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Arranz SG, Casanovas-Vilar I, Žliobaitė I, Abella J, Angelone C, Azanza B, Bernor R, Cirilli O, DeMiguel D, Furió M, Pandolfi L, Robles JM, Sánchez IM, van den Hoek Ostende LW, Alba DM. Paleoenvironmental inferences on the Late Miocene hominoid-bearing site of Can Llobateres (NE Iberian Peninsula): An ecometric approach based on functional dental traits. J Hum Evol 2023; 185:103441. [PMID: 37857126 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103441] [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: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Hispanopithecus laietanus from the Late Miocene (9.8 Ma) of Can Llobateres 1 (CLL1; Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula) represents one of the latest occurrences of fossil apes in Western mainland Europe, where they are last recorded at ∼9.5 Ma. The paleoenvironment of CLL1 is thus relevant for understanding the extinction of European hominoids. To refine paleoenvironmental inferences for CLL1, we apply ecometric models based on functional crown type (FCT) variables-a scoring scheme devised to capture macroscopic functional traits of occlusal shape and wear surfaces of herbivorous large mammal molars. Paleotemperature and paleoprecipitation estimates for CLL1 are provided based on published regional regression models linking average FCT of large herbivorous mammal communities to climatic conditions. A mapping to Whittaker's present-day biome classification is also attempted based on these estimates, as well as a case-based reasoning via canonical variate analysis of FCT variables from five relevant biomes. Estimates of mean annual temperature (25 °C) and mean annual precipitation (881 mm) classify CLL1 as a tropical seasonal forest/savanna, only in partial agreement with the canonical variate analysis results, which classify CLL1 as a tropical rainforest with a higher probability. The former biome agrees better with previous inferences derived from fossil plants and mammals, as well as preliminary isotopic data. The misclassification of CLL1 as a tropical forest is attributed to the mixture of forest-adapted taxa with others adapted to more open environments, given that faunal and plant composition indicates the presence of a dense wetland/riparian forest with more open woodlands nearby. The tested FCT ecometric approaches do not provide unambiguous biome classification for CLL1. Nevertheless, our results are consistent with those from other approaches, thus suggesting that FCT variables are potentially useful to investigate paleoenvironmental changes through time and space-including those that led to the extinction of European Miocene apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara G Arranz
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Isaac Casanovas-Vilar
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Indrė Žliobaitė
- Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 68, 00014 Helsinky, Finland; Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, 00014 Helsinky, Finland
| | - Juan Abella
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Grup d'Investigació en Paleontologia de Vertebrats del Cenozoic (PVC-GIUV), Departament de Botànica i Geologia, Universitat de València, 46100 Burjassot, València, Spain; Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Pje. Rumipamba N. 341 y Av. de los Shyris (Parque La Carolina), Quito, Ecuador
| | - Chiara Angelone
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, 00146 Roma, Italy; Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100044 Beijing, China
| | - Beatriz Azanza
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, and Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Raymond Bernor
- College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Howard University, 520 W St. N.W., 20059, Washington D.C., USA; Human Origins Program, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 20013, Washington D.C., USA
| | - Omar Cirilli
- College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Howard University, 520 W St. N.W., 20059, Washington D.C., USA; Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, MRC 121, 20013, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Daniel DeMiguel
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, and Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain; ARAID Foundation, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Marc Furió
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Serra Húnter Fellow, Departament de Geologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luca Pandolfi
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università della Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano, 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - Josep M Robles
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Israel M Sánchez
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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Zanolli C, Bouchet F, Fortuny J, Bernardini F, Tuniz C, Alba DM. A reassessment of the distinctiveness of dryopithecine genera from the Iberian Miocene based on enamel-dentine junction geometric morphometric analyses. J Hum Evol 2023; 177:103326. [PMID: 36863301 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
A vast diversity of catarrhines primates has been uncovered in the Middle to Late Miocene (12.5-9.6 Ma) of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (northeastern Spain), including several hominid species (Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, Anoiapithecus brevirostris, Dryopithecus fontani, Hispanopithecus laietanus, and Hispanopithecus crusafonti) plus some remains attributed to 'Sivapithecus' occidentalis (of uncertain taxonomic validity). However, Pierolapithecus and Anoiapithecus have also been considered junior synonyms of Dryopithecus by some authors, which entail a lower generic diversity and an inflated intrageneric variation of the latter genus. Since the distinction of these taxa partly relies on dental features, the detailed and quantitative analysis of tooth shape might help disentangling the taxonomic diversity of these Miocene hominids. Using diffeomorphic surface matching and three-dimensional geometric morphometrics, we investigate the enamel-dentine junction shape (which is a reliable taxonomic proxy) of these Miocene hominids, with the aim of investigating their degree of intra- and intergeneric variation compared with that of extant great ape genera. We conducted statistical analyses, including between-group principal component analyses, canonical variate analyses, and permutation tests, to investigate whether the individual and combined (i.e., Dryopithecus s.l.) variation of the extinct genera exceeds that of the extant great apes. Our results indicate that Pierolapithecus, Anoiapithecus, Dryopithecus, and Hispanopithecus show morphological differences of enamel-dentine junction shape relative to the extant great apes that are consistent with their attribution to different genera. Specifically, the variation displayed by the Middle Miocene taxa combined exceeds that of extant great ape genera, thus undermining the single-genus hypothesis. 'Sivapithecus' occidentalis specimens fall close to Dryopithecus but in the absence of well-preserved comparable teeth for Pierolapithecus and Anoiapithecus, their taxonomic attribution remains uncertain. Among the Hispanopithecus sample, IPS1802 from Can Llobateres stands out and might either be an outlier in terms of morphology, or represent another dryopithecine taxon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France.
