Doctoral Dissertation Research: Investigating underlying mechanisms of primate shoulder adaptations

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The way that an animal species behaves, moves, and interacts with its environment is related in complex ways to the shape and function of its skeleton. Investigating the functional relationships among different parts of the skeleton, and the genetic underpinnings of functionally related traits, can advance fundamental knowledge about form-function relationships and mechanisms of biological adaptation and speciation. This doctoral dissertation project will investigate the strength of the genetic connections among functionally related traits in the primate shoulder, head, and neck regions, to elucidate processes that led to the substantial anatomical diversity we see in modern primates, and inform our interpretations of the primate and hominin fossil records. The project promotes participation of under-represented groups in STEM research, interdisciplinary research and collaboration, and the sharing of data with the broader scientific community. The results of this project will be communicated to the public through both traditional and online science outreach activities. Primates show a wide range of variation in shoulder anatomy and, relatedly, engage in diverse forms of movement. Researchers often study these skeletal traits in isolation, but this approach makes the implicit assumption that traits evolved independently, when in fact there may be other traits in the upper body that are functionally and evolutionarily interconnected with the shoulder. This study examines the many patterns of association in shoulder-related skeletal dimensions across ten primate taxa, each with unique functional demands on the upper limb. The investigators will evaluate different evolutionary scenarios of species diversification to identify underlying evolutionary processes. The strength of the genetic connections among traits (morphological integration) and how these connections affect the ability of traits to evolve (evolvability) will be assessed, and Bayesian phylogenetic comparative methods will be used to evaluate the factors and evolutionary processes affecting the observable variation in primate shoulder morphology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.