Femoral neck structure and function in early hominins

American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Volumn 150, Issue 4, 2013, Pages 512-525

  Ruff, Christopher B ^a   Higgins, Ryan ^a  

^a JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

Author keywords

biomechanics; CT; femur; gait; hip joint

Indexed keywords

AFRICA; APE; ARTICLE; AUSTRALOPITHS AFRICANUS; BONE CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS; BONE STRUCTURE; COMPUTER ASSISTED TOMOGRAPHY; CONTROLLED STUDY; CORTICAL THICKNESS (BONE); FEMUR NECK; FOSSIL HOMINID; GAIT; HOMINID; LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY; LOWER PLEISTOCENE; MORPHOLOGY; PARANTHROPUS ROBUSTUS; PLIOCENE; STANDING;

ANIMALS; ANTHROPOLOGY, PHYSICAL; BIOMECHANICS; FEMUR NECK; FOSSILS; GAIT; HOMINIDAE; HUMANS; REGRESSION ANALYSIS; TOMOGRAPHY, X-RAY COMPUTED;

EID: 84875275755     PISSN: 00029483     EISSN: 10968644     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22214     Document Type: Article

References (100)

1. Alba DM, Almecija S, Casanovas-Vilar I, Mendez JM, Moya-Sola S., 2012. A partial skeleton of the fossil great ape Hispanopithecus laietanus from Can Feu and the mosaic evolution of crown-hominoid positional behaviors. PLoS One 7 (6): e39617.
2. Anderson JY, Trinkaus E., 1998. Patterns of sexual, bilateral and interpopulational variation in human femoral neck-shaft angles. J Anat 192: 279-285.
3. Backman S., 1957. The proximal end of the femur. Acta Radiol Suppl 146: 1-166.
4. Bennett MR, Harris JWK, Richmond BG, Braun DR, Mbua E, Kiura P, Olago D, Kibunjia M, Omuombo C, Behrensmeyer AK, Huddart D, Gonzalez S., 2009. Early hominin foot morphology mased on 1.5-million-year-old footprints from Ileret, Kenya. Science (New York, NY) 323: 1197-1201.
5. Berge C, Goularas D., 2010. A new reconstruction of Sts 14 pelvis (Australopithecus africanus) from computed tomography and three-dimensional modeling techniques. J Hum Evol 58: 262-272.
6. Bergmann G, Deuretzbacher G, Heller M, Graichen F, Rohlmann A, Strauss J, Duda GN., 2001. Hip contact forces and gait patterns from routine activities. J Biomech 34: 859-871.
7. Clark JD, Asfaw B, Assefa G, Harris JWK, Kurashina H, Walter C, White TD, Williams MAJ., 1984. Paleoanthropological discoveries in the Middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia. Nature 307: 423-428.
8. Day MH., 1969. Femoral fragment of a robust australopithecine from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Nature 221: 230-233.
9. Day MH., 1971. Postcranial remains of Homo erectus from Bed IV, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Nature 232: 383-387.
10. Day MH., 1986. Guide to fossil man. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
11. Demes B, Jungers WL, Walker C., 2000. Cortical bone distribution in the femoral neck of strepsirhine primates. J Hum Evol 39: 367-379.
12. DeSilva JM., 2010. Revisiting the "midtarsal break". Am J Phys Anthropol 141: 245-258.
13. DeSilva JM, Proctor DJ, Zipfel B., 2012. A complete second metatarsal (StW 89) from Sterkfontein Member 4, South Africa. J Hum Evol 63: 487-496.
14. Ducroquet R, Ducroquet J, Ducroquet P., 1968. Walking and limping. A study of normal and pathological walking. Philadelphia: Lippincott.
15. Duffy CM, Hill AE, Cosgrove AP, Corry IS, Graham HK., 1996a. Energy consumption in children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy: a comparative study. Dev Med Child Neurol 38: 238-243.