| | - Florian Bouchet
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Fortuny
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Federico Bernardini
- Department of Humanistic Studies, Università Ca'Foscari, Venezia, Italy; Multidisciplinary Laboratory, 'Abdus Salam' International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Via Beirut 31, 34151 Trieste, Italy
| | - Claudio Tuniz
- Multidisciplinary Laboratory, 'Abdus Salam' International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Via Beirut 31, 34151 Trieste, Italy
| | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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3
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Urciuoli A, Alba DM. Systematics of Miocene apes: State of the art of a neverending controversy. J Hum Evol 2023; 175:103309. [PMID: 36716680 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Hominoids diverged from cercopithecoids during the Oligocene in Afro-Arabia, initially radiating in that continent and subsequently dispersing into Eurasia. From the Late Miocene onward, the geographic range of hominoids progressively shrank, except for hominins, which dispersed out of Africa during the Pleistocene. Although the overall picture of hominoid evolution is clear based on available fossil evidence, many uncertainties persist regarding the phylogeny and paleobiogeography of Miocene apes (nonhominin hominoids), owing to their sparse record, pervasive homoplasy, and the decimated current diversity of this group. We review Miocene ape systematics and evolution by focusing on the most parsimonious cladograms published during the last decade. First, we provide a historical account of the progress made in Miocene ape phylogeny and paleobiogeography, report an updated classification of Miocene apes, and provide a list of Miocene ape species-locality occurrences together with an analysis of their paleobiodiversity dynamics. Second, we discuss various critical issues of Miocene ape phylogeny and paleobiogeography (hylobatid and crown hominid origins, plus the relationships of Oreopithecus) in the light of the highly divergent results obtained from cladistic analyses of craniodental and postcranial characters separately. We conclude that cladistic efforts to disentangle Miocene ape phylogeny are potentially biased by a long-branch attraction problem caused by the numerous postcranial similarities shared between hylobatids and hominids-despite the increasingly held view that they are likely homoplastic to a large extent, as illustrated by Sivapithecus and Pierolapithecus-and further aggravated by abundant missing data owing to incomplete preservation. Finally, we argue that-besides the recovery of additional fossils, the retrieval of paleoproteomic data, and a better integration between cladistics and geometric morphometrics-Miocene ape phylogenetics should take advantage of total-evidence (tip-dating) Bayesian methods of phylogenetic inference combining morphologic, molecular, and chronostratigraphic data. This would hopefully help ascertain whether hylobatid divergence was more basal than currently supported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Urciuoli
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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4
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Reassessment of the phylogenetic relationships of the late Miocene apes Hispanopithecus and Rudapithecus based on vestibular morphology. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2015215118. [PMID: 33495351 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2015215118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Late Miocene great apes are key to reconstructing the ancestral morphotype from which earliest hominins evolved. Despite consensus that the late Miocene dryopith great apes Hispanopithecus laietanus (Spain) and Rudapithecus hungaricus (Hungary) are closely related (Hominidae), ongoing debate on their phylogenetic relationships with extant apes (stem hominids, hominines, or pongines) complicates our understanding of great ape and human evolution. To clarify this question, we rely on the morphology of the inner ear semicircular canals, which has been shown to be phylogenetically informative. Based on microcomputed tomography scans, we describe the vestibular morphology of Hispanopithecus and Rudapithecus, and compare them with extant hominoids using landmark-free deformation-based three-dimensional geometric morphometric analyses. We also provide critical evidence about the evolutionary patterns of the vestibular apparatus in living and fossil hominoids under different phylogenetic assumptions for dryopiths. Our results are consistent with the distinction of Rudapithecus and Hispanopithecus at the genus rank, and further support their allocation to the Hominidae based on their derived semicircular canal volumetric proportions. Compared with extant hominids, the vestibular morphology of Hispanopithecus and Rudapithecus most closely resembles that of African apes, and differs from the derived condition of orangutans. However, the vestibular morphologies reconstructed for the last common ancestors of dryopiths, crown hominines, and crown hominids are very similar, indicating that hominines are plesiomorphic in this regard. Therefore, our results do not conclusively favor a hominine or stem hominid status for the investigated dryopiths.
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Prang TC, Ramirez K, Grabowski M, Williams SA. Ardipithecus hand provides evidence that humans and chimpanzees evolved from an ancestor with suspensory adaptations. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabf2474. [PMID: 33627435 PMCID: PMC7904256 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf2474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The morphology and positional behavior of the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees are critical for understanding the evolution of bipedalism. Early 20th century anatomical research supported the view that humans evolved from a suspensory ancestor bearing some resemblance to apes. However, the hand of the 4.4-million-year-old hominin Ardipithecus ramidus purportedly provides evidence that the hominin hand was derived from a more generalized form. Here, we use morphometric and phylogenetic comparative methods to show that Ardipithecus retains suspensory adapted hand morphologies shared with chimpanzees and bonobos. We identify an evolutionary shift in hand morphology between Ardipithecus and Australopithecus that renews questions about the coevolution of hominin manipulative capabilities and obligate bipedalism initially proposed by Darwin. Overall, our results suggest that early hominins evolved from an ancestor with a varied positional repertoire including suspension and vertical climbing, directly affecting the viable range of hypotheses for the origin of our lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Prang
- Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Kristen Ramirez
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Department of Anthropology, CUNY Graduate Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Office of Medical Education, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Mark Grabowski
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
- Centre for Ecology and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Scott A Williams
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Early anthropoid femora reveal divergent adaptive trajectories in catarrhine hind-limb evolution. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4778. [PMID: 31699998 PMCID: PMC6838095 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12742-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The divergence of crown catarrhines—i.e., the split of cercopithecoids (Old World monkeys) from hominoids (apes and humans)—is a poorly understood phase in our shared evolutionary history with other primates. The two groups differ in the anatomy of the hip joint, a pattern that has been linked to their locomotor strategies: relatively restricted motion in cercopithecoids vs. more eclectic movements in hominoids. Here we take advantage of the first well-preserved proximal femur of the early Oligocene stem catarrhine Aegyptopithecus to investigate the evolution of this anatomical region using 3D morphometric and phylogenetically-informed evolutionary analyses. Our analyses reveal that cercopithecoids and hominoids have undergone divergent evolutionary transformations of the proximal femur from a similar ancestral morphology that is not seen in any living anthropoid, but is preserved in Aegyptopithecus, stem platyrrhines, and stem cercopithecoids. These results highlight the relevance of fossil evidence for illuminating key adaptive shifts in primate evolution. The proximal femur is key for understanding locomotion in primates. Here, the authors analyze the evolution of the proximal femur in catarrhines, including a new Aegyptopithecus fossil, and suggest that Old World monkeys and hominoids diverged from an ancestral state similar to Aegyptopithecus.
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7
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A late Miocene hominid partial pelvis from Hungary. J Hum Evol 2019; 136:102645. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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8
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Pina M, Alba DM, Moyà-Solà S, Almécija S. Femoral neck cortical bone distribution of dryopithecin apes and the evolution of hominid locomotion. J Hum Evol 2019; 136:102651. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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9
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The mechanical origins of arm-swinging. J Hum Evol 2019; 130:61-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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10
