Premium
Mechanical structure of primate patellae: a test of two models
Author(s) -
Organ Jason,
Johnston Allyson
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.183.8
Subject(s) - quadrupedalism , bipedalism , primate , climbing , rigidity (electromagnetism) , anatomy , extant taxon , geology , geometry , biology , mathematics , evolutionary biology , structural engineering , paleontology , engineering , ecology
External dimensions of extant primate patellae, like anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) breadths, have been used previously to infer locomotor behavior in fossil anthropoid primates. However, the use of such measures assumes equivalent internal architecture of primate patellae regardless of locomotor mode, an assumption that remains untested. This study examines how patellar cross‐sectional geometry relates to locomotor mode in a variety of anthropoids (n=40, across 3 locomotor modes: quadrumanous climbing, quadrupedal walking/running, and knucklewalking). The patella was modeled as an engineered short beam, where computed tomography‐derived cross‐sections were geometrically analyzed for bending strength and rigidity in the AP and ML planes. These direct measurements were compared against estimated cross‐sectional parameters derived by modeling the cross‐section of the patella as a solid ellipse using external dimensions. Results for both models indicate that patellae of quadrupedal walkers/runners are stronger and more rigid in the AP plane compared to quadrumanous climbers and knucklewalkers. Furthermore, correlations of parameters between both models are high (between 0.90 and 0.96), confirming the appropriateness of using external dimensions of the patella alone to infer locomotor behavior in fossil primates. Grant Funding Source : Saint Louis University