16. Duffy CM, Hill AE, Cosgrove AP, Corry IS, Mollan RAB, Graham HK., 1996b. Three-dimensional gait analysis in spina bifida. J Pediatr Orthoped 16: 786-791.
17. Frankel VH., 1960. The femoral neck. Uppsala: Almqvist and Wiksells Boktryckeri AB.
18. Galik K, Senut B, Pickford M, Gommery D, Treil J, Kuperavage AJ, Eckhardt RB., 2004. External and internal morphology of the BAR 1002'00 Orrorin tugenensis femur. Science (New York, NY) 305: 1450-1453.
19. Godfrey L, Sutherland M, Boy D, Gomberg N., 1991. Scaling of limb joint surface areas in anthropoid primates and other mammals. J Zool Lond 223: 603-625.
20. Godfrey LR, Sutherland MR, Paine RR, Williams FL, Boy DS, Vuillaume-Randriamanantena M., 1995. Limb joint surface areas and their ratios in Malagasy lemurs and other mammals. Am J Phys Anthropol 97: 11-36.
21. Grine FE, Jungers WL, Tobias PV, Pearson OM., 1995. Fossil Homo femur from Berg Aukas, northern Namibia. Am J Phys Anthropol 97: 151-185.
22. Häusler M, Berger L., 2001. Stw 441/465: a new fragmentary ilium of a small-bodied Australopithecus africanus from Sterkfontein, South Africa. J Hum Evol 40: 411-417.
23. Haeusler M, Ruff CB., in press. Pelves. In:, Richmond BG, Ward CV, Zipfel B, editors. Hominin postcranial remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa.
24. Haile-Selassie Y, Saylor BZ, Deino A, Levin NE, Alene M, Latimer BM., 2012. A new hominin foot from Ethiopia shows multiple Pliocene bipedal adaptations. Nature 483: 565-569.
25. Harcourt-Smith WE, Aiello LC., 2004. Fossils, feet and the evolution of human bipedal locomotion. J Anat 204: 403-416.
26. Harmon EH., 2009a. The shape of the early hominin proximal femur. Am J Phys Anthropol 139: 154-171.
27. Harmon EH., 2009b. Size and shape variation in the proximal femur of Australopithecus africanus. J Hum Evol 56: 551-559.
28. Herries AI, Hopley PJ, Adams JW, Curnoe D, Maslin MA., 2010. Letter to the editor: geochronology and palaeoenvironments of Southern African hominin-bearing localities - A reply to Wrangham et al., 2009. "Shallow-water habitats as sources of fallback foods for hominins". Am J Phys Anthropol 143: 640-646.
29. Herries AI, Shaw J., 2011. Palaeomagnetic analysis of the Sterkfontein palaeocave deposits: implications for the age of the hominin fossils and stone tool industries. J Hum Evol 60: 523-539.
30. Inman VT, Ralston HJ, Todd F., 1981. Human walking. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins.
31. Jenkins FA., 1972. Chimpanzee bipedalism: cineradiographic analysis and implication for the evolution of gait. Science 178: 877-879.
32. Johanson DC, Coppens Y., 1976. A preliminary anatomical diagnosis of the first Plio/Pleistocene hominid discoveries in the Central Afar, Ethiopia. Am J Phys Anthropol 45: 217-234.
33. Johanson DC, Lovejoy CO, Kimbel WH, White TD, Ward SC, Bush ME, Latimer BM, Coppens Y., 1982. Morphology of the Pliocene partial hominid skeleton (A.L. 288-1) from the Hadar formation, Ethiopia. Am J Phys Anthropol 57: 403-451.
34. Jungers WL., 1991. A pygmy perspective on body size and shape in Australopithecus afarensis (AL 288-1, "Lucy"). In:, Coppens Y, Senut B, editors. Origine(s) de la bipédie chez les hominidés. Paris: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. p 215-224.
