| Ecological divergence and medial cuneiform morphology in gorillas. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21093014 Owner: NLM Status: In-Process |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Gorillas are more closely related to each other than to any other extant primate and are all terrestrial knuckle-walkers, but taxa differ along a gradient of dietary strategies and the frequency of arboreality in their behavioral repertoire. In this study, we test the hypothesis that medial cuneiform morphology falls on a morphocline in gorillas that tracks function related to hallucial abduction ability and relative frequency of arboreality. This morphocline predicts that western gorillas, being the most arboreal, should display a medial cuneiform anatomy that reflects the greatest hallucial abduction ability, followed by grauer gorillas, and then by mountain gorillas. Using a three-dimensional methodology to measure angles between articular surfaces, relative articular and nonarticular areas, and the curvatures of the hallucial articular surface, the functional predictions are partially confirmed in separating western gorillas from both eastern gorillas. Western gorillas are characterized by a more medially oriented, proportionately larger, and more mediolaterally curved hallucial facet than are eastern gorillas. These characteristics follow the predictions for a more prehensile hallux in western gorillas relative to a more stable, plantigrade hallux in eastern gorillas. The characteristics that distinguish eastern gorilla taxa from one another appear unrelated to hallucial abduction ability or frequency of arboreality. In total, this reexamination of medial cuneiform morphology suggests differentiation between eastern and western gorillas due to a longstanding ecological divergence and more recent and possibly non-adaptive differences between eastern taxa. |
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Authors:
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Matthew W Tocheri; Christyna R Solhan; Caley M Orr; John Femiani; Bruno Frohlich; Colin P Groves; William E Harcourt-Smith; Brian G Richmond; Brett Shoelson; William L Jungers |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Date: 2010-11-19 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of human evolution Volume: 60 ISSN: 1095-8606 ISO Abbreviation: J. Hum. Evol. Publication Date: 2011 Feb |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2011-01-10 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0337330 Medline TA: J Hum Evol Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 171-84 Citation Subset: IM |
Copyright Information:
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Published by Elsevier Ltd. |
Affiliation:
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Human Origins Program, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA. tocherim@si.edu |
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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