Abstracts of AAPA Poster and Podium
Presentations
Mitochondrial
DNA analysis of the Jomon and Epi-Jomon individuals in
From
the morphological point of view, prehistoric populations in
To identify
their genealogy securely, we analyzed the coding region of mtDNA by using
amplified product-length polymorphisms (Umetsu et al., 2001, 2005) and direct
sequencing. We also sequenced the segments of two hypervariable regions of
mtDNA, and assigned the mtDNA under study to relevant haplogroups using the
known mtDNA databases.
Haplogroups
D4, G1, M7a, and N9b were observed in the individuals, and N9b was by far the
most predominant. The frequencies of the haplogroups were quite different from
any modern populations including Ainu and Okinawans. Haplogroup N9b is hitherto
observed almost only in Japanese populations; therefore, this haplogroup might
be the (pre-) Jomon contribution to the modern Japanese mtDNA pool.
Taphonomy of
the GD 2 in situ deposits at
Gondolin,
J.W. Adams1,2. 1Department of
Anthropology,
Fossiliferous in situ breccias from Gondolin GD 2 were
originally excavated in 1979. Preliminary
taphonomic analysis of part of the faunal assemblage suggested that the fossil
deposits were accumulated by felids that were possibly using this portion of
the cave system as a den site. While
this reconstruction implied a similar taphonomic history for the assemblage to
the other South African Plio-Pleistocene karstic deposits, GD 2 contrasts these
other contemporaneous assemblages in its lack of recovered hominin and other
primate specimens. Recent comprehensive
reanalysis of the GD 2 assemblage has considered taphonomic aspects of the
entire sample. Faunal representation,
skeletal element abundance and patterns of pre- and post-depositional
modification to remains in the GD 2 assemblage confirm aspects of the original
taphonomic reconstruction. When combined
with geological data on the original cave system, it appears that the GD 2
deposits were accumulated over a rapid period of time by a predator, likely a
felid, which brought nearly complete carcasses into the deposits via a large,
lateral entrance. This reanalysis has
also revealed strong contrasts between the GD 2 faunal assemblage and the other
South African Plio-Pleistocene karstic deposits in several aspects of its
taphonomy beyond faunal representation.
The summed results of intersite comparisons suggest that the
incorporation of hominin and other primate remains into South African karstic
deposits during the Plio-Pleistocene were mediated by a series of factors
including predator activity, aspects of cave morphology, and the extent to
which primates made use of specific cave entrances and systems.
Rightward
volumetric asymmetry in the motor hand region of the brain in right- and
left-handers.
J.S. Allen1,2, J. Bruss1, H.
Damasio1,3. 1Department of Neurology, University of Iowa,
2Department of Anthropology, University of Southern California, 3Department
of Psychology, University of Southern California.
The motor hand
region of the brain (the “hand knob”) is located in the superior part of the
precentral gyrus (Yousry et al. 1997). In great apes, the left hand knob is
larger than the right (Hopkins and Pilcher 2001); handedness may be associated
with asymmetries in the hand knob favoring the contralateral side (Hopkins and
Cantalupo 2004). Hand knob volumetric asymmetries in humans have not been
examined. Although structural asymmetries associated with functional laterality
may be expected in this part of the brain, non-volumetric investigations (VBM)
of asymmetries in the hand knob region have not provided consistent results.
We used
high-resolution MRI to measure hand knob gray and white matter volume (GM, WM)
in 25 right-handers (14 F, 11 M, avg. age 28.5) and 23 left-handers (15 F, 8 M,
avg. age 36.2). Hand knobs were manually traced on contiguous axial slices (1mm
thick), after identification of landmarks following Yousry et al. Volumes of
the frontal lobes and precentral gyrus were also determined.
Asymmetry
scores indicate that WM volume in males and females regardless of handedness is
strongly rightwardly asymmetric. In males only (either handedness), GM volume
is also larger on the right. Preliminary results of the precentral gyrus
indicate that that structure is symmetric in right-handers, thus rightward
asymmetry may be limited to the motor hand area.
These results
indicate that there has been a reorganization of the motor hand area during
hominid evolution. How this structural asymmetry relates to the evolution of
handedness remains to be determined.
Funding:
Program Project Grant NINDS NS 19632 and the Mathers Foundation.
