Evolvability of the Primate Pelvic Girdle |
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Authors: | Kristi L Lewton |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA |
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Abstract: | The ilium and ischiopubic bones of the pelvis arise from different regulatory pathways, and as a result, they may be modular
in their organization such that features on one bone may be morphologically integrated with each other, but not with features
on the other pelvic bone. Modularity at this gross level of organization can act to increase the ability of these structures
to respond to selection pressures (i.e., their evolvability). Furthermore, recent work has suggested that the evolution of
the human pelvis was facilitated by low levels of integration and high levels of evolvability relative to other African apes.
However, the extent of morphological integration and modularity of the bones of the pelvic girdle is not well understood,
especially across the entire order of primates. Therefore, the hypothesis that the ilium and ischiopubis constitute separate
modules was tested using three-dimensional landmark data that were collected from 752 pelves from 35 primate species. In addition,
the hypothesis that the human pelvis demonstrates greatest evolvability was tested by comparing it to all other primates.
The results demonstrate that regardless of phylogeny and locomotor function, the primate pelvis as a whole is characterized
by low levels of overall integration and high levels of evolvability. In addition, the results support the developmental hypothesis
of separate ilium and ischiopubis modular units. Finally, all primates, including humans, apparently share a common pattern
of integration, modularity, and evolvability in the pelvis. |
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