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Wuthrich C, MacLatchy LM, Nengo IO. Wrist morphology reveals substantial locomotor diversity among early catarrhines: an analysis of capitates from the early Miocene of Tinderet (Kenya). Sci Rep 2019; 9:3728. [PMID: 30842461 PMCID: PMC6403298 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39800-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Considerable taxonomic diversity has been recognised among early Miocene catarrhines (apes, Old World monkeys, and their extinct relatives). However, locomotor diversity within this group has eluded characterization, bolstering a narrative that nearly all early catarrhines shared a primitive locomotor repertoire resembling that of the well-described arboreal quadruped Ekembo heseloni. Here we describe and analyse seven catarrhine capitates from the Tinderet Miocene sequence of Kenya, dated to ~20 Ma. 3D morphometrics derived from these specimens and a sample of extant and fossil capitates are subjected to a series of multivariate comparisons, with results suggesting a variety of locomotor repertoires were present in this early Miocene setting. One of the fossil specimens is uniquely derived among early and middle Miocene capitates, representing the earliest known instance of great ape-like wrist morphology and supporting the presence of a behaviourally advanced ape at Songhor. We suggest Rangwapithecus as this catarrhine’s identity, and posit expression of derived, ape-like features as a criterion for distinguishing this taxon from Proconsul africanus. We also introduce a procedure for quantitative estimation of locomotor diversity and find the Tinderet sample to equal or exceed large extant catarrhine groups in this metric, demonstrating greater functional diversity among early catarrhines than previously recognised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig Wuthrich
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. .,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
| | - Laura M MacLatchy
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Isaiah O Nengo
- Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.,Turkana University College, P.O. Box 69-30500, Lodwar, Kenya
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Arias‐Martorell J. The morphology and evolutionary history of the glenohumeral joint of hominoids: A review. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:703-722. [PMID: 30680150 PMCID: PMC6342098 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The glenohumeral joint, the most mobile joint in the body of hominoids, is involved in the locomotion of all extant primates apart from humans. Over the last few decades, our knowledge of how variation in its morphological characteristics relates to different locomotor behaviors within extant primates has greatly improved, including features of the proximal humerus and the glenoid cavity of the scapula, as well as the muscles that function to move the joint (the rotator cuff muscles). The glenohumeral joint is a region with a strong morphofunctional signal, and hence, its study can shed light on the locomotor behaviors of crucial ancestral nodes in the evolutionary history of hominoids (e.g., the last common ancestor between humans and chimpanzees). Hominoids, in particular, are distinct in showing round and relatively big proximal humeri with lowered tubercles and flattened and oval glenoid cavities, morphology suited to engage in a wide range of motions, which enables the use of locomotor behaviors such as suspension. The comparison with extant taxa has enabled more informed functional interpretations of morphology in extinct primates, including hominoids, from the Early Miocene through to the emergence of hominins. Here, I review our current understanding of glenohumeral joint functional morphology and its evolution throughout the Miocene and Pleistocene, as well as highlighting the areas where a deeper study of this joint is still needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Arias‐Martorell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution LabSkeletal Biology Research CentreSchool of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
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12
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Sukhdeo S, Parsons J, Niu XM, Ryan TM. Trabecular Bone Structure in the Distal Femur of Humans, Apes, and Baboons. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 303:129-149. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simone Sukhdeo
- Department of AnthropologyPennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania
| | - Jacob Parsons
- Department of StatisticsPennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania
| | - Xiaoyue Maggie Niu
- Department of StatisticsPennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania
| | - Timothy M. Ryan
- Department of AnthropologyPennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania
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13
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Lu SC, Vereecke EE, Synek A, Pahr DH, Kivell TL. A novel experimental design for the measurement of metacarpal bone loading and deformation and fingertip force. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5480. [PMID: 30221084 PMCID: PMC6138040 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Musculoskeletal and finite element modelling are often used to predict joint loading and bone strength within the human hand, but there is a lack of in vitro evidence of the force and strain experienced by hand bones. Methods This study presents a novel experimental setup that allows the positioning of a cadaveric digit in a variety of postures with the measurement of force and strain experienced by the third metacarpal. The setup allows for the measurement of fingertip force as well. We tested this experimental setup using three cadaveric human third digits in which the flexor tendons were loaded in two tendon pathways: (1) parallel to the metacarpal bone shaft, with bowstringing; (2) a semi-physiological condition in which the tendons were positioned closer to the bone shaft. Results There is substantial variation in metacarpal net force, metacarpal strain and fingertip force between the two tendon pathways. The net force acting on the metacarpal bone is oriented palmarly in the parallel tendon condition, causing tension along the dorsum of the metacarpal shaft, while the force increases and is oriented dorsally in the semi-physiological condition, causing compression of the dorsal metacarpal shaft. Fingertip force is also greater in the semi-physiological condition, implying a more efficient grip function. Inter-individual variation is observed in the radioulnar orientation of the force experienced by the metacarpal bone, the fingertip force, and the strain patterns on the metacarpal shaft. Conclusion This study demonstrates a new method for measuring force and strain experienced by the metacarpal, and fingertip force in cadaveric digits that can, in turn, inform computation models. Inter-individual variation in loads experienced by the third digit suggest that there are differences in joint contact and/or internal bone structure across individuals that are important to consider in clinical and evolutionary contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szu-Ching Lu
- Animal Postcranial Evolution Lab, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Evie E Vereecke
- Department of Development and Regeneration, University of Leuven, Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Alexander Synek
- Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dieter H Pahr
- Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Anatomy and Biomechanics, Karl Landsteiner Private University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution Lab, 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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Can Pallars i Llobateres: A new hominoid-bearing locality from the late Miocene of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula). J Hum Evol 2018; 121:193-203. [PMID: 29786505 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In the Iberian Peninsula, Miocene apes (Hominoidea) are generally rare and mostly restricted to the Vallès-Penedès Basin. Here we report a new hominoid maxillary fragment with M2 from this basin. It was surface-collected in March 2017 from the site of Can Pallars i Llobateres (CPL, Sant Quirze del Vallès), where fossil apes had not been previously recorded. The locality of provenance (CPL-M), which has delivered no further fossil remains, is located very close (ca. 50 m) to previously known CPL outcrops, and not very far (ca. 500 m in NW direction) from the classical hominoid-bearing locality of Can Poncic 1. Here we describe the new fossil and, based on the size and proportions of the M2, justify its taxonomic attribution to Hispanopithecus cf. laietanus, a species previously recorded from several Vallesian sites of the Vallès-Penedès Basin. Based on the associated mammalian fauna from CPL, we also provide a biochronological dating and a paleoenvironmental reconstruction for the site. The associated fauna enables an unambiguous correlation to the Cricetulodon hartenbergeri - Progonomys hispanicus interval local subzone, with an estimated age of 9.98-9.73 Ma (late Vallesian, MN10). Therefore, CPL-M is roughly coeval with the Hispanopithecus laietanus-bearing localities of Can Llobateres 1 and Can Feu 1, and minimally older than those of La Tarumba 1 and Can Llobateres 2. In contrast, CPL-M is younger than the early Vallesian (MN9) localities of Can Poncic 1 (the type locality of Hispanopithecus crusafonti) as well as Polinyà 2 (Gabarró) and Estació Depuradora d'Aigües Residuals-Riu Ripoll 13, where Hispanopithecus sp. is recorded. The associated fauna from CPL indicates a densely forested and humid paleoenvironment with nearby freshwater. This supports the view that Hispanopithecus might have been restricted to dense wetland forests soon before its extinction during the late Vallesian, due to progressive climatic deterioration. Coupled with the existence of other fossiliferous outcrops in the area, this find is most promising for the prospect of discovering additional fossil hominoid remains in the future.