Analysis of the human skeletal remains
from the Fate
C.Alvarez. Department of Anthropology,
Fate Bell Shelter (41VV74) is a
rock shelter within
Analyses revealed that a total
of 13 individuals were represented among the eight burials reported, including
five adults, one adolescent, four children, and three infants. Of the five
adults and one adolescent present, four females, one male and one individual of
indeterminate sex are represented. The results of analyses of general pathology
and oral health on both adults and subadults are examined and provide a
biological profile of the individuals at the site. A comparative analysis of
the Fate Bell Shelter to other mortuary sites in the
Species and varieties of
early Homo.
S.C. Antón. Department of Anthropology,
The fossil
record of early Homo, commonly
assigned to H. habilis and H. erectus, is scant, widely dispersed,
and the subject of taxonomic arguments. Whether
we recognize more than eight or only one species is predicated on paradigmatic
differences in how to recognize species in the fossil record. The undertaking is fraught with two issues;
the inadequacy of these fossil samples to address levels of population
variation, and the more intractable issue of how best to view living species
and project them into the past. As our
appreciation of the influences of size and scale on morphological characters
increases with larger samples – the definitive distinctions between many
proposed groups blur. I present evidence
of some level of isolation in certain regions – certainly in northern
Evidence from
the extant world argues that we might come at the question from another
direction rather than focusing on the names assigned. If we view the morphological evidence in
light of the ecological contexts in which these hominins lived and we glean
from this some understanding of the local adaptations relevant to their
evolution, their degree of isolation, and how quickly it arose, we are indeed
addressing the same question of biological interest to taxonomists, although we
may call it by another name.
Sexual
swelling relative to occurrence and timing of ovulation in Papio sp.
J. Derringer Aranda¹,
Sexual
swelling is used to infer ovulation in wild female baboons. Previous studies
reported conflicting results on the relationship between turgescence and timing
of ovulation in captive populations. Reliability of predicting ovulation in
wild animals subjected to various natural stressors has not been tested.
Moreover, previous research has investigated only ovulatory cycles and not
addressed the predictability of ovulation. This study explores the
predictability of the timing and occurrence of ovulation in relation to
turgescence within a stressful situation in captive Papio sp.
Twenty female
baboons were transferred from group enclosures to individual cages. They were
monitored daily for four months for turgescence, menstrual bleeds and urinary
FSH, estrone conjugates and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide. The occurrence and
timing of ovulation were estimated hormonally using modifications of published
algorithms.
Of 81 cycles studied,
64 were neither right nor left censored. Results reveal no significant effect
of the stress of isolation. Ovulation occurred in 80/81 cycles with a mean day
of ovulation of 15.09 (range=8-30). Relative to turgescence 76% of ovulations
occurred from one to five days prior to deturgescence, and 15% occurred outside
maximal turgescence. One ovulation occurred in the absence of turgescence, but
within a normal hormonal cycle, and the single hormonally anovulatory cycle
occurred within a normal swelling cycle.
The results suggest turgescence is an imperfect indicator of the timing
and occurrence of ovulation. Hormonal evaluation can improve the quality and
quantity of data for research on reproductive biology and ecology in Papio sp.
Species
resilience in Homo: An analogy to the
wolf-like canids.
A. Clark Arcadi. Department of Anthropology,
Neither
morphological nor genetic analyses have definitively resolved the question of
whether more than one species of Homo
existed contemporaneously in the Pleistocene.
This is largely because the taxonomic significance of morphological and
genetic differences between closely similar animals is unclear. This paper uses an analogy to the wolf-like
canids to ask the question, How many Homo
species should there be, given their likely behavioral profile(s)? In contrast to earlier comparisons to social
carnivores which sought to illuminate hominid behavioral ecology, this paper
explores constraints on the process of speciation itself. Wolves and coyotes are similar to Pleistocene
hominids in three key ways: (1) they are adapted for endurance locomotion, (2)
they are flesh eaters, but can meet their subsistence needs in a variety of
ways, and (3) they are socially flexible.
