- AutorIn
- Inga Bergmann
- Titel
- Variability and evolution of mandible morphology in Homo sapiens and its ancestors
- Untertitel
- How did modern morphology evolve in the human mandible? The relationship between static adult allometry and mandibular variability in Homo sapiens
- The relevance of late MSA mandibles on the emergence of modern morphology in Northern Africa
- Zitierfähige Url:
- https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:15-qucosa2-841584
- Datum der Einreichung
- 22.07.2022
- Datum der Verteidigung
- 03.03.2023
- Abstract (EN)
- Mandibles represent a major part of the hominin fossil record and have been found to carry phylogenetic signals. Late Early until Late Pleistocene mandibular remains offer unique insights into early phases of H. sapiens evolution for which Northwestern Africa provides a series of valuable sites. It is home to the earliest currently known member of Homo sapiens (Jebel Irhoud) and several late Middle Stone Age (MSA) fossils, notably Kébibat, Contrebandiers 1, Dar-es-Soltane II H5 and El Harhoura. The latter three are mostly referred to as “Aterian” and analyzed using geometric morphometrics for the first time. They fill a temporal gap within a long-term succession of hominins in Northern Africa of which we study the best-preserved, namely Tighenif and Thomas Quarry in a comparative framework of other Middle Pleistocene hominins, Jebel Irhoud together with more early H. sapiens from Southern Africa and the Levant, two series of Iberomaurusian H. sapiens from Taforalt and Afalou Bou Rhummel together with other Upper/Late Paleolithic specimens as well as Natufians, Holocene humans, and Neanderthals. Despite the ancient age of early H. sapiens spanning a Middle and early Late Pleistocene timeframe, their upper facial shape falls within the recent human range of variation. In contrast, their mandibles display a mosaic morphology and a unique allometric trajectory that explains aspects of their ‘archaic’ appearance. At the same time, early H. sapiens share a suite of diagnostic features with later H. sapiens that are not related to mandibular size, such as an incipient chin and an anteroposteriorly decreasing corpus height. A mosaic morphology, consisting of a mix between archaic and modern features, was also evident in late MSA fossils of the Maghreb substantiating the view that the emergence of diagnostic H. sapiens traits followed an accretional pattern. Such shift in the frequency of modern traits through time accounts for differences between individuals and Middle/ Late Pleistocene diversity. Our data support the notion that human morphology, currently referred to as ‘modern’, is a gracilized version of an archaic non-Neanderthal pattern and emerged in the course of an ongoing masticatory gracilization process. In this context, structural constraints such as bicondylar and bigonial breadth, affect the expression of shape features as a function of allometric scaling. Among North African fossils, we identified notable similarities in mandibular shape and discrete features through time, suggesting a greater time depth for regional continuity than previously assumed. These results allow us to group Aterians within a single evolving lineage with preceding and succeeding populations in the region, emphasizing North Africa’s role as one of the source areas of the first H. sapiens. Its geographic position at the interface of the Mediterranean Basin and the Sahara makes it a hub of human interaction, shedding light on the nature of potential exchanges with adjacent areas.
- Freie Schlagwörter (DE)
- Unterkiefer, Evolution, Homo sapiens, Morphometrie, Nordafrika
- Klassifikation (DDC)
- 570
- Den akademischen Grad verleihende / prüfende Institution
- Universität Leipzig, Leipzig
- Version / Begutachtungsstatus
- angenommene Version / Postprint / Autorenversion
- URN Qucosa
- urn:nbn:de:bsz:15-qucosa2-841584
- Veröffentlichungsdatum Qucosa
- 21.03.2023
- Dokumenttyp
- Dissertation
- Sprache des Dokumentes
- Englisch
- Deutsch
- Lizenz / Rechtehinweis
- CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- Inhaltsverzeichnis
Danksagung………….…………………………………………………………………I Bibliographische Darstellung………………………………………………………….II Thesen………………………………………………………………………………… 1 Forschungshintergrund………………………………………………………1 Zielsetzung der Doktorarbeit………………………………………………...3 Überblick Kapitel 1…………………………………………………………..4 Überblick Kapitel 2…………………………………………………………..5 Literatur……………………......…………………………………………….6 Theses………………………………………………………………………11 Research Background………………………………………………………11 Aims of the Thesis………………………………………………….……….13 Overview Chapter 1………………………………………………………...14 Overview Chapter 2………………………………………………………...15 Literature……………………………………………………………………16 Kapitel 1 How did modern morphology evolve in the human mandible? The relationship between static adult allometry and mandibular variability in Homo sapiens …………................………………………..21 Kapitel 2 The relevance of late MSA mandibles on the emergence of modern morphology in Northern Africa………………………………42 Conclusion/Schlussfolgerung……………………………………………...………......55 Appendix Kapitel 1..................................................................................................73 Appendix Kapitel 2..................................................................................................95 Wissenschaftlicher Werdegang.............................................................................116 Selbstständigkeitserklärung..................................................................................119 Nachweis über die Anteile der Co-Autoren............................................................120