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15
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Hominin hand bone fossils from Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa (1998–2003 excavations). J Hum Evol 2018; 118:89-102. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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16
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Simpson SW, Latimer B, Lovejoy CO. Why Do Knuckle-Walking African Apes Knuckle-Walk? Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 301:496-514. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Scott W. Simpson
- Department of Anatomy; Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Cleveland Ohio
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology; Cleveland Museum of Natural History; Cleveland Ohio
| | - Bruce Latimer
- Department of Orthodontics; Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine; Cleveland Ohio
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology; Cleveland Museum of Natural History; Cleveland Ohio
| | - C. Owen Lovejoy
- Department of Anthropology; Kent State University; Kent Ohio
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology; Cleveland Museum of Natural History; Cleveland Ohio
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17
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Thompson NE, Ostrofsky KR, McFarlin SC, Robbins MM, Stoinski TS, Almécija S. Unexpected terrestrial hand posture diversity in wild mountain gorillas. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 166:84-94. [PMID: 29344933 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2017] [Revised: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Gorillas, along with chimpanzees and bonobos, are ubiquitously described as 'knuckle-walkers.' Consequently, knuckle-walking (KW) has been featured pre-eminently in hypotheses of the pre-bipedal locomotor behavior of hominins and in the evolution of locomotor behavior in apes. However, anecdotal and behavioral accounts suggest that mountain gorillas may utilize a more complex repertoire of hand postures, which could alter current interpretations of African ape locomotion and its role in the emergence of human bipedalism. Here we documented hand postures during terrestrial locomotion in wild mountain gorillas to investigate the frequency with which KW and other hand postures are utilized in the wild. MATERIALS AND METHODS Multiple high-speed cameras were used to record bouts of terrestrial locomotion of 77 habituated mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda) and Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda). RESULTS We captured high-speed video of hand contacts in 8% of the world's population of mountain gorillas. Our results reveal that nearly 40% of these gorillas used "non-KW" hand postures, and these hand postures constituted 15% of all hand contacts. Some of these "non-KW" hand postures have never been documented in gorillas, yet match hand postures previously identified in orangutans. DISCUSSION These results highlight a previously unrecognized level of hand postural diversity in gorillas, and perhaps great apes generally. Although present at lower frequencies than KW, we suggest that the possession of multiple, versatile hand postures present in wild mountain gorillas may represent a shared feature of the African ape and human clade (or even great ape clade) rather than KW per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan E Thompson
- Department of Anatomy, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, Northern Boulevard, Old Westbury, New York
| | - Kelly R Ostrofsky
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, 800 22nd St. NW, Suite 6000, Washington, DC
| | - Shannon C McFarlin
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, 800 22nd St. NW, Suite 6000, Washington, DC
| | - Martha M Robbins
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Tara S Stoinski
- Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, 800 Cherokee Avenue SE, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, 800 22nd St. NW, Suite 6000, Washington, DC.,Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
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18
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Finestone EM, Brown MH, Ross SR, Pontzer H. Great ape walking kinematics: Implications for hominoid evolution. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 166:43-55. [PMID: 29313896 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Great apes provide a point of reference for understanding the evolution of locomotion in hominoids and early hominins. We assessed (1) the extent to which great apes use diagonal sequence, diagonal couplet gaits, like other primates, (2) the extent to which gait and posture vary across great apes, and (3) the role of body mass and limb proportions on ape quadrupedal kinematics. METHODS High-speed digital video of zoo-housed bonobos (Pan paniscus, N = 8), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes, N = 13), lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla, N = 13), and orangutans (Pongo spp. N = 6) walking over-ground at self-selected speeds were used to determine the timing of limb touch-down, take-off, and to measure joint and segment angles at touch-down, midstance, and take-off. RESULTS The great apes in our study showed broad kinematic and spatiotemporal similarity in quadrupedal walking. Size-adjusted walking speed was the strongest predictor of gait variables. Body mass had a negligible effect on variation in joint and segment angles, but stride frequency did trend higher among larger apes in analyses including size-adjusted speed. In contrast to most other primates, great apes did not favor diagonal sequence footfall patterns, but exhibited variable gait patterns that frequently shifted between diagonal and lateral sequences. CONCLUSION Similarities in the terrestrial walking kinematics of extant great apes likely reflect their similar post-cranial anatomy and proportions. Our results suggest that the walking kinematics of orthograde, suspensory Miocene ape species were likely similar to living great apes, and highlight the utility of videographic and behavioral data in interpreting primate skeletal morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma M Finestone
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York 10016.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, New York
| | - Mary H Brown
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Ilinois 60614
| | - Stephen R Ross
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Ilinois 60614
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York 10016.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, New York.,Department of Anthropology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, New York, 10065
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TAKANO TOMO, NAKATSUKASA MASATO, KUNIMATSU YUTAKA, NAKANO YOSHIHIKO, OGIHARA NAOMICHI, ISHIDA HIDEMI. Forelimb long bones of Nacholapithecus (KNM-BG 35250) from the middle Miocene in Nachola, northern Kenya. ANTHROPOL SCI 2018. [DOI: 10.1537/ase.181022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [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
| | | | - YOSHIHIKO NAKANO
- Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Department of Human Science, Osaka University, Suita
| | - NAOMICHI OGIHARA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Yokohama
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20
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Crompton RH. The hominins: a very conservative tribe? Last common ancestors, plasticity and ecomorphology in Hominidae. Or, What's in a name? J Anat 2016; 228:686-99. [PMID: 26729562 PMCID: PMC4804133 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the early 20th century the dominant paradigm for the ecological context of the origins of human bipedalism was arboreal suspension. In the 1960s, however, with recognition of the close genetic relationship of humans, chimpanzees and bonobos, and with the first field studies of mountain gorillas and common chimpanzees, it was assumed that locomotion similar to that of common chimpanzees and mountain gorillas, which appeared to be dominated by terrestrial knuckle-walking, must have given rise to human bipedality. This paradigm has been popular, if not universally dominant, until very recently. However, evidence that neither the knuckle-walking or vertical climbing of these apes is mechanically similar to human bipedalism, as well as the hand-assisted bipedality and orthograde clambering of orang-utans, has cast doubt on this paradigm. It now appears that the dominance of terrestrial knuckle-walking in mountain gorillas is an artefact seen only in the extremes of their range, and that both mountain and lowland gorillas have a generalized orthogrady similar to that seen in orang-utans. These data, together with evidence for continued arboreal competence in humans, mesh well with an increasing weight of fossil evidence suggesting that a mix of orang-utan and gorilla-like arboreal locomotion and upright terrestrial bipedalism characterized most australopiths. The late split date of the panins, corresponding to dates for separation of Homo and Australopithecus, leads to the speculation that competition with chimpanzees, as appears to exist today with gorillas, may have driven ecological changes in hominins and perhaps cladogenesis. However, selection for ecological plasticity and morphological conservatism is a core characteristic of Hominidae as a whole, including Hominini.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Huw Crompton
- Department of Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Institute of Human Origins, The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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21
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Ogihara N, Almécija S, Nakatsukasa M, Nakano Y, Kikuchi Y, Kunimatsu Y, Makishima H, Shimizu D, Takano T, Tsujikawa H, Kagaya M, Ishida H. Carpal bones ofNacholapithecus kerioi, a Middle Miocene Hominoid From Northern Kenya. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 160:469-82. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2015] [Revised: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Naomichi Ogihara
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology; Keio University; Yokohama 223-8522 Japan
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology; the George Washington University; Washington DC 20052
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici ICTA-ICP, Carrer de les Columnes sense número; Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès Barcelona Spain
| | - Masato Nakatsukasa
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science; Kyoto University; Kyoto 606-8502 Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Nakano
- Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Graduate School of Human Sciences; Osaka University; Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Kikuchi
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine; Saga University; Saga 840-8501 Japan
| | - Yutaka Kunimatsu
- Faculty of Business Administration; Ryukoku University; Kyoto 612-8577 Japan
| | - Haruyuki Makishima
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science; Kyoto University; Kyoto 606-8502 Japan
| | - Daisuke Shimizu
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science; Kyoto University; Kyoto 606-8502 Japan
| | | | - Hiroshi Tsujikawa
- Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medical Science and Welfare; Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University; Sendai 981-8551 Japan
| | - Miyuki Kagaya
- Faculty of Medicine; Hiroshima University; Hiroshima 734-8553 Japan
| | - Hidemi Ishida
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science; Kyoto University; Kyoto 606-8502 Japan
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22
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23
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Nowak MG, Reichard UH. Locomotion and Posture in Ancestral Hominoids Prior to the Split of Hylobatids. DEVELOPMENTS IN PRIMATOLOGY: PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-5614-2_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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24
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Drapeau MSM. Metacarpal torsion in apes, humans, and early Australopithecus: implications for manipulatory abilities. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1311. [PMID: 26500820 PMCID: PMC4614803 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 09/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Human hands, when compared to that of apes, have a series of adaptations to facilitate manipulation. Numerous studies have shown that Australopithecus afarensis and Au. africanus display some of these adaptations, such as a longer thumb relative to the other fingers, asymmetric heads on the second and fifth metacarpals, and orientation of the second metacarpal joints with the trapezium and capitate away from the sagittal plane, while lacking others such as a very mobile fifth metacarpal, a styloid process on the third, and a flatter metacarpo-trapezium articulation, suggesting some adaptation to manipulation but more limited than in humans. This paper explores variation in metacarpal torsion, a trait said to enhance manipulation, in humans, apes, early australopithecines and specimens from Swartkrans. This study shows that humans are different from large apes in torsion of the third and fourth metacarpals. Humans are also characterized by wedge-shaped bases of the third and fourth metacarpals, making the metacarpal-base row very arched mediolaterally and placing the ulnar-most metacarpals in a position that facilitate opposition to the thumb in power or cradle grips. The third and fourth metacarpals of Au. afarensis are very human-like, suggesting that the medial palm was already well adapted for these kinds of grips in that taxon. Au. africanus present a less clear human-like morphology, suggesting, perhaps, that the medial palm was less suited to human-like manipulation in that taxa than in Au. afarensis. Overall, this study supports previous studies on Au. afarensis and Au. africanus that these taxa had derived hand morphology with some adaptation to human-like power and precision grips and support the hypothesis that dexterous hands largely predated Homo.
