The mesosternum of the Regourdou 1 Neandertal revisited

Fossil hominin mesosterna, while scarce, can provide useful morphological data in addition to rib remains regarding aspects of thoracic size and shape. These data, in turn, can address hypotheses related to respiratory dynamics, climatic adaptation, and ecogeographical patterning. In this study, we...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of human evolution 2012-04, Vol.62 (4), p.511-519
Main Authors: Gómez-Olivencia, Asier, Franciscus, Robert G., Couture-Veschambre, Christine, Maureille, Bruno, Arsuaga, Juan Luis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
Animals
Anthropometry
Archaeology and Prehistory
Biological Evolution
Climate change
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Female
Fossil man
Fossils
France
Homo neanderthalensis
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Israel
Male
Marine and continental quaternary
Neanderthals - anatomy & histology
Paleontology
Primate behaviour
Regression Analysis
Rib cage
Sternebrae
Sternum - anatomy & histology
Surficial geology
Thorax
United States
Vertebrate paleontology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Fossil hominin mesosterna, while scarce, can provide useful morphological data in addition to rib remains regarding aspects of thoracic size and shape. These data, in turn, can address hypotheses related to respiratory dynamics, climatic adaptation, and ecogeographical patterning. In this study, we re-evaluate the anatomical representation of the mesosternum of the Regourdou 1 Neandertal individual that alters key aspects of the original description of the fossil remains. We compare this specimen together with the mesosterna of the Kebara 2 Neandertal male individual and the Tabun C1 Neandertal female individual to a large extant modern sample. Our study shows that the current evidence available for Neandertals indicates longer mesosterna, reflecting larger thorax sizes among Neandertals, in comparison with extant humans. Additionally, while this study weakens previous suggestions of ecogeographically mediated differences in the size and shape of upper thorax between Neandertals from the Mediterranean Levant and those deriving from Western Europe, we cannot unambiguously disprove the notion of such clinal differences. El registro fósil de cuerpos esternales, aunque escaso, puede proporcionar importante información morfológica sobre ciertos aspectos del tamaño y forma del tórax. Estos datos pueden aportar hipótesis relacionadas con las dinámicas respiratorias, adaptación climática y patrones ecogeográficos. En este estudio, reevaluamos la representación anatómica del cuerpo esternal del individuo Neandertal Regourdou 1 que desafía la primera descripción de este fósil. Comparamos este individuo junto con los restos del Neandertal masculino de Kebara 2 y la mujer Neandertal Tabun C1 a una amplia muestra de comparación. Nuestro estudio demuestra que, con la escasa muestra de cuerpos esternales fósiles, los Neandertales tienen cuerpos esternales largos que están en relación con el gran tamaño de su caja torácica. Además, mientras que este estudio debilita hipótesis previas que sugieren la presencia de diferencias en el tamaño y forma de la parte superior del tórax entre los Neandertales del Levante Mediterráneo y Europa occidental, no podemos rechazar esta posibilidad de manera concluyente.
ISSN:0047-2484
1095-8606
DOI:10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.01.004