As a consequence of these behavioral parallels, the evolutionary history
of the wolf-like canids can be used to infer the probable evolutionary effect
of two defining aspects of Pleistocene Homo:
(1) their relative habitat tolerance, predicted from evidence of their dietary
breadth, technical sophistication, and social plasticity; and (2) their high
mobility, predicted from morphological indicators of a capacity for endurance
locomotion. The analogy suggests that
Pleistocene Homo would not have had
the opportunity to speciate, especially in
Sequence variation in mtDNA hypervariable segment 1 indicates within
haplogroup continuity between contemporary and prehistoric Aleut populations.
J.L. Arismendi and D.H.
O’Rourke. Department of Anthropology,
It has been demonstrated, through the use of discrete marker
analysis, that both contemporary and ancient Aleut populations are distinctive
relative to other arctic and sub-arctic populations due to their high frequency
of mitochondrial DNA haplogroup D. This
haplogroup is rarely observed in other populations in northern
Sequencing of 355 bp of the hypervariable segment I (HVSI) in the
mitochondrial genome has been undertaken on ancient Aleut samples previously
identified by discrete marker analysis as haplogroup D in order to further
elucidate the relationship between contemporary and ancient Aleut
populations. Haplogroup D is
characterized by the transition 16129G→A, while the D2 subtype
is defined by the following single nucleotide polymorphisms: 16223C→T,
16271T→C, and 16362T→C. Of
these polymorphisms, 16129A and 16271C uniformly occurred in contemporary Aleut
populations. Although the sample size of
ancient samples analyzed to date (n=5) is small, sequences do confirm
haplogroup D continuity between prehistoric and modern Aleuts. Ancient Aleuts belong to the subtype D2
and are characterized by the same recurrent polymorphisms (16129A and 16271C)
observed in modern Aleuts. This is
consistent with lineage continuity for haplogroup D from its earliest
observation in the archaeological record to the present in the
Sequence analysis of haplogroup A individuals, characterizing the
most ancient of the prehistoric Aleut individuals, complement the analysis of
haplogroup D and are ongoing.
Relatedness
of Eurasian and American Far Northern populations to the Amerindians: HLA genes
and linguistics.
A. Arnaiz-Villena and M.H. Crawford., Dept. of
Immunology, University Complutense, Madrid, Spain and Dep. of Anthropology, University of Kansas,
Lawrence.
The tripartite
theory for the peopling of the
Testing
clambering, climbing, and leaping: Positional behavior definitions in relation
to support use and canopy height.
G.P. Aronsen. Department of Anthropology,
Definitions
used in primate positional behavior research vary across studies. For example, clambering may be subsumed into
other behaviors (i.e., quadrupedalism or climbing) by some authors, or
considered unique by others. Leaping
also has a general definition, but different characteristics exist in relation
to direction and distance. Comparisons
of these behavioral modes are made against canopy height and support features
to test the discrimination of these behaviors.
I collected
data on three species (Cercopithecus
ascanius, Lophocebus albigena,
and Piliocolobus rufomitratus) at the
Ngogo Research Area,
Clambering
frequencies decreased in association with quadrupedalism and climbing
frequencies, and differed from these behaviors in support use characteristics,
indicating unique status. Leap distance significantly
affected support use patterns in all taxa, with leaps over three body lengths
using more small, pliant branches than shorter leaps. These results suggest that detailed
definitions identify subtle but important variation in primate positional
behavior and support use.
Research
supported by the National Science Foundation (BCS-0244733), the Sigma Xi
Foundation, and
Skeletal
Robusticity and Economies of the Ancient Arican Populations in northern
B. Arriaza, V. Standen.
Departamento de Antropología, Universidad de Tarapacá y Centro de
Investigación del Hombre en el Desierto,
This paper examines
potential differences in skeletal robusticity of prehistoric groups from
Female humeri length
average 27.6 cm and do not show statistical differences through time and type
of economy. However, male fishermen have
statistically longer humeri than agriculturalists (30.5 versus 29.7 cm). Male and female tibial and femoral lengths do
not change over time. Female tibias average 33 cm and males 35 cm. Female
femora average 39 and males 41 cm. Females are shorter than males (150 versus
160 cm) overall.
Chinchorro females have
similar midshaft humeral diameters versus agriculturalists, 19 and 18 mm, AP
and ML respectively. Fishermen, however, are more robust than agriculturalists.
Their humeral AP and ML diameters are 20.8 versus 19.5 mm and 21.4 versus 19.8
mm. Male and female femoral robusticity and midshaft diameters remained steady
over time. Female femoral diameters are 25 and 23.5 mm AP and ML respectively.
