Functional Morphology and Kinematics of the Spine in Prosimians

姿势和运动是影响灵长类肌肉骨骼系统适应和进化的两个最重要的因素。脊椎尤其如此，它在姿势和运动行为中都扮演着关键的功能角色。本研究的目的是调查原始灵长类动物的背部功能与脊椎结构之间的关系。原猴在身体大小、解剖结构、姿势和运动方式上的多样性使它们成为研究脊椎形态和功能的极好的“自然实验”。该方法将通过两种方法解决形式和功能问题：1)定量分析脊椎解剖结构，2)使用非侵入性视频分析对脊柱运动进行定量分析。这项研究的结果将直接关系到化石灵长类动物运动和姿势适应的重建，从而有助于更深入地了解灵长类动物的进化，包括导致人类两足行走的直立姿势的适应。

Posture and locomotion are two of the most important influences on the adaptation and evolution of the musculoskeletal system in primates. This is especially true of the spine, which plays a key functional role in both posture and locomotor behavior. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between back function and vertebral structure in a broad sample of prosimian primates. Prosimian diversity in body size, anatomy, posture, and locomotion makes them an excellent `natural experiment` with which to investigate vertebral form and function. The methodology will address form as well as function by employing two approaches: 1) quantitative analysis of vertebral anatomical structure, and 2) quantitative analysis of spinal movements using noninvasive video analysis. The results of this study will be directly relevant to reconstructions of locomotor and postural adaptations in fossil primates, thereby contributing to a more thorough understanding of primate evolution, including the adaptations to upright posture that led to human bipedalism.