TY - JOUR
T1 - Structural analysis of the Kresna 11 Homo erectus femoral shaft (Sangiran, Java)
AU - Puymerail, Laurent
AU - Ruff, Christopher B.
AU - Bondioli, Luca
AU - Widianto, Harry
AU - Trinkaus, Erik
AU - MacChiarelli, Roberto
N1 - Funding Information:
The Kresna 11 μCT record has been generated at the Centre de Microtomographie of the Univ. of Poitiers thanks to the unique technical assistance and scientific collaboration of A. Mazurier. In collaboration with H.W., F. Sémah and D. Grimaud-Hervé have made possible its temporary transfer in France within the framework of a long-term scientific collaboration between the MNHN Paris, the Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi of Jakarta, and the Balai Pelestarian Situs Manusia Purba of Sangiran. Special thanks to A. Froment and P. Mennecier for access to comparative osteological material stored at the MNHN. E.A. Cabanis, G. Trainaud, and P. Vandermarcq allowed access to CT equipment for data recording, and M. Gèze facilitated data manipulation. For support, scientific collaboration and discussion, we acknowledge G. Berillon, J. Braga, F. Marchal, A. Mazurier, P. O’Higgins, B. Richmond, J. Stock, V. Volpato, and C. Zanolli. The original version benefited from comments from reviewers. Research supported by the MNHN Paris, and the French CNRS-INEE.
PY - 2012/11
Y1 - 2012/11
N2 - The biomechanical characterization of lower limb long bones in the chrono-ecogeographically diverse species Homo erectus is a fundamental step for assessing evolutionary changes in locomotor mode and body shape that occurred within the genus Homo. However, the samples available for the Early and earlier Middle Pleistocene are small and widely scattered in time and space, thus limiting our understanding of the nature and polarity of morphological trends. Compared to the African fossil record, loading histories based on detailed biomechanical assessment of diaphyseal strength in Indonesian H. erectus lower limb long bones have not been assessed. By using a microtomographic record (μCT), we performed a quantitative analysis of the biomechanical properties and structural organization of Kresna 11, a late Early Pleistocene adult H. erectus femoral shaft from the Sangiran Dome, Central Java. Relative to the modern human condition, Kresna 11 shows the predominant mediolateral cortical thickening (hypertrophy) and the distal displacement of the minimum diaphyseal breadth characteristic of early Homo femora, associated nonetheless with relatively modest cortical thickness within the mid-proximal portion. Synthetic functional imaging of the shaft through the planar representation of its inner structure has revealed distal thickening of the medial cortex, a feature previously unreported in H. erectus. The increase in relative mediolateral bending strength observed in Kresna 11 supports the hypothesis that, rather than simply reflecting differences in patterns of locomotor loading, biomechanical properties of the femoral shaft in archaic Homo are strongly influenced by body shape, i.e., variations in pelvic breadth and femoral neck length.
AB - The biomechanical characterization of lower limb long bones in the chrono-ecogeographically diverse species Homo erectus is a fundamental step for assessing evolutionary changes in locomotor mode and body shape that occurred within the genus Homo. However, the samples available for the Early and earlier Middle Pleistocene are small and widely scattered in time and space, thus limiting our understanding of the nature and polarity of morphological trends. Compared to the African fossil record, loading histories based on detailed biomechanical assessment of diaphyseal strength in Indonesian H. erectus lower limb long bones have not been assessed. By using a microtomographic record (μCT), we performed a quantitative analysis of the biomechanical properties and structural organization of Kresna 11, a late Early Pleistocene adult H. erectus femoral shaft from the Sangiran Dome, Central Java. Relative to the modern human condition, Kresna 11 shows the predominant mediolateral cortical thickening (hypertrophy) and the distal displacement of the minimum diaphyseal breadth characteristic of early Homo femora, associated nonetheless with relatively modest cortical thickness within the mid-proximal portion. Synthetic functional imaging of the shaft through the planar representation of its inner structure has revealed distal thickening of the medial cortex, a feature previously unreported in H. erectus. The increase in relative mediolateral bending strength observed in Kresna 11 supports the hypothesis that, rather than simply reflecting differences in patterns of locomotor loading, biomechanical properties of the femoral shaft in archaic Homo are strongly influenced by body shape, i.e., variations in pelvic breadth and femoral neck length.
KW - Femur
KW - Homo erectus
KW - Indonesia
KW - Kresna 11
KW - Paleobiomechanics
KW - Structural morphology
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.08.003
DO - 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.08.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 23036460
AN - SCOPUS:84867478741
SN - 0047-2484
VL - 63
SP - 741
EP - 749
JO - Journal of Human Evolution
JF - Journal of Human Evolution
IS - 5
ER -