A 2D Geometric Morphometric Analysis of Changes in the Basicranium in Relation to Trunk Posture in Mammals
Description
Mammals with a habitually orthograde trunk posture possess a more anterior foramen magnum than mammals with non-orthograde trunk postures. Russo & Kirk (2013) also found that bipedal orthograde mammals possess a more anteriorly placed foramen magnum than those that are just habitually orthograde. This finding has allowed us to use foramen magnum position as a predictor of trunk posture in early hominins. This prompts more research of how the other landmarks on the cranial base move in relation to this shift in foramen magnum positioning. I collected landmark data on images of 125 mammalian basicrania spanning 41 species that differed in trunk posture. Using Procrustes and Principal Components Analysis (PCA), I attempted to evaluate the effects of trunk posture on basicranial morphology, primarily focusing on the placement of the carotid and jugular foramina. The results supported Russo and Kirk's finding of a more anterior foramen magnum placement in orthograde mammals; in addition, the results displayed correlations between foramen magnum position and carotid foramen position among primates and diprotodonts.
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2015-05
Agent
- Author (aut): Pena, Angela
- Thesis director: Kimbel, William
- Committee member: Schwartz, Gary T.
- Contributor (ctb): Barrett, The Honors College
- Contributor (ctb): School of Human Evolution and Social Change