Using modern human cortical bone distribution to test the systemic robusticity hypothesis

Baab, Karen L.; Copes, Lynn; Ward, Devin L; Wells, Nora; Grine, Frederick E.

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.03.003

Cited by 8 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 160 publications

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“…Functional adaptations of bone can be a response to changes in mechanical stress. For example, as the outer layer of a bone organ, cortical bone grows and remodels in response to changes in mechanical loading and increased bone strain (Baab, Copes, Ward, Wells, & Grine, ; Lanyon, Goodship, Pye, & Macfie, ; Robling, Hinant, Burr, & Turner, ; Warden et al, ). Previous studies have shown in detail that the presence or absence of muscle and the degree of muscle attachment have an impact on cortical bone properties.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divided zygoma in Holocene human populations from Northern China

Zhang

Yang

et al. 2019

American J Hum Biol

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ObjectivesDivided zygoma (DZ) occurs in contemporaneous human populations, with the highest incidences in people from East Asia and Southern Africa. The present study examines the prevalence and variation of this condition in the Holocene populations of Northern China for the first time.MethodsIn this study, 1145 skulls from various human populations living in Northern China from the Neolithic Age to recent dynasties (5000‐300 years BP) were examined. Specifically, cranial measurements and a CT scan were conducted to quantify craniofacial morphology.ResultsFifteen skulls were identified with DZ, revealing an overall prevalence of 1.3% in the collection, while it was determined to be higher in North Asian and Northeast Asian regional groups. In skulls with unilateral DZ, the superior division of the zygoma was generally slender, while the inferior division of the zygoma was more robust. In skulls with bilateral DZ, the maxillae were generally more laterally extended. Moreover, unilateral DZ skulls displayed differences in cortical bone thickness between two sides of the facial skeleton.DiscussionIn context, the distribution pattern within these data points toward a greater prevalence of the DZ phenotype in North and Northeast Asian regional groups, suggesting a hypothesis that the DZ trait is more frequent in populations characterized by flat and broad faces. Accordingly, further studies into the DZ condition will deepen our understanding of developments in plasticity, variation, and recent evolution of the human cranium.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divided zygoma in Holocene human populations from Northern China

Zhang

Yang

et al. 2019

American J Hum Biol

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“…Groups were scanned at several resolutions with several X-ray CT scanners across numerous institutions (Baab et al, 2018;Copes, 2012;Uhl et al, 2016Uhl et al, , 2020Ward et al, 2020). Scan resolution for these data is available in Table 3.…”

Section: Data Acquisition and Formattingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of subsistence strategy and climate on bony labyrinth morphology in recentHomo sapiens

Ward

Schroeder

Roy

et al. 2022

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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Objectives: Intraspecific shape variation in the recent Homo sapiens bony labyrinth has been assessed for association with sexual dimorphism, body size, and genetic differences, but has not been fully assessed for association with extrinsic factors, such as subsistence strategy and climate. While the skull overall is known to vary with these variables, the bony labyrinth develops in utero and exhibits microstructural stability through adulthood. Therefore, labyrinthine morphology may be resistant to extrinsic variables. Materials and methods:We collected labyrinthine shape data using computed tomography from 262 individuals associated with archeological or contemporary collections used for dissection in North America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. We assessed the data for observer error and asymmetry. Shape variation is examined between subsistence strategy groups and climate type groups with Principal Components Analyses and Procrustes ANOVA's, and shape variation was correlated with specific climate data (precipitation, temperature, altitude) with a two-block partial least squares analysis.Results: Both inter-and intra-observer error as well as asymmetry minimally affected labyrinthine shape variation. We found that both subsistence strategy and climate each account for a statistically significant 7% of overall shape variation, and that specific climate variables have statistically significant correlation with labyrinthine shape variation (RV 0.52527).Discussion: Morphological variation in this sample indicates that the labyrinth is not entirely resistant to extrinsic factors associated with subsistence strategy and climate. Shape differences are not localized to specific regions of the labyrinth, but may contribute to the complicated variation seen in recent human evolution and warrants further exploration.

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“…The presence of brow ridges, occipital tori and thick vault bones denotes a robustly or strongly built skull. The term robust describes something "strongly formed or constructed" (Lahr and Wright, 1996), "well-developed/strongly expressed cranial superstructures and elevated cranial thickness" (Baab et al, 2018) or "heavily-built, well-defined, rugged or corpulent" traits (Curnoe, 2009). The "standardization" of non-metric features (Lahr, 1994) expressed by grade and scoring technique are applied to the skull to make comparative analyses more objective (Lahr, 1992;1994;.…”

Section: Cranium: Superstructure and Thicknessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Robusticity is a well-known concept in human evolution studies and this term is very useful for expressing an impression of massiveness. The use of the term "robusticity" (but also "robustness" and the adjective "robust") is frequent in palaeoanthropological (or palaeontological) studies, but also in relation to various important biological issues such as: bone remodelling and vascularity and their relationship to bone robusticity (Miszkiewicz and Mahoney, 2019); relationships between physical activity, growth hormones and systemic robusticity (Lieberman, 1996;Copes et al, 2018); the relevance of mandibular robusticity (Daegling and Hylander, 1998), diaphyseal robusticity (Ruff et al, 2006) and the degree of robusticity of the human skull (Lahr and Wright, 1996;Curnoe, 2009;Baab et al, 2018) for biomechanical inferences; the similarity of factors at the origin of postcranial and cranial robusticity (Kennedy, 1985;Lieberman, 1996); and the influence of inheritance and growth on robusticity (Bridges, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The concept of robusticity in (palaeo-) anthropology and its broad range of application: a short review

Chevalier¹

2022

bmsap

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The concept of robusticity is widely used in palaeoanthropological and bioarchaeological studies. Distinct skeletal structures are described as robust. Many specialists and non-specialists alike use the term robusticity colloquially to emphasize a general impression, sometimes without considering all the specific definitions it may encompass. Structural robusticity generally refers to a strong or heavy structure, and to the ability of bone structure to resist loads. A wide variety of quantitative and qualitative criteria are used to determine structural robusticity. For example, some authors evaluate bone hypertrophy/reinforcement from a biomechanical approach, and scaled variables based on body size or baseline load; other authors refer to crests, tori, ridges and rugosities. The disparately used term robusticity also includes criteria representing nothing more than bone size (i.e., non-scaled variables) and shape. Consequently, the term robusticity (or robust, robustness) must be used with care, specifically in syntheses and by non-specialists.

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Using modern human cortical bone distribution to test the systemic robusticity hypothesis

Cited by 8 publications

References 160 publications

Divided zygoma in Holocene human populations from Northern China

Divided zygoma in Holocene human populations from Northern China

The influence of subsistence strategy and climate on bony labyrinth morphology in recentHomo sapiens

The concept of robusticity in (palaeo-) anthropology and its broad range of application: a short review

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