Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 13, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Anthropology, March 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisor: John Kappelman. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available from UMI.

This study re-examines the morphological data and conclusions of Spoor, Wood, and Zonneveld concerning the morphology of the vestibular apparatus in relation to locomotor behavior in hominids (1994). The pedal and labyrinthine morphology of early hominid taxa are functionally analyzed for classification as either obligate bipeds or habitual bipeds with primarily arboreal locomotion. The bony labyrinth is investigated since the anatomy of the semicircular canals of the vestibular auditory system can be determined in fossil crania through computed tomographical analysis. It is thought that a relationship exists between semicircular canal size and locomotor behavior. Functionally modern pedal morphology precedes modern vestibular morphology in the fossil record. Complete modern pedal morphology, however, appears concurrently with modern vestibular morphology first at Homo erectus. A comparison of the genes involved in the development of both pedal and labyrinthine morphology was undertaken. It was found that only fibroblast growth factor 8 (FgfS) and sonic hedgehog (Shh) are shared between these systems in the determination of positional information. It is found that the function of Fgf8 in otic induction and in limb bud formation is very different. It is also found that the function of Shh in vestibular and pedal morphogenesis is different. Therefore, it is unlikely for alteration in the function or in the expression of either gene to result in the observed differences in pedal and vestibular morphology between early hominid taxa: Australopithecus afarensis, Australopithecus africanus, Homo habilis; and Homo erectus. My examination of the data on the timing of changes in pedal morphology rejects Spoor, Wood, and Zonneveld's conclusion. Moreover I find no gene mutation which could account for simultaneous change in the shape of the semicircular canals and the proportions of the metatarsals and pedal phalanges. Instead, it is postulated that the change to modern vestibular morphology at Homo erectus is in response to a concurrent enlargement in cranial capacity. It is also postulated that persistence of panid vestibular morphology in the semicircular canals of hominid taxa: Australopithecus afarensis, Australopithecus africanus, and Homo habilis is a functionally neutral trait in regard to bipedal locomotor capability. / Department of Anthropology

The thoracic skeletal morphology of homininae is poorly known and understood. As a result of the representative fossil record of ribs and vertebrae being rare, distorted, fragmentary or unrecognised even when recovered, very little is known about the variability of rib and vertebral morphology when compared to the other cranial and postcranial elements in this lineage. Yet the costal skeleton forms a substantial part of the postcranial skeleton and thus ribs and vertebrae are therefore potentially numerous in the fossil record; but in comparison with other skeletal elements, and for the reasons mentioned above, very little is known about vertebrate and especially hominin rib morphology. The assessment of the structure of the thoracic skeletal elements and its evolutionary and ecological significance, particularly in the Homininae, poses a challenge but is still important as the shape and form of the rib cage has numerous functional and behavioural implications. The present study analysed the ribs of selected primate and non-primate mammalian species by examining fifteen variables, seven indices and eight osteological non-metric features. These observations and measurements were compared to ribs found in the fossil record in order to determine if there are any structural correlates between the extant and the extinct hominin and mammalian species and in order to create a template for the identification of hominin ribs within an abundant and diverse mammalian assemblage. The results suggest that the 1st rib, due to its unique morphology, may be considered most diagnostic in differentiating various taxa. In addition, a template for the morphology of the proximal end of the first rib has been created to be used for both the general as well as the specific identification of fossilised fragments, and to determine thoracic shape. The recently recovered costal elements of the Australopithecus sediba fossils were also examined as one of the most abundant assemblages of the elements in the early hominin record in order to add to our understanding of the morphology, and evolution of this poorly known area of hominin anatomy. The thorax of Australopithecus sediba demonstrates a medio-laterally narrow, ape-like upper thoracic shape, which is different from the broad upper thorax of Homo that has been associated with to the locomotor pattern of endurance walking and running. The lower thorax, however, is less laterally-flared than that of apes, and more closely approximates the morphology found in humans. This indicates a mosaic morphology of the thorax during the human evolutionary linage.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kent State University, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Oct. 8, 2009). Advisor: C. Owen Lovejoy. Keywords: lumbar transverse process; vertebral evolution Includes bibliographical references (p. 214-221).

Thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Science, School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2018 / Teeth make up the bulk of hominin fossil material and are useful in taxonomic assessments. In this thesis, discriminant function, principal components and randomised CV analyses on large samples of lower second molars (n=778) from five extant reference species, both sexually dimorphic and non-dimorphic, provide estimates of ranges of size-shape variability to be expected within a single species. However, there is evidence that diet-driven tooth-size reduction and cusp simplification has expanded the ranges of shape and size variability of Homo sapiens in some populations, in areas exposed to soft, undemanding diets since the transition to agriculture and increased use of cooking, food processing and ceramics from about 12500 years ago. Molar size and shape changes are less evident in communities retaining a hunter-gatherer subsistence strategy, requiring strong dentognathic structures with robust teeth to masticate harder, tougher foodstuffs. These factors, driving divergent variability in tooth size and shape, are unique to modern humans. Using a novel mathematically-based landmarking methodology, developed to allow the inclusion of severely worn teeth, intra-species size-shape variability was assessed from 63 lower M2s representing nine African Plio-Pleistocene species. The first hypotheses tested in this thesis address the question of which extant hominoid species might be suitable for use as analogue species for comparisons with fossil hominin molars, and whether uniquely modern-human anomalous size-shape variability exhibited by lower second molars might disqualify modern Homo sapiens for such analyses. Secondly, where lower second molar size-versus-shape variability ratios measured for fossil species do not match those of either a sexually dimorphic or a non-dimorphic extant species, evaluations are made as to whether samples attributed to single hominin species might actually represent specimens from more than one species present in the relevant assemblages, whether sexual dimorphism may have been greater in fossil species than in extant species, and whether some individual specimens attributed to any fossil species might be misclassified. Results of the analyses indicate that uniquely human subsistence strategy divergences are identifiable in the size-shape variability of lower second molars. Furthermore, specimens representing Australopithecus afarensis, Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus in this study exhibit very high variability and may indicate the presence of more than one species in their respective assemblages. / EM2018

This thesis investigated whether a fragmented assemblage of fossilized Homo sapiens remains collected from Palau; Micronesia represents a population exhibiting a case of insular dwarfing. The earliest occupation of Palau is ca. 4000 YBP, and the fossil assemblage studied here dates between 2900 – 1400 YBP, thus providing a relatively short time in which body size reduction, due to insular dwarfism could occur. There are well known cases, in both the modern and fossil context, where insular dwarfism and body size reduction is known to occur in human populations that are isolated, but the results of this reduction are seen over a much longer period (e.g., tens of thousands of years). Metric dimensions of the humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia, and fibula and os coxa are quantified in order to evaluate other potential insular dwarfs in fossil hominin assemblages, such as Homo floresiensis. Previous studies have shown that the Palau archipelago has remained relatively isolated from human contact due to the surrounding currents, providing ideal conditions for insular dwarfism to occur. Comparing measurements taken on populations encompassing a reasonable range of human variation, this study quantified and compared the Palauan measurements and joint ratios to determine which variables might differentiate among these population groups, thus indicating traits potentially uniquely signalling a reduction in human body size. Disproportionate joint sizes were observed in the humerus, ulna, tibia, and femur of the Palauan sample. While individual measurements from the Palau sample all fall comfortably within the range of measurements taken from other small-bodied human individuals, the articular surfaces of Palauan specimens do not resemble those from other well-established, small-bodied insular populations. As the articular surfaces are smaller relative to the epiphyseal diameters and may be a reflection of the relatively short time in which the reduction has taken place. Morphologically the Palauan population exhibits small orbits, a large interorbital distance, an inflated glabella region and protruding supraorbital tori. A reduction in the mandible may account for the overcrowding of teeth observed in the dentition. The Palauan individuals have disproportionately large maxillary teeth. The mandibular dentition, however, varies: the incisors, canine and first molars are large, while reduction is seen most easily in the premolars and the second molar. This dental reduction is coupled with significant differences between the cervico-enamel junctions for these teeth and the corresponding crown measurements. Large teeth, inflated glabella, and protruding supraorbital tori may be an indication of a founding population. These traits are all found in Australomelanesian populations, and it is thus possible that the Palauan population under study originated from Melanesia (e.g. New Guinea or South East Asia). Application of the present study to Homo floresiensis, a fossil hominin suggested by some authors to have undergone insular dwarfing, reveals that while H. floresiensis is small for some measurements, most fall within the range of the small-bodied comparative sample from Palau. The stature of H. floresiensis is not unusually small and falls within the ranges of the comparative sample used here. The only comparison that can be made for joint size is that both the Palauan and H. floresiensis femoral heads are small and both exhibit the same disproportionate dimensions of the proximal tibia. As potential body size reduction is possibly responsible for the Palauan traits, the similarity in joint proportions may be attributed to insular dwarfing when the population first became isolated, as these joint irregularities are not seen in established insular dwarfs (Andaman and Nicobarese). The differences present in the measurements obtained for all the small-bodied samples examined suggests that even though insular populations may present as small-bodied, the island populations (fossil or extant) should be viewed as a case by case study. Isolation, life history, founding population (genetics) and environmental conditions all affect population body size over time, but to assume that all isolated populations will decrease body size in the same way is incorrect. What is seen in Palauan specimens is likely the adaptive responses of a isolated population from Melanesia, resulting in the insular dwarfism observed. By examining the available aspects of this insular population and found that it was consistent in reflecting size and proportions of small-bodied populations.

