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Ontogenetic Change in Metacarpal, Metatarsal, and Phalangeal Curvature in African Apes
Author(s) -
Burgess M. Loring,
Ruff Christopher
Publication year - 2015
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.29.1_supplement.865.18
Subject(s) - ontogeny , troglodytes , gorilla , biology , climbing , pan paniscus , anatomy , curvature , pongidae , zoology , allometry , evolutionary biology , ecology , geometry , paleontology , genetics , mathematics
Phalangeal curvature varies with differences in suspensory and climbing behavior both among taxa and during ontogeny. However, previous comparisons have often been across broad taxonomic levels or within ontogeny of single taxa, and other hand and foot bones, which might contain additional signal, have not been included. This study documents the ontogeny of metacarpal (MC), metatarsal (MT), and phalangeal curvature in African apes. Curvature was calculated from photographs as Included Angle (182 Gorilla , 150 Pan ). Juveniles were grouped by molar eruption and taxon and age effects tested via ANOVA. Pan phalanges are more curved than Gorilla and both become less curved with age, in keeping with higher frequencies of climbing in Pan and juveniles of both taxa. Patterns of phalangeal curvature ontogeny in P. paniscus and troglodytes are consistent with more suspensory behavior in the former; however, G. g. gorilla do not differ from G. b. beringei despite ontogenetic behavioral divergence. If present, MC and MT taxonomic differences are constant through ontogeny. Phalangeal morphology shows greater variation than that in MCs or MTs, suggesting that it may contain a stronger locomotor signal. However, as it only partially tracks behavioral differences, it may not be entirely developmentally plastic. Relationship of MC and MT curvature to behavior may be more complex and/or genetically mediated.