analysis of hand loading in captive bonobos during arboreal locomotion. We quantify pressure experienced by the fingers, palm and thumb in bonobos during vertical locomotion, suspension and arboreal knuckle-walking. Results show that pressure experienced by the fingers is significantly higher during knuckle-walking compared with similar pressures experienced by the fingers and palm during suspensory and vertical locomotion. Peak pressure is most often experienced at or around the third digit in all locomotor modes. Pressure quantified for the thumb is either very low or absent, despite the thumb making contact with the substrate during all suspensory and vertical locomotor trials. Unlike chimpanzees, the bonobos do not show a rolling pattern of digit contact with the substrate during arboreal knuckle-walking but, instead, digits 3 and 4 typically touch down first and digit 5 almost always made contact with the substrate. These results have implications for interpreting extant and fossilised hand morphology; we expect bonobo (and chimpanzee) bony morphology to primarily reflect the biomechanical loading of knuckle-walking, while functional signals for arboreal locomotion in fossil hominins are most likely to appear in the fingers, particularly digit 3, and least likely to appear in the morphology of the thumb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana S. Samuel
- Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Lab, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NR, UK
| | - Sandra Nauwelaerts
- Laboratory for Functional morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC), Koningin Astridplein 20-26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jeroen M. G. Stevens
- Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC), Koningin Astridplein 20-26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Tracy L. Kivell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Lab, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NR, UK
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig 04103, Germany
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