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25
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Domínguez-Rodrigo M, Pickering TR, Almécija S, Heaton JL, Baquedano E, Mabulla A, Uribelarrea D. Earliest modern human-like hand bone from a new >1.84-million-year-old site at Olduvai in Tanzania. Nat Commun 2015; 6:7987. [PMID: 26285128 PMCID: PMC4557276 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 07/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern humans are characterized by specialized hand morphology that is associated with advanced manipulative skills. Thus, there is important debate in paleoanthropology about the possible cause–effect relationship of this modern human-like (MHL) hand anatomy, its associated grips and the invention and use of stone tools by early hominins. Here we describe and analyse Olduvai Hominin (OH) 86, a manual proximal phalanx from the recently discovered >1.84-million-year-old (Ma) Philip Tobias Korongo (PTK) site at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania). OH 86 represents the earliest MHL hand bone in the fossil record, of a size and shape that differs not only from all australopiths, but also from the phalangeal bones of the penecontemporaneous and geographically proximate OH 7 partial hand skeleton (part of the Homo habilis holotype). The discovery of OH 86 suggests that a hominin with a more MHL postcranium co-existed with Paranthropus boisei and Homo habilis at Olduvai during Bed I times. The homin fossil record reveals a complex pattern of hand evolution. Here, the authors describe a phalanx of a >1.84-million-year-old unidentified hominin, which represents the earliest modern human like hand bone in the fossil record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo
- 1] IDEA (Instituto de Evolución en África), Museo de los Orígenes, Plaza de San Andrés 2, 28005 Madrid, Spain [2] Department of Prehistory, Complutense University, Prof. Aranguren s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Travis Rayne Pickering
- 1] Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA [2] Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, WITS, 2050 Johannesburg, South Africa [3] Plio-Pleistocene Palaeontology Section, Department of Vertebrates, Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (Transvaal Museum), Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Sergio Almécija
- 1] Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia 20052, USA [2] Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-8081, USA [3] Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), campus de la UAB, c/ de les Columnes, s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Jason L Heaton
- 1] Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, WITS, 2050 Johannesburg, South Africa [2] Plio-Pleistocene Palaeontology Section, Department of Vertebrates, Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (Transvaal Museum), Pretoria 0002, South Africa [3] Department of Biology, Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, Alabama 35254, USA
| | - Enrique Baquedano
- 1] IDEA (Instituto de Evolución en África), Museo de los Orígenes, Plaza de San Andrés 2, 28005 Madrid, Spain [2] Museo Arqueológico Regional, Plaza de las Bernardas s/n, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Audax Mabulla
- Archaeology Unit, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, PO Box 35050 Tanzania
| | - David Uribelarrea
- Department of Geodynamics, Complutense University, c/ José Antonio Novás 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Almécija S, Smaers JB, Jungers WL. The evolution of human and ape hand proportions. Nat Commun 2015; 6:7717. [PMID: 26171589 PMCID: PMC4510966 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Human hands are distinguished from apes by possessing longer thumbs relative to fingers. However, this simple ape-human dichotomy fails to provide an adequate framework for testing competing hypotheses of human evolution and for reconstructing the morphology of the last common ancestor (LCA) of humans and chimpanzees. We inspect human and ape hand-length proportions using phylogenetically informed morphometric analyses and test alternative models of evolution along the anthropoid tree of life, including fossils like the plesiomorphic ape Proconsul heseloni and the hominins Ardipithecus ramidus and Australopithecus sediba. Our results reveal high levels of hand disparity among modern hominoids, which are explained by different evolutionary processes: autapomorphic evolution in hylobatids (extreme digital and thumb elongation), convergent adaptation between chimpanzees and orangutans (digital elongation) and comparatively little change in gorillas and hominins. The human (and australopith) high thumb-to-digits ratio required little change since the LCA, and was acquired convergently with other highly dexterous anthropoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Almécija
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department
of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington,
DC
20052, USA
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University,
Stony Brook, New York
11794, USA
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont
(ICP), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP),
campus de la UAB, c/ de les Columnes, s/n., 08193
Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Jeroen B. Smaers
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University,
Stony Brook, New York
11794, USA
| | - William L. Jungers
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University,
Stony Brook, New York
11794, USA
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27
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Young JW, Russo GA, Fellmann CD, Thatikunta MA, Chadwell BA. Tail function during arboreal quadrupedalism in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis) and tamarins (Saguinus oedipus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 323:556-66. [PMID: 26173756 DOI: 10.1002/jez.1948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2015] [Revised: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The need to maintain stability on narrow branches is often presented as a major selective force shaping primate morphology, with adaptations to facilitate grasping receiving particular attention. The functional importance of a long and mobile tail for maintaining arboreal stability has been comparatively understudied. Tails can facilitate arboreal balance by acting as either static counterbalances or dynamic inertial appendages able to modulate whole-body angular momentum. We investigate associations between tail use and inferred grasping ability in two closely related cebid platyrrhines-cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) and black-capped squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis). Using high-speed videography of captive monkeys moving on 3.2 cm diameter poles, we specifically test the hypothesis that squirrel monkeys (characterized by grasping extremities with long digits) will be less dependent on the tail for balance than tamarins (characterized by claw-like nails, short digits, and a reduced hallux). Tamarins have relatively longer tails than squirrel monkeys, move their tails through greater angular amplitudes, at higher angular velocities, and with greater angular accelerations, suggesting dynamic use of tail to regulate whole-body angular momentum. By contrast, squirrel monkeys generally hold their tails in a comparatively stationary posture and at more depressed angles, suggesting a static counterbalancing mechanism. This study, the first empirical test of functional tradeoffs between grasping ability and tail use in arboreal primates, suggests a critical role for the tail in maintaining stability during arboreal quadrupedalism. Our findings have the potential to inform our functional understanding of tail loss during primate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse W Young
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), Rootstown, Ohio.,School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
| | - Gabrielle A Russo
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Connie D Fellmann
- Department of Anthropology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Meena A Thatikunta
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), Rootstown, Ohio
| | - Brad A Chadwell
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), Rootstown, Ohio
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28
