Integration and evolution of human and non-human primate postcranial morphology

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The skeleton of the limbs and body plays an important role in locomotion, but the patterns of relationships among different aspect of bone shape (their integration) and the genes that affect these relationships remain poorly understood. This study develops a better understanding of how patterns of integration correspond to variation in primate movement and how genes affect the ways in which skeletal traits are integrated with one another. The research compares bone morphology among a large number of primate species to test the hypothesis that integration in the limbs is the result of adaptation by natural selection in response to the different performance requirements that species encounter. It uses a similar comparative approach to test hypotheses about whether patterns of integration structured or were structured by adaptive evolutionary shifts in response to selection on locomotor behavior. In order for bones to evolve, there must be genetic variation in bone shape and size, but there is little know about which genes are involved in producing this variation in normal, healthy organisms. This project uses a very large population of mice to relate aspects of bone shape and size to specific regions of the genome. Comparisons between the patterns of integration in mice and primates, including humans, will then help guide future investigations into what role these genes have had in the evolution and development of human skeletal morphology. At a practical level, understanding how humans differ from our closest evolutionary relatives in skeletal patterns of integration will aid future studies of many physical health problems, such as back pain and bad knees, which are directly attributable to our unique morphology. Understanding the genetic basis of bone size and shape in the mouse will help guide future investigations into the development and hereditary basis of diseases that affect the skeleton. Understanding how the integration of bones varies across primates, including humans, will provide a fresh perspective on how these differences have evolved. This is particularly important when considering the origins of humans' unique, bipedal mode of locomotion. Additionally, the understanding of the genetics of bone shape will be very informative for continuing investigations into the links between development and the evolution of organismal form. This research will afford many students, including a substantial number from underrepresented groups, with hands-on research experience in a way that will help them be able to synthesize a new understanding of how organisms develop and evolve. Furthermore, students will receive training in state of the art morphometric scientific imaging, and statistical computing technologies and methods. This will allow them eventually to pursue fruitful independent research programs in any of several biomedical fields. Public understanding of science will be aided by the production of a large number of digital representations of bones that can help students at many educational levels visualize biological variation.