DDI: Evolution Of The Face In Mid Pleistocene Homo--3D Surface Analysis Of Development, Integration And Phylogeny

DDI：中更新世人脸的进化--发育、整合和系统发育的3D表面分析

• 批准号: 0851756
• 负责人: Eric Delson
• 金额: $ 1.45万
• 依托单位: CUNY Graduate School University Center
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-05-01 至 2011-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0851756&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DDI; Evolution; Face; Mid; Pleistocene

Facial morphology features figure prominently in species identification and phylogenetic reconstructions of the human fossil record. However, its use remains controversial, as the evolutionary significance of facial features is not well-understood. An improved knowledge of the development, integration and variation of the human face is necessary in order to assess the value of facial morphology in defining species and its usefulness in phylogenetic reconstructions. Questions addressed in this study include: Are there population-specific changes in facial shape during modern human ontogeny? Are facial traits developmentally integrated in modern humans? How do particular facial traits vary ontogenetically between individuals and populations of modern humans, and among Pleistocene hominins? Is the mid-Pleistocene Homo (H. heidelbergensis s.l.) facial form more variable than that of modern humans? Is the same true for H. neanderthalensis? Is there a phased time-sequential development of Neanderthal-like facial traits among European Pleistocene hominins? Is there a similar trend in Africa? To answer these questions, this study uses a cutting edge semilandmark geometric morphometric method involving analysis of facial surfaces, rather than just landmarks, to quantify subtle facial features frequently used to define Pleistocene taxa. Patterns of adult and ontogenetic variation and co-variation of these features will be established within recent human geographic samples and used as a framework for interpreting the Pleistocene hominin fossil record. This novel approach for the first time enables the rigorous quantitative analysis of facial morphology and the evaluation of its evolutionary significance. This work has important implications for the use of facial morphology in assessing the human fossil record and helps elucidate the evolutionary processes of the later stages of human evolution and modern human origins.

面部形态特征在人类化石记录的物种识别和系统发育重建中占有重要地位。然而，它的使用仍然存在争议，因为面部特征的进化意义还没有得到很好的理解。为了评估面部形态在定义物种及其在系统发育重建中的有用性方面的价值，有必要对人脸的发展、整合和变化进行更深入的了解。在这项研究中解决的问题包括：是否有人口特定的变化，在现代人类个体发育过程中的面部形状？面部特征在现代人类中是发育整合的吗？在现代人类的个体和群体之间，以及更新世人类之间，特定的面部特征在个体发生上是如何变化的？中更新世人属（H。海德堡公司）比现代人的面部形状更多变吗H也是如此。尼安德特人？在欧洲更新世人类中，尼安德特人的面部特征是否有一个阶段性的时间顺序发展？非洲是否也有类似的趋势？为了回答这些问题，本研究使用了一个前沿的semilandmark几何形态测量方法，涉及面部表面的分析，而不仅仅是地标，量化微妙的面部特征经常用于定义更新世类群。成人和个体发育的变化和这些功能的共同变化的模式将建立在最近的人类地理样本，并作为一个框架来解释更新世人类化石记录。这种新的方法第一次使面部形态的严格定量分析和评估其进化意义。这项工作具有重要意义的面部形态在评估人类化石记录的使用，并有助于阐明人类进化的后期阶段和现代人类起源的进化过程。