35. Kawai A, Backus SI, Otis JC, Inoue H, Healey JH., 2000. Gait characteristics of patients after proximal femoral replacement for malignant bone tumour. J Bone Joint Surg Br 82: 666-669.
36. Kibii JM, Churchill SE, Schmid P, Carlson KJ, Reed ND, de Ruiter DJ, Berger LR., 2011. A partial pelvis of Australopithecus sediba. Science (New York, NY) 333: 1407-1411.
37. Kibii JM, Clarke RJ., 2003. A reconstruction of the Stw 431 Australopithecus pelvis based on newly discovered fragments. S Afr J Sci 99: 225-226.
38. Kuperavage AJ, Eckhardt RB., 2010. Moment coefficients of skewness in the femoral neck cortical bone distribution of BAR 1002'00. Homo 61: 244-252.
39. Leakey MD., 1981. Tracks and tools. Philos Trans R Soc B 292: 95-102.
40. Lovejoy CO., 1988. Evolution of human walking. Sci Am 259: 118-125.
41. Lovejoy CO., 2005a. The natural history of human gait and posture. Part 1. Spine and pelvis. Gait Posture 21: 95-112.
42. Lovejoy CO., 2005b. The natural history of human gait and posture. Part 2. Hip and thigh. Gait Posture 21: 113-124.
43. Lovejoy CO, Heiple KG, Burstein AH., 1973. The gait of Australopithecus. Am J Phys Anthropol 38: 757-780.
44. Lovejoy CO, Johanson DC, Coppens Y., 1982. Hominid lower limb bones recovered from the Hadar Formation: 1974-1977 collections. Am J Phys Anthropol 57: 679-700.
45. Lovejoy CO, Latimer B, Suwa G, Asfaw B, White TD., 2009a. Combining prehension and propulsion: the foot of Ardipithecus ramidus. Science 326: 72e 71-78.
46. Lovejoy CO, Meindl RS, Ohman JC, Heiple KG, White TD., 2002. The Maka femur and its bearing on the antiquity of human walking: applying contemporary concepts of morphogenesis to the human fossil record. Am J Phys Anthropol 119: 97-133.
47. Lovejoy CO, Suwa G, Simpson SW, Matternes JH, White TD., 2009b. The great divides: Ardipithecus ramidus reveals the postcrania of our last common ancestors with African apes. Science (New York, NY) 326: 100-106.
48. McHenry HM., 1975. Biomechanical interpretation of the early hominid hip. J Hum Evol 4: 343-355.
49. McHenry HM, Berger LR., 1998. Body proportions in Australopithecus afarensis and africanus and the origin of the genus Homo. J Hum Evol 35: 1-22.
50. McHenry HM, Corruccini RS., 1976. Fossil hominid femora and the evolution of walking. Nature 259: 657-658.
51. McHenry HM, Corruccini RS., 1978. The femur in early human evolution. Am J Phys Anthropol 49: 473-488.
52. McLeish RD, Charnley J., 1970. Abduction forces in the one-legged stance. J Biomech 3: 191-209.
53. Napier JR,. 1964. The evolution of bipedal walking in the hominids. Arch Biol (Leige) 75 (Suppl): 673-708.
54. Ohman JC, Krochta TJ, Lovejoy CO, Mensforth RP, Latimer B., 1997. Cortical bone distribution in the femoral neck of hominoids: implications for the locomotion of Australopithecus afarensis. Am J Phys Anthropol 104: 117-131.
55. Ohman JC, Lovejoy CO, White TD., 2005. Letter to the Editor: questions about Orrorin femur. Science 307: 845.
56. Partridge TC, Granger DE, Caffee MW, Clarke RJ,. 2003. Lower Pliocene hominid remains from Sterkfontein. Science: 607-612.
57. Pickering TR, Heaton JL, Clarke RJ, Sutton MB, Brain CK, Kuman K., 2012. New hominid fossils from Member 1 of the Swartkrans formation, South Africa. J Hum Evol 62: 618-628.
58. Pickford M, Senut B, Gommery D, Treil J., 2002. Bipedalism in Orrorin tugenesis revealed by its femora. CR Palevol 1: 191-203.