No abstract submitted on PDF

Student Number : 0001944J - PhD thesis - School of Geography, Archaeoloy nd Environmental Studies and School of Anatomical Science - Faculty of Science / The site of Sterkfontein is rich in fossil deposits spanning different time periods from as early as 4 million years to as recent as 116, 000 years. Stratigraphy, taxonomy, taphonomy, archaeology and palaeoenvironmental analysis from various infills have been under constant review as new materials are recovered from the ongoing excavations. It is the recovery of numerous new fossils that prompted a need for a review into earlier hypotheses, interpretations and conclusions arrived at by earlier researchers on the Member 4 and the Jacovec Cavern infills. New data indicates that the two infills, though spanning different time periods, share similarities but also display marked differences in taxonomy, taphonomy and palaeoenvironment. Taxonomically, the most striking difference between the two deposits is the higher frequency of taxa and species diversity within the Member 4 faunal assemblage than in the Jacovec Cavern faunal assemblage. There are nine bovid tribes represented in five subfamilies within Member 4 and six bovid tribes in three subfamilies within Jacovec Cavern. At least five primate species have been recovered from Member 4 while three primate species have been recovered from the Jacovec Cavern. Twelve carnivore species are represented in Member 4 while eleven are represented in Jacovec Cavern. Some categories of other fauna are limited to the Member 4 infill while others are limited to the Jacovec Cavern infill. Taphonomically, both assemblages are characterized by low frequencies of bone modification. These low frequencies are a result of a culmination of various agents of accumulation and varieties and intensities of postdepositional processes that impacted on the original deposited assemblage prior to recovery. The faunal assemblage in Member 4 was accumulated into the cave through a combination of voiding carnivores, “death trap” and natural death within the cave. The Jacovec Cavern fauna on the other hand was accumulated by carnivores, not in the cavern but on the surface above and within the vicinity of the cave entrance. Eventually fluvial action incorporated the surface materials, including faunal remains into the Jacovec Cavern. Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction indicates a correlation of climatic conditions similar to that derived from analysis of terrigenous sediments off the coast of Africa. For Member 4, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction indicates the existence of a mix of forest and open savannah with more emphasis on woodland, while a mosaic of open grassland and dense forest, equivalent to today’s tropical forest in Africa is suggested for the Jacovec Cavern.