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doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330630102pmid: 6703030
The wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) of Wamba, Zaire have an extremely high frequency of external abnormal traits. Out of 96 animals in a sample comprising all age and sex classes from two different natural groups, 46 individuals had at least one limb defect. The frequency of abnormalities was greater in males than in females, and increased directly with age. Almost all infants and juveniles had completely normal limbs, but virtually all males and over half the females which had reached their prime were found to have one or more limb defects. These findings indicate that congenital factors contribute little to the frequency of abnormalities in this sample. Survival rate is the same in individuals with defects as in those without defects. It appears that individual social status is far more important in procuring foods than locomotor ability. Thus, the operation of such abnormalities as a selective factor in intraspecific competition is minimized in the network of their social relations.
Jantz, R. L.; Owsley, Douglas W.
doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330630103pmid: 6703031
Long bone growth variation among skeletal samples has had limited application to ecological studies of archaeological groups, in spite of its well‐known sensitivity to health and nutritional status. In this study we examine long bone growth variation among ten samples of Arikara skeletal groups, all located in the Middle Missouri subarea of South Dakota and ranging in time from A.D. 1600 to 1832. The samples are analyzed by variant, an archaeological taxonomic unit below Tradition. Children's long bones between about 0.5 and 11.9 years of age were analyzed by means of regression using the model, bone length =b0 + b1 (age) + b2 (log10 age). The three variants, Extended Coalescent, Postcontact Coalescent, and Disorganized Coalescent, differ from one another with regard to health and nutritional status. Extended Coalescent groups probably experienced periods of undernutrition due to unfavorable climatic conditions prevailing at the time. Postcontact Coalescent groups experienced more favorable health and nutrition due to improved climatic conditions and introduction of the horse. Disorganized Coalescent groups were exposed to undernutrition and high levels of morbidity, due to introduction of epidemic diseases, depopulation, and intertribal conflict.
Glassman, David M.; Webb, R. Steven
doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330630104pmid: 6703032
A method for recovering dermatoglyphic data from tamarin cadavers is described. The method involves the complete removal of the palmar and plantar pads with no destruction to the underlying skeletal elements. Once recovered, the pads are stored in a formalin solution. The stored pads of 213 individuals have remained in a good state of preservation for dermatoglyphic analysis for over four years.
doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330630105pmid: 6422766
Research workers studying the relationship between stride length (L) and speed (u) in human walking have often expressed their results as multiples of stature (h): they have given values of L/h and u/h. They have claimed or implied that this takes account of differences of body size and that L/h should be the same function of u/h for people of all sizes. It is shown that this is not true for comparisons of children with adults. Further, it is argued by dimensional analysis that \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ {\rm u/}\sqrt {{\rm gh}} $\end{document} is a more appropriate speed parameter that u/h (g is the acceleration of free fall). It is shown that L/h is approximately the same function of \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ {\rm u/}\sqrt {{\rm gh}} $\end{document} for children aged 4 or more years as for adults. The empirical relationship between L/h and \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ {\rm u/}\sqrt {{\rm gh}} $\end{document} is used to make new estimates of walking speed for the early hominid footprints found at Laetoli, Tanzania. The speeds obtained are equivalent to mean speeds of human walking observed in small towns (i.e., they give approximately equal values of \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ {\rm u/}\sqrt {{\rm gh}} $\end{document}).
Devor, Eric J.; Crawford, Michael H.
doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330630106pmid: 6703033
The method of commingling analysis is applied to distributions of six quantitative neuromuscular traits. Results show that only two of these traits may be described by the single normal distribution commonly associated with quantitative variables. The remaining four traits show significant skewness which is best accounted for by a mixture of three component distributions. The pattern of commingling found suggests the presence of a major (megaphenic) effect operating in these traits. Further, evidence is found which links the major effect in three of the four commingled traits to a single process which may be related to neurological control. The etiology of the major effect (i.e., whether genetic or environmental) cannot be determined from commingling analysis, but some suggestions are offered based upon the nature of the traits themselves and the major effects.
doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330630107pmid: 6422767
Tooth wear records valuable information on diet and methods of food preparation in prehistoric populations or extinct species. In this study, samples of modern and prehistoric hunter–gatherers and agriculturalists are used to test the hypothesis that there are systematic differences in patterns of tooth wear related to major differences in subsistence and food preparation. Flatness of molar wear is compared for five groups of hunter–gatherers (N = 298) and five groups of early agriculturalists (N = 365). Hunter–gatherers are predicted to develop flatter molar wear due to the mastication of tough and fibrous foods, whereas agriculturalists should develop oblique molar wear due to an increase in the proportion of ground and prepared food in the diet.
Plato, C. C.; Greulich, W. W.; Garruto, R. M.; Yanagihara, R.
doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330630108pmid: 6703034
Hand‐wrist radiographs from 326 Guamanian children (180 boys and 146 girls) were evaluated for total width, medullary width, length, and combined cortical thickness of the second metacarpal. Bone measurements as well as standing height and weight were compared to similar published data from U.S. mainland black, white, and Mexican‐American children. The results demonstrated that the second metacarpal bones of Guamanian boys and girls of all age groups (5–17 years) have a narrower width and shorter length with less combined cortical thickness than any of the other groups. Guamanian children also weighed less and were of shorter stature than their black, white, or Mexican‐American counterparts. These results agree closely with those comparisons between Guamanian and U.S. mainland white adults published earlier. It is not possible from the present data to ascertain whether these differences were due to genetic variability or nutritional deficiency.
doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330630109pmid: 6703035
Positional (postural and locomotor) patterns and substrates used by the seven adults of a free‐ranging troop of red howling monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) were identified and sampled during their feeding and resting. Traveling patterns and substrates were noted but not quantified. Arboreal locomotor behaviors were pronograde quadrupedalism, some leaping, bridging, lowering, and pull up. Sitting and reclining were the most frequent postures. Tail suspension and arboreal bipedal stance were used when feeding. Predominant locomotor behaviors were those in which limbs appeared to be compression stressed. There were no limb suspensions. The monkeys used the entire tree canopy, that of the low shrubs, and did a good deal of travel on the ground. The lack of forelimb suspension is attributed to the inability of these howlers to hang beneath supports and look forward at the same time; the impediment is created by the size of the vocal organs in the neck. The locomotion of these monkeys is offered to depict that of Aegyptopithecus zeuxis.
doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330630110pmid: 6703036
In order to resolve several controversies about unusual jaw movements such as thegosis and orthal retraction, information about direction of jaw movement is essential. Ryan (1979a,b) proposed that asymmetry of microwear striations might provide such data. In vivo occurrences of asymmetric striations on chimpanzee molars are presented and analyzed. Results suggest that either thegosis contacts commonly occur on chimpanzee molars or that Ryan's model, as developed in vitro, does not accurately apply to naturally occurring molar microwear.
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