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Reno PL. Genetic and developmental basis for parallel evolution and its significance for hominoid evolution. Evol Anthropol 2015; 23:188-200. [PMID: 25347977 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Greater understanding of ape comparative anatomy and evolutionary history has brought a general appreciation that the hominoid radiation is characterized by substantial homoplasy.(1-4) However, little consensus has been reached regarding which features result from repeated evolution. This has important implications for reconstructing ancestral states throughout hominoid evolution, including the nature of the Pan-Homo last common ancestor (LCA). Advances from evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) have expanded the diversity of model organisms available for uncovering the morphogenetic mechanisms underlying instances of repeated phenotypic change. Of particular relevance to hominoids are data from adaptive radiations of birds, fish, and even flies demonstrating that parallel phenotypic changes often use similar genetic and developmental mechanisms. The frequent reuse of a limited set of genes and pathways underlying phenotypic homoplasy suggests that the conserved nature of the genetic and developmental architecture of animals can influence evolutionary outcomes. Such biases are particularly likely to be shared by closely related taxa that reside in similar ecological niches and face common selective pressures. Consideration of these developmental and ecological factors provides a strong theoretical justification for the substantial homoplasy observed in the evolution of complex characters and the remarkable parallel similarities that can occur in closely related taxa. Thus, as in other branches of the hominoid radiation, repeated phenotypic evolution within African apes is also a distinct possibility. If so, the availability of complete genomes for each of the hominoid genera makes them another model to explore the genetic basis of repeated evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip L Reno
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802
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Arias-Martorell J, Alba DM, Potau JM, Bello-Hellegouarch G, Pérez-Pérez A. Morphological affinities of the proximal humerus of Epipliopithecus vindobonensis and Pliopithecus antiquus: Suspensory inferences based on a 3D geometric morphometrics approach. J Hum Evol 2015; 80:83-95. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2014] [Revised: 08/20/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Williams SA, Russo GA. Evolution of the hominoid vertebral column: The long and the short of it. Evol Anthropol 2015; 24:15-32. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Arias-Martorell J, Tallman M, Potau JM, Bello-Hellegouarch G, Pérez-Pérez A. Shape analysis of the proximal humerus in orthograde and semi-orthograde primates: Correlates of suspensory behavior. Am J Primatol 2014; 77:1-19. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2013] [Revised: 04/28/2014] [Accepted: 05/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Arias-Martorell
- Anthropology Unit; Animal Biology Department; University of Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
| | - Melissa Tallman
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; Grand Valley State University; Allendale Michigan
| | - Josep Maria Potau
- Unit of Human Anatomy and Embryology; University of Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
| | | | - Alejandro Pérez-Pérez
- Anthropology Unit; Animal Biology Department; University of Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
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de Bonis L, Koufos GD. First discovery of postcranial bones of Ouranopithecus macedoniensis (Primates, Hominoidea) from the late Miocene of Macedonia (Greece). J Hum Evol 2014; 74:21-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2012] [Revised: 03/20/2014] [Accepted: 05/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Susanna I, Alba DM, Almécija S, Moyà-Solà S. The vertebral remains of the late Miocene great ape Hispanopithecus laietanus from Can Llobateres 2 (Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula). J Hum Evol 2014; 73:15-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Revised: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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DeMiguel D, Alba DM, Moyà-Solà S. Dietary specialization during the evolution of Western Eurasian hominoids and the extinction of European Great Apes. PLoS One 2014; 9:e97442. [PMID: 24848272 PMCID: PMC4029579 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the central adaptive role of diet, paleodietary inference is essential for understanding the relationship between evolutionary and paleoenvironmental change. Here we rely on dental microwear analysis to investigate the role of dietary specialization in the diversification and extinction of Miocene hominoids from Western Eurasian between 14 and 7 Ma. New microwear results for five extinct taxa are analyzed together with previous data for other Western Eurasian genera. Except Pierolapithecus (that resembles hard-object feeders) and Oreopithecus (a soft-frugivore probably foraging opportunistically on other foods), most of the extinct taxa lack clear extant dietary analogues. They display some degee of sclerocarpy, which is most clearly expressed in Griphopithecus and Ouranopithecus (adapted to more open and arid environments), whereas Anoiapithecus, Dryopithecus and, especially, Hispanopithecus species apparently relied more strongly on soft-frugivory. Thus, contrasting with the prevailing sclerocarpic condition at the beginning of the Eurasian hominoid radiation, soft- and mixed-frugivory coexisted with hard-object feeding in the Late Miocene. Therefore, despite a climatic trend towards cooling and increased seasonality, a progressive dietary diversification would have occurred (probably due to competitive exclusion and increased environmental heterogeneity), although strict folivory did not evolve. Overall, our analyses support the view that the same dietary specializations that enabled Western Eurasian hominoids to face progressive climatic deterioration were the main factor ultimately leading to their extinction when more drastic paleoenvironmental changes took place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel DeMiguel
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - David M. Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- ICREA at Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont and Unitat d’Antropologia Biològica (Dept. BABVE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Pina M, Almécija S, Alba DM, O'Neill MC, Moyà-Solà S. The Middle Miocene ape Pierolapithecus catalaunicus exhibits extant great ape-like morphometric affinities on its patella: inferences on knee function and evolution. PLoS One 2014; 9:e91944. [PMID: 24637777 PMCID: PMC3956854 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2013] [Accepted: 02/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The mosaic nature of the Miocene ape postcranium hinders the reconstruction of the positional behavior and locomotion of these taxa based on isolated elements only. The fossil great ape Pierolapithecus catalaunicus (IPS 21350 skeleton; 11.9 Ma) exhibits a relatively wide and shallow thorax with moderate hand length and phalangeal curvature, dorsally-oriented metacarpophalangeal joints, and loss of ulnocarpal articulation. This evidence reveals enhanced orthograde postures without modern ape-like below-branch suspensory adaptations. Therefore, it has been proposed that natural selection enhanced vertical climbing (and not suspension per se) in Pierolapithecus catalaunicus. Although limb long bones are not available for this species, its patella (IPS 21350.37) can potentially provide insights into its knee function and thus on the complexity of its total morphological pattern. Here we provide a detailed description and morphometric analyses of IPS 21350.37, which are based on four external dimensions intended to capture the overall patellar shape. Our results reveal that the patella of Pierolapithecus is similar to that of extant great apes: proximodistally short, mediolaterally broad and anteroposteriorly thin. Previous biomechanical studies of the anthropoid knee based on the same measurements proposed that the modern great ape patella reflects a mobile knee joint while the long, narrow and thick patella of platyrrhine and especially cercopithecoid monkeys would increase the quadriceps moment arm in knee extension during walking, galloping, climbing and leaping. The patella of Pierolapithecus differs not only from that of monkeys and hylobatids, but also from that of basal hominoids (e.g., Proconsul and Nacholapithecus), which display slightly thinner patellae than extant great apes (the previously-inferred plesiomorphic hominoid condition). If patellar shape in Pierolapithecus is related to modern great ape-like knee function, our results suggest that increased knee mobility might have originally evolved in relation to enhanced climbing capabilities in great apes (such as specialized vertical climbing).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pina
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
- NYCEP Morphometrics Group
| | - David M. Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Matthew C. O'Neill
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- ICREA at Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont and Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica (Dept. BABVE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
