Functional significance of genetic variation underlying limb bone diaphyseal structure

Bibliographic Data

ID8317561
AuthorsIan J Wallace (0000-0002-1837-5260, Stony Brook University), Kevin M Middleton (0000-0003-4704-1064, California State University, San Bernardino), Svetlana Lublinsky (0000-0002-0390-4887, Stony Brook University), Scott A Kelly (0000-0002-7982-6010, University of California, Riverside), Stefan Judex (0000-0002-4511-1535, Stony Brook University), T Garland (0000-0002-7916-3552, University of California, Riverside), Brigitte Demes (Stony Brook University, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume143
Issue1
Pages21-30
Publication date2010-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.21286
PMID20310061
PMCIDPMC2927726
OpenAlexW2061652935
LanguageEN
Citations received22
References cited81

Limb bone diaphyseal structure is frequently used to infer hominin activity levels from skeletal remains, an approach based on the well‐documented ability of bone to adjust to its loading environment during life. However, diaphyseal structure is also determined in part by genetic factors. This study investigates the possibility that genetic variation underlying diaphyseal structure is influenced by the activity levels of ancestral populations and might also have functional significance in an evolutionary context. We adopted an experimental evolution approach and tested for differences in femoral diaphyseal structure in 1‐week‐old mice from a line that had been artificially selected (45 generations) for high voluntary wheel running and non‐selected controls. As adults, selected mice are significantly more active on wheels and in home cages, and have thicker diaphyses. Structural differences at 1 week can be assumed to primarily reflect the effects of selective breeding rather than direct mechanical stimuli, given that the onset of locomotion in mice is shortly after Day 7. We hypothesized that if genetically determined diaphyseal structure reflects the activity patterns of members of a lineage, then selected animals will have relatively larger diaphyseal dimensions at 1 week compared to controls. The results provide strong support for this hypothesis and suggest that limb bone cross sections may not always only reflect the activity levels of particular fossil individuals, but also convey an evolutionary signal providing information about hominin activity in the past. Am J Phys Anthropol 143:21–30, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc

Biology · Bone structure · Context (archaeology) · Evolutionary biology · Gene · Genetic variation · Lineage (genetic) · Variation (astronomy) · Anatomy · Genetics · Genetics and Physical Performance · Morphological variations and asymmetry · Primate Behavior and Ecology