59. Pina M, Alba DM, Almécija S, Fortuny J, Moyà-Solà S., 2012. Brief communication: paleobiological inferences on the locomotor repertoire of extinct hominoids based on femoral neck cortical thickness: the fossil great ape Hispanopithecus laietanus as a test-case study. Am J Phys Anthropol. 149: 142-148.
60. Pina M, Alba DM, Almécija S, Moyà-Solà S., 2011. Is the cortical thickness of the femoral neck a diagnostic trait for inferring bipedalism? Paleontol Evol Memòria especial núm. 5: 313-317.
61. Plavcan JM, Provaznik D, Spring R., 2012. Estimating femoral head size in fragmentary fossils using 3-D surface scans. Am J Phys Anthropol Suppl. 54: 238.
62. Pontzer H, Raichlen DA, Sockol MD., 2009. The metabolic cost of walking in humans, chimpanzees, and early hominins. J Hum Evol 56: 43-54.
63. Rafferty KL., 1998. Structural design of the femoral neck in primates. J Hum Evol 34: 361-383.
64. Rafferty KL, Ruff CB., 1994. Articular structure and function in Hylobates, Colobus, and Papio. Am J Phys Anthropol 94: 395-408.
65. Raichlen DA, Gordon AD, Harcourt-Smith WEH, Foster AD, Haas WR., 2010. Laetoli footprints preserve earliest direct evidence of human-like bipedal biomechanics. PLoS One 5 (3): e9769.
66. Richmond BG, Jungers WL., 2008. Orrorin tugenensis femoral morphology and the evolution of hominin bipedalism. Science 319: 1662-1665.
67. Rose MD., 1984. A hominine hip bone, KNM-ER 3228, from East Lake Turkana, Kenya. Am J Phys Anthropol 63: 371-378.
68. Ruff CB., 1995. Biomechanics of the hip and birth in early Homo. Am J Phys Anthropol 98: 527-574.
69. Ruff CB., 1998. Evolution of the hominid hip. In:, Strasser E, Rosenberger A, McHenry H, Fleagle J, editors. Primate locomotion: recent advances. Davis, CA: Plenum Press. p 449-469.
70. Ruff CB., 2002. Long bone articular and diaphyseal structure in Old World monkeys and apes, I: locomotor effects. Am J Phys Anthropol 119: 305-342.
71. Ruff CB., 2003. Long bone articular and diaphyseal structure in Old World monkeys and apes, II: estimation of body mass. Am J Phys Anthropol 120: 16-37.
72. Ruff CB., 2007. Body size prediction from juvenile skeletal remains. Am J Phys Anthropol 133: 698-716.
73. Ruff CB., 2008. Femoral/humeral strength in early African Homo erectus. J Hum Evol 54: 383-390.
74. Ruff CB., 2009. Relative limb strength and locomotion in Homo habilis Am J Phys Anthropol 13 8: 90-100.
75. Ruff CB., 2010. Body size and body shape in early hominins: implications of the Gona pelvis. J Hum Evol 58: 166-178.
76. Ruff CB, Higgins R, Carlson KJ., in press. Long bone cross-sectional geometry. In:, Richmond BG, Ward CV, Zipfel B, editors. Hominin postcranial remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa.
77. Ruff CB, Holt BM, Sladek V, Berner M, Murphy WA Jr, zur Nedden D, Seidler H, Recheis W,. 2006. Body size, body proportions, and mobility in the Tyrolean "Iceman.". J Hum Evol 51: 91-101.
78. Ruff CB, Leo FP., 1986. Use of computed tomography in skeletal structure research. Yearb Phys Anthropol 29: 181-195.
79. Ruff CB, McHenry HM, Thackeray JF., 1999. Cross-sectional morphology of the SK 82 and 97 proximal femora. Am J Phys Anthropol 109: 509-521.
80. Schmid P., 2004. Functional interpretation of the Laetoli footprints. In:, Meldrum DJ, Hilton CE, editors. The emergence of modern human walking, running, and resource transport. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. p 49-62.