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Hammond AS. In vivo baseline measurements of hip joint range of motion in suspensory and nonsuspensory anthropoids. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 153:417-34. [PMID: 24288178 PMCID: PMC4023689 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2013] [Revised: 11/11/2013] [Accepted: 11/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Hominoids and atelines are known to use suspensory behaviors and are assumed to possess greater hip joint mobility than nonsuspensory monkeys, particularly for range of abduction. This assumption has greatly influenced how extant and fossil primate hip joint morphology has been interpreted, despite the fact that there are no data available on hip mobility in hominoids or Ateles. This study uses in vivo measurements to test the hypothesis that suspensory anthropoids have significantly greater ranges of hip joint mobility than nonsuspensory anthropoids. Passive hip joint mobility was measured on a large sample of anesthetized captive anthropoids (nonhuman hominids = 43, hylobatids = 6, cercopithecids = 43, Ateles = 6, and Cebus = 6). Angular and linear data were collected using goniometers and tape measures. Range of motion (ROM) data were analyzed for significant differences by locomotor group using ANOVA and phylogenetic regression. The data demonstrate that suspensory anthropoids are capable of significantly greater hip abduction and external rotation. Degree of flexion and internal rotation were not larger in the suspensory primates, indicating that suspension is not associated with a global increase in hip mobility. Future work should consider the role of external rotation in abduction ability, how the physical position of the distal limb segments are influenced by differences in ROM proximally, as well as focus on bony and soft tissue differences that enable or restrict abduction and external rotation at the anthropoid hip joint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley S. Hammond
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri School of Medicine, M263 Medical Sciences Building, Columbia, Missouri 65212
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
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Huynh Nguyen N, Pahr DH, Gross T, Skinner MM, Kivell TL. Micro-finite element (μFE) modeling of the siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) third proximal phalanx: the functional role of curvature and the flexor sheath ridge. J Hum Evol 2014; 67:60-75. [PMID: 24496040 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2013] [Revised: 10/22/2013] [Accepted: 12/10/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Phalangeal curvature is a commonly used morphological feature for the interpretation of extant and fossil primate locomotor behaviour. Here, we build on a recent biomechanical study (Richmond, 2007) in two ways: first, we use a 3D micro-FE model, which models the real internal microstructure (i.e., cortical thickness and trabecular bone structure) and, second, we model four siamang third proximal phalanges. We test identical 2D homogenized FE models and two 3D micro-FE phalanx models that are mathematically straightened to isolate the biomechanical significance of curvature. We further investigate how varying the loading configuration (e.g., boundary constraints) and modeling (e.g., 2D versus 3D) affects the biomechanical behaviour of the phalanx. Finally, we examine how intraspecific variation in external and internal bony morphology affects the biomechanical behaviour of the phalanx. Simulation results demonstrate that the general pattern of strain and displacement is similar between the 3D micro-FE and 2D homogenized FE models but the absolute values differ substantially. The biomechanical behaviour of the 3D FE models more closely match the relative strain patterns from the validation experiment than the 2D homogenized FE models, indicating the 3D microstructure model is preferable. Varying the loading configuration can have dramatic effects on the biomechanical behaviour of the phalanx depending on individual morphology, but overall a cantilevered beam model is an equally valid, if not better, configuration for modeling the phalanx as other previously-proposed models. Variation in flexor ridge morphology has a substantial effect on phalanx strain; the taller the ridge, the less strain incurred by other regions of the palmar shaft. Finally, phalangeal curvature reduces overall strain experienced by the phalanx, but does not necessarily reduce bending or increase the compression-to-tension ratio. These results confirm the adaptive role of phalangeal curvature during flexed-finger grasping postures and demonstrate that modeling variation in cortical thickness and flexor ridge morphology improves the behaviour of the FE model, which has important implications for the functional interpretation of phalanx form.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Huynh Nguyen
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
| | - Dieter H Pahr
- Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstrasse 27-29, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Thomas Gross
- Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstrasse 27-29, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London WC1H 0BW, UK; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig 04103, Germany; School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Marlowe Building, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NR, UK.
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Almécija S, Shrewsbury M, Rook L, Moyà-Solà S. The morphology of Oreopithecus bambolii pollical distal phalanx. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 153:582-97. [PMID: 24395731 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2013] [Revised: 11/16/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Oreopithecus bambolii is a Late Miocene ape from Italy, first described in the late 19th century. Its interpretation is still highly controversial, especially in reference to its hand proportions and thumb morphology. In this study, the authors provide detailed descriptions of the available Oreopithecus pollical distal phalanx (PDP) specimens, as well as bivariate and multivariate morphometric analyses in comparison with humans, extant apes, selected anthropoid monkeys, and available Miocene PDP specimens. The multivariate results reveal two opposite poles on the hominoid PDP shape spectrum: on one side, a mediolaterally broad and dorsopalmarly short human PDP, and on the other side, the narrow and "conical" PDP of chimpanzees and orangutans. The authors contend that Oreopithecus exhibits intermediate PDP proportions that are largely primitive for hominoids because it shares morphological similarities with Proconsul. Furthermore, Oreopithecus displays a mediolaterally wide tuft for a hominoid, as well as a palmarly elevated attachment for a long tendon of a flexor muscle that is associated at its proximal edge with a proximal fossa and at its distal edge with an ungual fossa. These nonmetrical traits have been associated in humans with their capability to oppose and contact the proximal pads of the thumb and fingers, that is, pad-to-pad precision grasping. These traits reinforce previous studies that indicate a human-like thumb-to-hand length ratio compatible with pad-to-pad precision grasping in Oreopithecus. Although specific hand use is still unresolved in Oreopithecus, the results suggest enhanced manipulative skills (unrelated to stone tool-making) in this taxon relative to other (extant or fossil) hominoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Almécija
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-8081; Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History and NYCEP, New York, NY, 10024; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
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Schilling AM, Tofanelli S, Hublin JJ, Kivell TL. Trabecular bone structure in the primate wrist. J Morphol 2013; 275:572-85. [PMID: 24323904 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2013] [Revised: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 11/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Trabecular (or cancellous) bone has been shown to respond to mechanical loading throughout ontogeny and thus can provide unique insight into skeletal function and locomotion in comparative studies of living and fossil mammalian morphology. Trabecular bone of the hand may be particularly functionally informative because the hand has more direct contact with the substrate compared with the remainder of the forelimb during locomotion in quadrupedal mammals. This study investigates the trabecular structure within the wrist across a sample of haplorhine primates that vary in locomotor behaviour (and thus hand use) and body size. High-resolution microtomographic scans were collected of the lunate, scaphoid, and capitate in 41 individuals and eight genera (Homo, Gorilla, Pan, Papio, Pongo, Symphalangus, Hylobates, and Ateles). We predicted that particular trabecular parameters would 1) vary across suspensory, quadrupedal, and bipedal primates based on differences in hand use and load, and 2) scale with carpal size following similar allometric patterns found previously in other skeletal elements across a larger sample of mammals and primates. Analyses of variance (trabecular parameters analysed separately) and principal component analyses (trabecular parameters analysed together) revealed no clear functional signal in the trabecular structure of any of the three wrist bones. Instead, there was a large degree of variation within suspensory and quadrupedal locomotor groups, as well as high intrageneric variation within some taxa, particularly Pongo and Gorilla. However, as predicted, Homo sapiens, which rarely use their hands for locomotion and weight support, were unique in showing lower relative bone volume (BV/TV) compared with all other taxa. Furthermore, parameters used to quantify trabecular structure within the wrist scale with size generally following similar allometric patterns found in trabeculae of other mammalian skeletal elements. We discuss the challenges associated with quantifying and interpreting trabecular bone within the wrist.
