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Morphological integration in the gorilla, chimpanzee, and human neck
Mikel Arlegi1,2, Aida Gómez-Robles3,4, Asier Gómez-Olivencia1,5,6
1Department of Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, Leioa, 48940, Spain.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
|February 16, 2018
Summary
Vertebral integration in primates, particularly the subaxial cervical vertebrae (C3-C7), reveals varying degrees of trait evolution. Humans exhibit lower integration compared to gorillas and chimpanzees, potentially linked to bipedalism.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Comparative anatomy
- Primate morphology
Background:
- Understanding trait evolution across phylogenies is crucial.
- Vertebral integration in primates remains understudied.
- Subaxial cervical vertebrae (C3-C7) morphology offers insights into evolutionary patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify morphological integration and modularity in subaxial cervical vertebrae (C3-C7) of extant hominines.
- To investigate the influence of size on vertebral integration.
- To explore evolutionary patterns of vertebral integration in primates.
Main Methods:
- Digitized 3D landmarks on 546 subaxial cervical vertebrae from 141 individuals (gorillas, chimpanzees, humans).
- Employed geometric morphometric approaches to quantify integration, modularity, and size effects.
Main Results:
- All studied hominine species exhibit strong subaxial cervical vertebral integration.
- Gorillas display the highest integration; humans show the lowest.
- Size significantly influences integration in gorillas, less so in chimpanzees, and minimally in humans.
Conclusions:
- A pattern of decreasing integration from cranial to caudal vertebrae is likely ancestral in non-human hominines.
- Humans deviate, with less integrated C3 and C7 vertebrae, possibly related to the evolution of bipedalism.
- Early hominins like australopiths may show a mosaic pattern reflecting this evolutionary shift.
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