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Evolution of the hominoid forelimb skeleton from Miocene to present

Selby, Michael
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1331220722

Abstract Details

2012, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / School of Biomedical Sciences.
Hominoid postcranial morphology has long been thought to be uniform, apart from hominid bipedality. Most postcranial traits were suggested to have evolved for a specific locomotor mode, such as the brachiation or vertical climbing seen in extant apes. However, recent fossil finds have called this view into question. Here, hominoid forelimb morphology is compared to a broad sample of anthropoids to determine if hominoids are similar postcranially and if such similarity is related to a particular locomotor mode. Hominoids have been argued to have long, narrow scapulae with several features favoring arm-raising for brachiation. However, the present study suggests that the hominoid scapula is likely to have only two features that are relevant to locomotor specialization: mediolateral breadth and cranial translation of the glenoid. Other features, including inferior angle dimension, scapular spine orientation, and relative supraspinous/ infraspinous fossa size, appear to be merely byproducts of these two features. Hominoids have been suggested to have long forelimbs for brachiation and/ or vertical climbing. However, the relative proportions of limb segments vary among hominoids, suggesting that they are not derived for a specific behavior, but are instead more likely primitive retentions related to reaching for branches for safety in the canopy. Several elbow joint features have been argued to either create leverage for muscles across this joint or for joint “stability.” However, the only elbow feature that appears to be the product of selection is olecranon length. Trochlear notch orientation, relative trochlea and capitulum breadth, and trochlear keel sizes appear to be either the result of cartilage modeling, or byproducts of selection elsewhere. Suggested knuckle walking traits in the wrist were investigated, but were not found to be consistently identifiable using metric characterization. The capitate shows a less palmar position in modern hominoids, unlike other anthropoids. African apes and humans have an ulnarly angled third metacarpal relative to the capitate. However, these morphologies are not seen in Ardipithecus ramidus, suggesting independent acquisition in these modern taxa. Overall, modern hominoid postcranial morphology is less uniform than previously suggested, and their features are likely convergent adaptations for large anthropoids safely negotiating an arboreal setting.
Owen Lovejoy, PhD (Advisor)
294 p.
Morphology; Physical Anthropology
Hominoid; morphology; forelimb; anthropoid

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Selby, M. (2012). Evolution of the hominoid forelimb skeleton from Miocene to present [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1331220722

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Selby, Michael. Evolution of the hominoid forelimb skeleton from Miocene to present. 2012. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1331220722.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Selby, Michael. "Evolution of the hominoid forelimb skeleton from Miocene to present." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1331220722

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1331220722
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© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.