Cortical bone distribution of the proximal phalanges in great apes: implications for reconstructing manual behaviours.

Autor: Syeda SM; Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK., Tsegai ZJ; Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA., Cazenave M; Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.; Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA.; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa., Skinner MM; Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK., Kivell TL; Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of anatomy [J Anat] 2023 Nov; Vol. 243 (5), pp. 707-728. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Jun 26.
DOI: 10.1111/joa.13918
Abstrakt: Primate fingers are typically in direct contact with the environment during both locomotion and manipulation, and aspects of external phalangeal morphology are known to reflect differences in hand use. Since bone is a living tissue that can adapt in response to loading through life, the internal bone architecture of the manual phalanges should also reflect differences in manual behaviours. Here, we use the R package Morphomap to analyse high-resolution microCT scans of hominid proximal phalanges of digits 2-5 to determine whether cortical bone structure reflects variation in manual behaviours between bipedal (Homo), knuckle-walking (Gorilla, Pan) and suspensory (Pongo) taxa. We test the hypothesis that relative cortical bone distribution patterns and cross-sectional geometric properties will differ both among extant great apes and across the four digits due to locomotor and postural differences. Results indicate that cortical bone structure reflects the varied hand postures employed by each taxon. The phalangeal cortices of Pongo are significantly thinner and have weaker cross-sectional properties relative to the African apes, yet thick cortical bone under their flexor sheath ridges corresponds with predicted loading during flexed finger grips. Knuckle-walking African apes have even thicker cortical bone under the flexor sheath ridges, as well as in the region proximal to the trochlea, but Pan also has thicker diaphyseal cortices than Gorilla. Humans display a distinct pattern of distodorsal thickening, as well as relatively thin cortices, which may reflect the lack of phalangeal curvature combined with frequent use of flexed fingered hand grips during manipulation. Within each taxon, digits 2-5 have a similar cortical distribution in Pongo, Gorilla and, unexpectedly, Homo, which suggest similar loading of all fingers during habitual locomotion or hand use. In Pan, however, cortical thickness differs between the fingers, potentially reflecting differential loading during knuckle-walking. Inter- and intra-generic variation in phalangeal cortical bone structure reflects differences in manual behaviours, offering a comparative framework for reconstructing hand use in fossil hominins.
(© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Anatomy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Anatomical Society.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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