Male femoral diameters are 28 and 25 mm, AP and ML respectively. In brief, humeri are more sensitive to
environmental stresses, showing a reduction of robusticity over time. Stronger
arms among fishermen could be a consequence of flexion and extension during
harpoon throwing. Social inequalities likely produce a greater range of stature
in later populations.
Coping with habitat disturbance: Activity patterns of
Milne-Edwards’ sifakas in
S.J.
Arrigo-Nelson1, K. Sampson2, T. Clarke2, R.
DeCamp3, N. Foster-Mann2, P. Kwofie2, P.
Meilicke2, and P.C. Wright2,4. 1Interdepartmental Doctoral
Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, 2Department
of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, 3Department of Applied Math
and Statistics, Stony Brook University, 4Centre ValBio, Ranomafana,
Madagascar.
Given the
fixed length of the day and the minimum energy requirements that animals must
meet to survive, habitat disturbance may lead to alterations in how animals
budget their time. When an animal engages in one activity, it incurs an
opportunity cost; as it can not engage in other activities critical to its
survival or reproductive success. This makes it important for us to understand
the relationship between habitat disturbance and primate behavior. Taken from over 3,375 hours of continuous
focal group follows, this study compares the activity budgets of individually
identifiable Propithecus edwardsi living in disturbed and undisturbed
forest environments. Analyses reveal no significant difference in the annual
activity patterns of social groups within either the primary (n=3) or
disturbed (n=4) forest site. Thus, we
are able compare the annual activity patterns of groups between the
sites. Results indicate that habitat
disturbance significantly decreases the proportion of time that sifakas spend
interacting socially, while increasing the time spent feeding and
self-grooming. We propose that this
decrease in social time may be attributed to the increased amount of time that
the disturbed forest sifakas must spend feeding/foraging (due to lower quality
resources) and self-grooming (due to higher parasite loads). Ultimately, such a decrease in social
activity may lead to a reduction in group cohesion, predator detection, and
decreased survival within the disturbed forest. For an endangered species, such
consequences could prove catastrophic.
Funding for
this project was provided by: Fulbright (IIE), St. Louis Zoo (FRC), National
Science Foundation (DDIG), Earthwatch Institute, Wenner-Gren Foundation,
Primate Conservation, Inc., and
A new
reconstruction of Pelvis 1 (Homo heidelbergensis) from the Sima de los
Huesos (Atapuerca).
J.L. Arsuaga1,2, A. Bonmatí1,2,
J.M. Carretero3. 1Centro
UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento
The Middle Pleistocene site of the Sima de los Huesos (SH) in the Sierra de Atapuerca has yielded the most complete pelvis (Pelvis 1) of the human fossil record, probably of an adult male. A reconstruction of this specimen based on dry bones has been published previously. Here we reconsider some anatomical aspects, reconstruct some distorted regions, and include estimations of the soft tissue of the sacro-iliac joint and the pubic symphysis. In reconstructing the entire pelvis, four main issues have been addressed: the articulation between the sacrum and both innominate bones, the positioning of the pubis and symphyseal surface and the reconstruction of the unpreserved bony portions of the sacrum and the innominate bones.
To deal with these issues, the new reconstruction has addressed concerns such as: the angle of the iliopectineal line, transversal acetabular diameter, anatomy of the sacroiliac joint, morphology of the obstetric canal, length and morphology of the ischiopubic ramus and position of the pubic symphysis. The reconstruction is made of high-quality casts of the original specimen and is based on CT scans and direct measurements and anatomical observations of the original fossil. We have also consulted the remaining pelvic specimens from the Sima de los Huesos and the original Neandertal pelvis Kebara 2. Finally, the symmetry and anatomy of the modern human pelvis and mirror-imaging have also been considered. The resulting measurements are discussed in the context of Neandertal pelvic evolution, with particular attention paid to the geometry of the birth canal.
A decade of controversy
over the teaching of evolution in the
P.C. Ashmore, Dept. of Anthropology,
Eighty years
have passed since the Scopes Monkey Trial, yet the teaching of evolution in the
The first
purpose of this study was to determine if there has been an actual increase in
the frequency of media coverage of the evolution - creation controversy and to
quantify trends in coverage over the last ten years. Secondly, I wanted to investigate if there
were regional differences in coverage and to identify regional themes in how
this debate is framed and presented.
