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Morphological evolution through integration: a quantitative study of cranial integration in Homo, Pan, Gorilla and
Nandini Singh1, Katerina Harvati, Jean-Jacques Hublin
1Department of human evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, Germany. nandini.singh@ifu.uni-tuebingen.de
Journal of Human Evolution
|December 20, 2011
Summary
Cranial shape integration patterns are complex but conserved across humans and non-human apes. This study reveals shared covariation between facial, basicranial, and cranial vault regions in hominoids, offering insights into evolutionary constraints.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Comparative anatomy
- Primatology
Background:
- Morphological integration describes coordinated trait variation, crucial for understanding phenotypic evolution and constraints.
- The primate cranium, particularly in hominoids, is a key area for studying integration due to its complex structure and function.
- Previous research has explored cranial integration, but patterns among closely related hominoids remain under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and quantify the pattern of cranial shape integration among closely related hominoids (Homo, Pan, Gorilla, Pongo).
- To analyze shape covariation between distinct cranial regions: the face, basicranium, and cranial vault.
- To determine if cranial integration patterns are conserved across different hominoid taxa.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Procrustes-based geometric morphometrics to analyze 3D landmark data from 407 adult individuals.
- Subdivided cranial landmarks based on the 'functional matrix hypothesis' into face, basicranium, and cranial vault units.
- Employed the two-block partial least squares (PLS) approach to assess covariation patterns between these cranial regions.
Main Results:
- Cranial shape integration in hominoids exhibits complex patterns of covariation.
- The overall pattern of integration between the face, basicranium, and cranial vault is remarkably similar across human and non-human apes.
- Despite significant morphological differences, the way these cranial units covary is conserved among the studied hominoid taxa.
Conclusions:
- The pattern of cranial shape integration among hominoids appears to be conserved, suggesting a shared underlying developmental or functional framework.
- This conserved integration pattern implies that evolutionary changes in the hominoid cranium may be constrained in similar ways across different lineages.
- The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of hominoid craniofacial evolution and the interplay between different cranial components.
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