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Related Concept Videos

Sutures of the Skull01:22

Sutures of the Skull

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The human skull is composed of several bones that come together to protect the brain and support the structures of the face. The junctions where these bones meet are called sutures.
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
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Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View01:14

Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View

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The superior view of the cranium shows the frontal and paired parietal bones.
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...
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Overview of the Skull01:08

Overview of the Skull

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The cranium (skull) is the skeletal structure of the head that supports the face and protects the brain. It is subdivided into the facial bones and the brain case, or cranial vault. The facial bones underlie the facial structures, form the nasal cavity, enclose the eyeballs, and support the teeth of the upper and lower jaws.
The cranial vault surrounds and protects the brain and houses the middle and inner ear structures. This cavity is bounded superiorly by the rounded top of the skull, which...
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Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

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John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
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Cranial Bones: Lateral View01:27

Cranial Bones: Lateral View

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The lateral view of the cranium is dominated by temporal, sphenoid, and ethmoid bones.
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone is subdivided into several regions. The flattened upper portion is the squamous portion of the temporal bone. Below this area and projecting anteriorly is the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, which forms the posterior portion of the zygomatic arch. Posteriorly is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting...
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Structural Joints: Fibrous Joints01:03

Structural Joints: Fibrous Joints

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Fibrous joints are a type of joint where the bones are connected by fibrous connective tissue. These joints provide stability and minimal to no movement between the articulating bones. There are three types of fibrous joints.
Suture
All the bones of the skull, except for the mandible, are joined to each other by a fibrous joint called a suture. The fibrous connective tissue found at a suture strongly unites the adjacent skull bones and thus helps to protect the brain and form the face. In...
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Ectocranial suture fusion in primates: pattern and phylogeny.

James Cray1, Gregory M Cooper, Mark P Mooney

  • 1Departments of Oral Biology, Orthodontics, Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Surgery-Plastic Surgery, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia.

Journal of Morphology
|October 22, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Primate skull suture fusion patterns vary by species and group. This study found distinct fusion patterns in Hominidae, Hylobates, and Cercopithecidae, suggesting genetic and environmental influences on cranial development.

Keywords:
comparative anatomyguttman scalessynostosis

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Area of Science:

  • Paleoanthropology
  • Comparative Anatomy
  • Primate Evolution

Background:

  • Ectocranial suture fusion patterns in primates exhibit significant species-specific variations.
  • Understanding these patterns can provide insights into primate evolutionary relationships and developmental processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the modal progression of ectocranial suture fusion across different primate groups: Hominidae, Hylobates, and Cercopithecidae.
  • To test the hypothesis that suture fusion patterns correlate with the evolutionary relationships among these primate taxa.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Guttman Scaling to analyze and compare ectocranial suture fusion sequences.
  • Examined fusion patterns in lateral-anterior and vault suture sites across Homo, Pan, Gorilla, Pongo, Hylobates, Macaca, and Papio.

Main Results:

  • Identified three distinct fusion patterns for lateral-anterior suture sites: Homo-Pan-Gorilla (anterior to posterior), Pongo-Hylobates (superior to inferior), and Cercopithecidae (posterior to anterior).
  • Hominidae vault suture patterns largely reflected established phylogenetic relationships.
  • Vault suture termination patterns in Papio showed similarities to Gorilla and Pongo, indicating potential shared influences.

Conclusions:

  • Primate ectocranial suture fusion patterns show group-specific trends that align with evolutionary history.
  • Certain suture sites may be primarily influenced by genetic factors, while others are shaped by environmental or biomechanical forces.