Functional aspects of pelvic morphology in simian Primates

Leutenegger, Walter

doi:10.1016/0047-2484(74)90179-1

Cited by 173 publications

(171 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

164

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Second, gestation duration is restricted by allometrically increasing biomechanical constraints. These constraints may be associated with passage of the foetus through the birth canal [24] or with locomotor efficiency [25]. This hypothesis predicts that, controlling for body size, primates with a high frequency of cephalopelvic disproportion and high rates of maternal death during birth should have shorter gestation durations and longer lactation durations than primates with lower frequency of cephalopelvic disproportion and lower rates of maternal death during birth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence that gestation duration and lactation duration are coupled traits in primates

2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Gestation duration and lactation duration are usually treated as independently evolving traits in primates, but the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) suggests both durations should be determined by metabolic rate. We used phylogenetic generalized least-squares linear regression to test these different perspectives. We found that the allometries of the durations are divergent from each other and different from the scaling exponent predicted by the MTE (0.25). Gestation duration increases much more slowly (0.06 < m < 0.12), and lactation duration much more quickly (0.36 < m < 0.52) with body mass than the MTE predicts. By contrast, we found that the combined duration of gestation and lactation is consistent with the MTE's predictions (0.22 < m < 0.35). These results suggest that gestation duration and lactation duration might best be viewed as distinct but coupled adaptations. When transferring energy to their offspring, primate mothers must meet metabolically dictated physiological requirements while optimizing the timing of the switch from gestation to lactation in relation to some as-yet-unidentified body-size-related factor.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence that gestation duration and lactation duration are coupled traits in primates

2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Few aspects of human evolutionary history have had a greater impact on human anatomy, not the least of which is the impact on parturition. Evolution from a putative ancestral quadruped to a biped had an impact on the shape of the human pelvis, thus affecting the passageway through which the baby is born [9]. In a quadrupedal pelvis, the ilium lies lateral to and parallel to the vertebral column and the ischium extends dorsally.…”

Section: Human Birth: Anatomy Evolutionary History and Modern Conseqmentioning

confidence: 99%

Primate pelvic anatomy and implications for birth

Trevathan

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

104

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The pelvis performs two major functions for terrestrial mammals. It provides somewhat rigid support for muscles engaged in locomotion and, for females, it serves as the birth canal. The result for many species, and especially for encephalized primates, is an 'obstetric dilemma' whereby the neonate often has to negotiate a tight squeeze in order to be born. On top of what was probably a baseline of challenging birth, locomotor changes in the evolution of bipedalism in the human lineage resulted in an even more complex birth process. Negotiation of the bipedal pelvis requires a series of rotations, the end of which has the infant emerging from the birth canal facing the opposite direction from the mother. This pattern, strikingly different from what is typically seen in monkeys and apes, places a premium on having assistance at delivery. Recently reported observations of births in monkeys and apes are used to compare the process in human and nonhuman primates, highlighting similarities and differences. These include presentation (face, occiput anterior or posterior), internal and external rotation, use of the hands by mothers and infants, reliance on assistance, and the developmental state of the neonate.

show abstract

“…Because the cephalopelvic constraints in monkeys 11,12 are greater than those in great apes (i.e. more similar to humans), the comparisons made herein between non-human primates and humans will use monkeys, rather than our closer relatives, the great apes, to represent non-humans.…”

Section: Birth In Non-human Primatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birth, obstetrics and human evolution

Rosenberg¹

2002

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Functional aspects of pelvic morphology in simian Primates

Cited by 173 publications

References 19 publications

Evidence that gestation duration and lactation duration are coupled traits in primates

Evidence that gestation duration and lactation duration are coupled traits in primates

Primate pelvic anatomy and implications for birth

Birth, obstetrics and human evolution

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About