81. Senut B, Pickford M, Gommery D, Mein P, Cheboi K, Coppens Y., 2001. First hominid from the Miocene (Lukeino Formation, Kenya). Comptes Rendus De L'Academie Des Sciences Serie Ii Fascicule a-Sciences De La Terre Et Des Planetes 332: 137-144.
82. Simpson SW, Quade J, Levin NE, Butler R, Dupont-Nivet G, Everett M, Semaw S., 2008. A female Homo erectus pelvis from Gona, Ethiopia. Science 322: 1089-1092.
83. Stern JT., 2000. Climbing to the top: a personal memoir of Australopithecus afarensis. Evol Anthropol 9: 113-133.
84. Stern JT, Susman RL., 1981. Electromyography of the gluteal muscles in Hylobates, Pongo, and Pan:implications for the evolution of hominid bipedality. Am J Phys Anthropol 55: 153-166.
85. Stern JT, Susman RL., 1983. The locomotor anatomy of Australopithecus afarensis. Am J Phys Anthropol 60: 279-317.
86. Stern JT, Susman RL., 1991. "Total morphological pattern" versus the "magic trait": conflicting approaches to the study of early hominid bipedalism. In:, Coppens Y, Senut B, editors. Origine(s) de la bipédie chez les hominidés. Paris: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. p 99-111.
87. Sumner DR, Olson CL, Freeman PM, Lobick JJ, Andriacchi TP., 1989. Computed tomographic measurement of cortical bone geometry. J Biomech 22: 649-653.
88. Susman RL, de Ruiter D, Brain CK., 2001. Recently identified postcranial remains of Paranthropus and early Homo from Swartkrans Cave, South Africa. J Hum Evol 41: 607-629.
89. Tague RG, Lovejoy CO., 1986. The obstetric pelvis of A.L. 288-1 (Lucy). J Hum Evol 15: 237-255.
90. Vrba ES., 1985. Early hominids in Southern Africa: updated observations on chronological and ecological background. In:, Tobias PV, editor. Hominid evolution: past, present and future. New York: Liss. p 195-200.
91. Walker A., 1973. New Australopithecus femora from East Rudolf, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2: 545-555.
92. Ward CV, Kimbel WH, Harmon EH, Johanson DC., 2012. New postcranial fossils of Australopithecus afarensis from Hadar, Ethiopia (1990-2007). J Hum Evol 63: 1-51.
93. Ward CV, Kimbel WH, Johanson DC., 2011. Complete fourth metatarsal and arches in the foot of Australopithecus afarensis. Science (New York, NY) 331: 750-753.
94. Warrener A., 2011. Pelvic shape, hip abductor mechanics and locomotor energetics in extinct hominins and modern humans. Ph.D. Thesis, Washington University, St. Louis.
95. Warton D, Duursma R, Falster D, Taskinen S., 2011. Smatr: (Standardised) Major Axis Estimation and Testing Routines. R package version 3.2.4. Available at: http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=smatr. Accessed on 22 June 2012.
96. Warton DI, Wright IJ, Falster DS, Westob M., 2006. Bivariate line-fitting methods for allometry. Biol Rev 81: 259-291.
97. White TD, Suwa G., 1987. Hominid footprints at Laetoli: facts and interpretations. Am J Phys Anthropol 72: 485-514.
98. Wood B., 1976. Remains attributable to Homo in East Rudolf succession. In:, Coppens Y, Howell FC, Issac GL, Leakey REF, editors. Earliest man and environments in the Lake Rudolf Basin. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p 490-506.
99. Zipfel B, DeSilva JM, Kidd RS., 2009. Earliest complete hominin fifth metatarsal: implications for the evolution of the lateral column of the foot. Am J Phys Anthropol 140: 532-545.
100. Zipfel B, DeSilva JM, Kidd RS, Carlson KJ, Churchill SE, Berger LR., 2011. The foot and ankle of Australopithecus sediba. Science 333: 1417-1420.