Dissertation Research: Comparative Micro-CT Analysis of Trabecular Architecture in Anthropoids

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Finding bony correlates of locomotor behavior is an important requisite for interpreting the locomotor modes of fossil primates. One region of the body that has received much attention in the last fifteen years is the proximal femur. Research suggests that the cortical bone structure of the femoral neck reflects the degree of repetitive, stereotypical loading during locomotion. Broad comparative studies, however, indicate that more precise associations between locomotor behavior and femoral structure can not be made (e.g., distinguish bipedalism from quadrupedalism), a result that impacts reconstructions of early hominid evolutionary history. Qualitative comparative evidence suggests that the internal architecture, or trabecular bone, as opposed to the cortical shell, is a more sensitive reflection of the femoral neck's mechanical environment and, hence, an animal's locomotor behaviors. Trabecular bone consists of micrometer-sized struts that form complex three-dimensional lattices and a high-resolution, three-dimensional X-ray imaging method is necessary to adequately study it. This study will be the first to incorporate newly introduced micro-computed tomography technology to the study of variation in the trabecular architecture of the non-human primate proximal femur. Architectural variation will be studied in a sample of six anthropoid primates that differ in their locomotor modes. The two primary objectives of this study are: (1) to document quantitatively the variation in trabecular architecture of the proximal femur among primates of similar and contrasting locomotor behaviors, and, (2) to determine from research on living primates whether trabecular architectural studies of the proximal femur can contribute to reconstructions of fossil hominid and non-hominid primate locomotor behaviors.