Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed January 19, 2010). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 283-295).

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.

A revision of the author's thesis, University of California at Berkeley. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-171).

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2006. / Title from title screen. Frank L. Williams, committee chair; Cassandra White, Susan C. McCombie, committee members. Description based on contents viewed June 25, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-99).

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, October 29, 2014. / Teeth are the most common element in the fossil record and play a critical role in taxonomic assessments. Size, relative width and cusp arrangements on enamel crown surfaces are used to help assess relationships between specimens. In this exploratory study, a model is developed for the placement of landmarks on images of lower first molars to maximise key information from crown surfaces of molars of African Plio-Pleistocene hominin fossils representing species of Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Homo. Lower first molar data of four extant species (Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla and Homo sapiens) are visualised in a principal components analysis to detect whether landmark placements are adequate to identify species groupings and overlaps and patterns indicative of sexual dimorphism. The role of size as a differentiator between extant species is visualised using Procrustes Form Space as the basis for the analysis. A series of analyses, including linear diameter plots, Procrustes averaging, principal components analyses, discriminant function analyses and log sem (based on regression analyses) are used to test whether species groupings agree with currently accepted taxonomic classifications of thirty-six African Plio-Pleistocene hominin lower 2 first molars. Specimens in the sample that consistently fail to group with current species designations are flagged as “anomalous”. Six specimens are identified as anomalous and these are ultimately removed from the analyses. The resultant principal components plot of the fossil specimens appears to show distinctions between currently accepted species groups. The statistical regression analyses (log sem) confirm the results from the geometric morphometric analyses, and are associated with an average log sem value of -1.61 for conspecific pairwise comparisons. The log sem value of -1.61 has been proposed by Thackeray (2007a) as an approximation of a biological species constant (T), based on pairwise comparisons of modern vertebrate taxa, using cranial data. The anomalies confirm the hypothesis that certain specimens from the sample may have been misclassified, and that certain species groups as currently defined may comprise more than one morphotype.

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Science University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg for the Degree of Master of Science January, 1990 / This is a study of the morphological and functional aspects of A. africanus thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in comparison with those of modern human and anthropoid ape vertebrae. The purpose is to determine if any derived features in the morphology of hominids, as distinct from primitive features shared with non-hominids, were present and if so to what stage of attainment of full erectness such features point. The major results of this study are as follows: (i) There is a difference in the configuration of the lumbar articular facets between pongids, on the one hand, and modern human and A. africanus, on the other hand. This difference suggests that similar stresses operate in these regions in the two hominid groups. (ii) Bony adaptation to a developed lumbar lordosis is present in A. africanus. (iii) Major agreement has been found in the relative dimensions of modern human and A. africanus lumbar vertebrae, in contrast to those of pongid vertebrae. This indicates probable correspondence in the pattern of weight transmission to the pelvis in modern humans and A. africanus. (iv) The decrease of inferior lumbar vertebral body area starts at higher levels in sts 14 (an A. africanus partial skeleton) than in modern man, suggesting a longer curved lower lumbar region in A. africanus. From these results it may be concluded that the trunk was probably carried in a fully erect posture in A. africanus. The bony adaptation thereto, however, may not have been fully developed as in modern man. It is proposed that, in Sts 14, the last two lumbar vertebrae were carried at an angle relative to each other and to the sacrum, in contrast to the abrupt change in direction between L5 and the sacrum in modern man.