Ectocranial suture fusion in primates: pattern and phylogeny

Abstract

Patterns of ectocranial suture fusion among Primates are subject to species-specific variation. In this study, we used Guttman Scaling to compare modal progression of ectocranial suture fusion among Hominidae (Homo, Pan, Gorilla, and Pongo), Hylobates, and Cercopithecidae (Macaca and Papio) groups. Our hypothesis is that suture fusion patterns should reflect their evolutionary relationship. For the lateral-anterior suture sites there appear to be three major patterns of fusion, one shared by Homo-Pan-Gorilla, anterior to posterior; one shared by Pongo and Hylobates, superior to inferior; and one shared by Cercopithecidae, posterior to anterior. For the vault suture pattern, the Hominidae groups reflect the known phylogeny. The data for Hylobates and Cercopithecidae groups is less clear. The vault suture site termination pattern of Papio is similar to that reported for Gorilla and Pongo. Thus, it may be that some suture sites are under larger genetic influence for patterns of fusion, while others are influenced by environmental/biomechanic influences.

The effect of factors other than age upon skeletal age indicators in the adult

“…In humans, vault suture closure generally occurs initially on the endocranial surface (Masih et al, 2014;. There is early fusion in the sagittal suture, subsequently extending to the coronal and lambdoid sutures (Cray et al, 2014). Studies which have attempted to craft methods of age estimation from the patency/degree of obliteration of the sutures have generally used recording methods based on gross examination of the endo-and/or ectocranial surface (e.g.…”

Osteoprotegerin Deficiency Results in Disruption of Posterofrontal Suture Closure in Mice

“…Given this small sample size, there was also variation in the number of male and female mice per group. Despite this, there was no statistically significant difference in weight between the three groups during physiologic suture fusion from Weeks 3–9, and previous studies have failed to note any differences in cranial suture fusion related to gender (22). There were several other limitations to our study.…”

Sagittal suture maturation: Morphological reorganization, relation to aging, and reliability as an age‐at‐death indicator

“…According to Cray Jr., Cooper, Mooney, and Siegel (), the patterns of ectocranial suture fusion in primates reflect their evolutionary relationships. Furthermore, the authors suggest that some suture sites are under greater genetic influence, whereas others are subject to environmental (biomechanical) influences.…”