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Almécija S, Tallman M, Alba DM, Pina M, Moyà-Solà S, Jungers WL. The femur of Orrorin tugenensis exhibits morphometric affinities with both Miocene apes and later hominins. Nat Commun 2013; 4:2888. [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/07/2013] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
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A closer look at the “Protopithecus” fossil assemblages: new genus and species from Bahia, Brazil. J Hum Evol 2013; 65:374-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2013] [Revised: 07/08/2013] [Accepted: 07/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Middle Miocene Pierolapithecus provides a first glimpse into early hominid pelvic morphology. J Hum Evol 2013; 64:658-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2012] [Revised: 03/03/2013] [Accepted: 03/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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43
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The distal tibia of Hispanopithecus laietanus: More evidence for mosaic evolution in Miocene apes. J Hum Evol 2013; 64:319-27. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2012] [Revised: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 07/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Rein TR, McCarty LA. Metacarpophalangeal Joint Orientation in Anthropoid Manual Phalanges. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2012; 295:2057-68. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2011] [Accepted: 07/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Sayers K, Raghanti MA, Lovejoy CO. Human Evolution and the Chimpanzee Referential Doctrine. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANTHROPOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anthro-092611-145815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Chimpanzees are our closest living genomic relatives, but they lack the bipedal locomotion, markedly enlarged brains, and advanced communication skills of humans. This has led many to view them as “primitive” and to presume that their behavior and anatomy are also primitive. If true, they could serve as models of our last common ancestor (LCA), i.e., a territorially aggressive knuckle walker, reliant on vertical climbing and below-branch suspension to access the high canopy as a ripe-fruit frugivore. Ardipithecus now provides abundant information that the LCA differed substantially from chimpanzees (as well as bonobos and gorillas), both anatomically and behaviorally, and exhibited many characters that are more similar to those of modern humans than to any living ape. This major extension of the hominoid fossil record contravenes strict referential modeling based on the extant chimpanzee and greatly improves our ability to reconstruct the LCA more accurately, but only when viewed within the broader context of evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Sayers
- Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Decatur, Georgia 30034
| | - Mary Ann Raghanti
- Department of Anthropology and Division of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242;,
| | - C. Owen Lovejoy
- Department of Anthropology and Division of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242;,
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Pina M, Alba DM, Almécija S, Fortuny J, Moyà-Solà S. Brief communication: Paleobiological inferences on the locomotor repertoire of extinct hominoids based on femoral neck cortical thickness: The fossil great ape hispanopithecus laietanus as a test-case study. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2012; 149:142-8. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2011] [Accepted: 05/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Alba DM, Casanovas-Vilar I, Almécija S, Robles JM, Arias-Martorell J, Moyà-Solà S. New dental remains of Hispanopithecus laietanus (Primates: Hominidae) from Can Llobateres 1 and the taxonomy of Late Miocene hominoids from the Vallès-Penedès Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula). J Hum Evol 2012; 63:231-46. [PMID: 22739574 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2011] [Revised: 05/21/2012] [Accepted: 05/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Here we report 12 teeth of the fossil great ape Hispanopithecus (Hominidae: Dryopithecinae: Hispanopithecini), recovered in 2011 from the locality of Can Llobateres 1 (MN9, early Vallesian, Late Miocene, ca. 9.7 Ma [millions of years ago]) in the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia, Spain). Besides an isolated dP(3) from layer CLL1.1b in the eastern (classical) sector of the site, all of the remaining teeth come from facies CLL1.0 (roughly equivalent to CLL1.2 and CLL1.1b), located in the newly excavated western sector, and representing at least two different individuals. Based on facet congruence and degree of wear, all of the upper cheek teeth, a central incisor and a lateral incisor most likely correspond to a single young adult individual of unknown sex, whereas a very worn I(2) and a female C(1) represent one or two additional individual(s). Morphological and metrical comparisons allow us to attribute these remains to Hispanopithecus laietanus, which is the single hominoid species recognized at CLL1. The newly described teeth represent a significant addition to the hypodigm of this taxon, enabling us to more completely assess the degree of variation displayed by several teeth. In light of the new specimens, the previous tooth position assignment of several upper molars from Can Llobateres and Can Poncic is revised, and the criteria employed to distinguish Hispanopithecus crusafonti from H. laietanus are critically evaluated. On the basis of the available upper cheek teeth from these localities, a distinction at the species level between both samples is tentatively favored, mainly on the basis of P(3), M(1) and M(2) proportions as well as I(1) lingual morphology and proportions. The results of the 2011 field season unambiguously confirm that hominoid-bearing fossiliferous layers from CLL1 are not exhausted. Additional excavations at this site are promising for the discovery of additional remains of H. laietanus in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICP, Campus de la UAB s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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Alba DM, Almécija S, Casanovas-Vilar I, Méndez JM, Moyà-Solà S. A partial skeleton of the fossil great ape Hispanopithecus laietanus from Can Feu and the mosaic evolution of crown-hominoid positional behaviors. PLoS One 2012; 7:e39617. [PMID: 22761844 PMCID: PMC3382465 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2012] [Accepted: 05/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The extinct dryopithecine Hispanopithecus (Primates: Hominidae), from the Late Miocene of Europe, is the oldest fossil great ape displaying an orthograde body plan coupled with unambiguous suspensory adaptations. On the basis of hand morphology, Hispanopithecus laietanus has been considered to primitively retain adaptations to above-branch quadrupedalism-thus displaying a locomotor repertoire unknown among extant or fossil hominoids, which has been considered unlikely by some researchers. Here we describe a partial skeleton of H. laietanus from the Vallesian (MN9) locality of Can Feu 1 (Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula), with an estimated age of 10.0-9.7 Ma. It includes dentognathic and postcranial remains of a single, female adult individual, with an estimated body mass of 22-25 kg. The postcranial remains of the rib cage, shoulder girdle and forelimb show a mixture of monkey-like and modern-hominoid-like features. In turn, the proximal morphology of the ulna-most completely preserved in the Can Feu skeleton than among previously-available remains-indicates the possession of an elbow complex suitable for preserving stability along the full range of flexion/extension and enabling a broad range of pronation/supination. Such features, suitable for suspensory behaviors, are however combined with an olecranon morphology that is functionally related to quadrupedalism. Overall, when all the available postcranial evidence for H. laietanus is considered, it emerges that this taxon displayed a locomotor repertoire currently unknown among other apes (extant or extinct alike), uniquely combining suspensory-related features with primitively-retained adaptations to above-branch palmigrady. Despite phylogenetic uncertainties, Hispanopithecus is invariably considered an extinct member of the great-ape-and-human clade. Therefore, the combination of quadrupedal and suspensory adaptations in this Miocene crown hominoid clearly evidences the mosaic nature of locomotor evolution in the Hominoidea, as well as the impossibility to reconstruct the ancestral locomotor repertoires for crown hominoid subclades on the basis of extant taxa alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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Almécija S, Alba DM, Moyà-Solà S. The thumb of Miocene apes: new insights from Castell de Barberà (Catalonia, Spain). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2012; 148:436-50. [PMID: 22552874 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2011] [Accepted: 03/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Primate hands display a major selective compromise between locomotion and manipulation. The thumb may or may not participate in locomotion, but it plays a central role in most manipulative activities. Understanding whether or not the last common ancestor of humans and Pan displayed extant-ape-like hand proportions (i.e., relatively long fingers and a short thumb) can be clarified by the analysis of Miocene ape hand remains. Here we describe new pollical remains-a complete proximal phalanx and a partial distal phalanx-from the middle/late Miocene site of Castell de Barberà (ca., 11.2-10.5 Ma, Vallès-Penedès Basin), and provide morphometric and qualitative comparisons with other available Miocene specimens as well as extant catarrhines (including humans). Our results show that all available Miocene taxa (Proconsul, Nacholapithecus, Afropithecus, Sivapithecus, Hispanopithecus, Oreopithecus, and the hominoid from Castell de Barberà) share a similar phalangeal thumb morphology: the phalanges are relatively long, and the proximal phalanges have a high degree of curvature, marked insertions for the flexor muscles, a palmarly bent trochlea and a low basal height. All these features suggest that these Miocene apes used their thumb with an emphasis on flexion, most of them to powerfully assist the fingers during above-branch, grasping arboreal locomotion. Moreover, in terms of relative proximal phalangeal length, the thumb of Miocene taxa is intermediate between the long-thumbed humans and the short-thumbed extant apes. Together with previous evidence, this suggests that a moderate-length hand with relatively long thumb-involved in locomotion-is the original hand morphotype for the Hominidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Almécija
- Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History and NYCEP, New York, NY 10024, USA.
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