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Adaptationism and the anthropoid postcranium: Selection does not govern the length of the radial neck
Author(s) -
Reno Philip L.,
McCollum Melanie A.,
Lovejoy C. Owen,
Meindl Richard S.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4687(200011)246:2<59::aid-jmor2>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - biology , selection (genetic algorithm) , evolutionary biology , zoology , anatomy , artificial intelligence , computer science
The length of the radial neck has been assumed to vary in living and extinct primates in accordance with its role as a moment arm during flexion by the m. biceps brachii . We here use a simple developmental approach to investigate whether or not this trait does, in fact, vary in such a manner. We find, instead, that virtually all variation in radial neck length is explicable as a simple correlate of overall body size, and that there is no evidence to conclude that selection has separately modified radial neck length in response to differing locomotor patterns. Further implications for the interpretation of mammalian skeletal morphology are briefly discussed. J. Morphol. 246:59–67, 2000 © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.