Hominoid Torso Anatomy and Evolution

弄清骨骼变化的时间和模式对于准确理解猿和人类的进化至关重要。这是隐含的假设，猿和人类共享的躯干形状的模式，出现在他们的共同祖先作为一种适应移动通过树挂在树枝下，不同于典型的四足猴，长臂猿和蜘蛛猴是中间。 然而，从照片和插图中可以看出，物种之间的变异模式更为复杂。 尽管我们对化石猿和人类进化的解释是批判性的，但灵长类物种之间躯干结构的变化从未被系统地描述过，躯干元素之间或个体骨骼与整体躯干形状之间的假设关联也从未被统计学检验过。拟议的研究将描述猴子，猿和人类的躯干形状，量化现代物种的躯干形状与肩部，胸腔，腰椎和骨盆形态之间的关联，并使用这些新数据对化石猿和人类祖先的功能解剖学和进化做出明智的推断。 该项目有四个具体目标：目的：（1）首次使用完整尸体CT扫描数据的三维重建来表征猴和猿的躯干形状模式，（2）量化孤立躯干骨的大小和形状（肱骨，胸带，肋骨，胸骨，椎骨和骨盆）并将这些数据与完整躯干的分析结果相关联以识别反映整体躯干结构的骨形式方面，（3）评估骨骼之间的结构协变水平，（4）将这些结果应用于解释新的化石猿和早期人类祖先，包括新发现的森林古猿的骨盆，一只来自匈牙利的九百万年前的猿，被认为是现代猿类最接近的化石亲属，拟议的研究将在网上提供40个灵长类动物躯干骨骼的3D CT扫描数据，供公众访问，沿着这些尸体和更大样本骨骼的地标坐标和度量数据。 它将建立一个新的三维图像分析实验室，供哥伦比亚密苏里州大学的其他学生和教师使用。 这项研究还将为研究生和本科生提供进化解剖学和3D图像分析方面的实践研究经验，并由一名女科学家指导参与并指导代表性不足的人群。

Eludicating the timing and pattern of changes in the skeleton is critical to an accurate understanding of ape and human evolution. It is implicitly assumed that apes and humans share a pattern of torso shape that appeared once in their shared ancestry as an adaptation to moving through the trees hanging below branches that differs from what is typical for quadrupedal monkeys, and that gibbons and spider monkeys are intermediate. However, a more complex pattern of variation among species appears to exist from photographs and illustrations. Despite being critical our interpretations about fossil ape and human evolution, variation in torso structure among primate species has never been characterized systematically, nor have hypothesized associations among torso elements or between individual bones and overall torso shape ever been tested statistically. The proposed research will characterize torso form in monkeys, apes and humans, quantify associations between torso shape, and shoulder, rib cage, lumbar and pelvic morphology in modern species, and use these new data to make informed inferences about the functional anatomy and evolution of fossil apes and human ancestors. This project has four specific aims: to (1) characterize pattern of torso shape in monkeys and apes for the first time using three dimensional reconstructions of CT scan data from intact cadavers, (2) quantify size and shape of isolated torso bones (humerus, pectoral girdle, ribs, sternum, vertebrae and pelvis) and correlate these data with the results of the analysis of intact torsos to identify aspects of bone form that reflect global torso structure, (3) assess the level of structural covariation among bones, and (4) apply these results to the interpretation of new fossil apes and early human ancestors, including a newly discovered pelvis of Dryopithecus brancoi, a 9 million year old ape from Hungary that is thought to be the closest fossil relative of the modern ape-human ancestor.The proposed research will provide 3D CT scan data for 40 primate torso skeletons on the web for public access, along with landmark coordinate and metric data for these cadavers and for a larger sample of skeletons. It will establish a new laboratory for three dimensional image analysis available to other students and faculty at University of Missouri, Columbia. This research will also provide hands-on research experience in evolutionary anatomy and 3D image analysis for graduate and undergraduate students, with underrepresented populations targeted for participation and mentored by a woman scientist.