Using
LexisNexis I conducted a print media search of twenty prominent urban
newspapers from four geographic regions in the
Over the last
decade, newspapers from the Northeast contained the greatest number of relevant
publications. The Southeast and
One
of these is not like the other? Skeletal variation in western
B.M. Auerbach.
Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution,
Controversy
surrounds the origins and relationships of
This study
examines cranial and post-cranial variation among pre- and proto-historic
Alaskan natives in relation to climatic factors and proposed affinities. 100 cranial and post-cranial osteometric
measurements were obtained from 270 skeletons representing five groups:
Unangan, Ikogmiut, Inupiaq, Birnirk Culture, and Tigara. 90 Wintun and Hawikuh skeletons provided
comparative groups. The osteometrics
were analyzed using non-parametric and multivariate parametric tests on basic
measurements and derived morphological indices (e.g., intralimb indices). NOAA climatological databases provided
temperature and precipitation data.
No Arctic
populations significantly differed in facial or crural indices, though all five
significantly differed from the two comparative groups (p<0.01). Contrastingly, significant differences exist
among Arctic populations in cephalic, nasal, and brachial indices, as well as
relative sitting heights and estimated body mass (p<0.05), with the Unangan
and Birnirk populations clustering apart from the other Arctic groups. The morphologies have significant but
generally small correlations with climate (r<0.20),
except for intralimb indices (r>0.60). Shared climate is therefore interpreted to differentially
affect these morphologies in relation to effects of common ancestry, gene flow
or other environmental factors.
Ethics,
ethnicity and genetic structure in southeastern
K.B. Babrowski, S.R. Williams. Department of Anthropology,
As genetic
ancestry testing becomes increasingly more popular, care must be taken to avoid
inadvertently reinforcing public misconceptions concerning race and ethnic
identity. Members of the general public
often perceive ethnic groups to be static and unchanging and view human genetic
variation as something that is easily divided into orderly, non-overlapping
ethnic or racial packages. Our recent
study of two large ethnic groups from southeastern
Modern Taita
and Mijikenda ethnic identities emerged in the early twentieth century in
response to pressure on area groups to form units that fit British notions of
“African tribes” and were more easily administered by the colonial
government. Groups of people with no
prior sense of shared identity were clustered together, with “chiefs” appointed
to replace local councils of tribal elders.
Consequently, shared origin myths and languages cross-cut ethnic
boundaries in place today. Trading patterns and intermarriage among these groups
and their neighbors have also influenced regional genetic patterns. The fluidity of conceptions of ethnicity in
this area is common in many parts of
Population
density and genetic diversity of the black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) in
A.L. Baden1, P.C. Wright2, E.E.
Louis3. 1IDPAS,
Stony Brook University, 2Dept. of Anthropology, Stony Brook
University, 3Center for Conservation and Research, Henry Doorly Zoo.
The critically
endangered black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia
variegata) is considered among
This study
provides preliminary results from a newly established site, Mangevo (S21°22’49.8”, E047°26’88.3”), located near the southeastern most
peripheral zones of Ranomafana National Park (RNP). Annual censuses were conducted from April
2004 to 2005. Two-kilometer transects
were surveyed twice daily, resulting in a total distance surveyed of over 120
km. Results suggest unusually high V. variegata densities (24.31 ind/km2)
with group sizes ranging from three to seven individuals. Additionally, a total of N = 22 individuals comprising two RNP subpopulations (Mangevo, N = 12; Vatoharanana, N = 10) were immobilized and blood and
tissue samples were collected.
Heterozygosity levels were analyzed and tested for Hardy Weinberg
equilibria within and between populations using 20 species-specific polymorphic
nuclear microsatellite loci. Results
from this research will serve as baseline data for studying the relationships
between genetic relatedness and the sociality and infant-care strategies of V. variegata.
Funding
provided by Primate Conservation, Inc., Conservation International: Primate
Action Fund, and Stony Brook University.
Who made the
early Aurignacian? Evidence from
isolated teeth.
S.E. Bailey. Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck
Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (
Neandertals
and anatomically modern humans overlapped in