H Pontzer
Biographic Data
| ID | 28360 |
|---|---|
| NAME | H Pontzer |
| GIVEN NAMES | H |
| FAMILY NAME | Pontzer |
| SIGNATURE | PONTZER H |
| AFFILIATIONS | Duke University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2397-6543 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 63 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 496 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 63 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
Birth Weight in the Daasanach Community of Northern Kenya and the Effect of Multiparity
Historic drought in northern Kenya shifts diet and mobility away from traditional pastoralism as resource security and nutrition falter
Increased Vulnerability to Dehydration Due to Heat Stress and Drought Across Reproductive States for Pastoralist Women in Northern Kenya
Reduced Fat Oxidation as a Potential Pathway Linking Early‐Life Adversity to Obesity Risk: Evidence From Vanuatu
The latter finding suggests that adverse environmental conditions during early life may lead to reduced fat oxidation, which has the potential to increase the risk of obesity later in life. This finding might partially explain the so-called double burden of malnutrition (the co-occurrence of undernutrition and obesity) currently affecting many low- and middle-income countries
Chronic Stress and Severe Water Insecurity During the Historic 2022 Drought in Northern Kenya Were Associated With Inflammation Among Daasanach Seminomadic Pastoralists
OBJECTIVE: Extreme climatic events, like droughts, are increasing in frequency and severity. Droughts disrupt community livelihoods and resources with serious implications for human biology. This study investigated how chronic stress, measured by fingernail cortisol concentration (FCC), and water insecurity status were predictive of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation, during a historic drought among Daasanach seminomadic pastor…
Physical Activity and Pregnancy Norms Among Daasanach Semi‐Nomadic Pastoralist Women in Northern Kenya
OBJECTIVES: In subsistence populations, high physical activity is typically maintained throughout pregnancy. Market integration shifts activity patterns to resemble industrialized populations, with more time allocated to sedentary behavior. Daasanach semi-nomadic pastoralists living in northern Kenya face lifestyle heterogeneity due to the emergence of a market center. We investigate how Daasanach women manage the energetic demands of pregnancy w…
A Competitive Immunoassay for Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate in Dried Blood Spots
Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA‐S) is a steroid hormone commonly measured to assess neuroendocrine activity related to HPA‐axis function, stress physiology, and broader health outcomes, with significance for Human Biology research. To facilitate research assessing DHEA‐S concentrations using minimally invasive sample collection methods, we present validation results for a competitive immunoassay to quantify DHEA‐S in dried blood spots (DBS) …
Ambient temperature and wet bulb globe temperature outperform heat index in predicting hydration status and heat perception in a semi-arid environment
In a hot, semi-arid climate, ambient temperature and WBGT accurately predict human water needs and heat stress, with children more vulnerable to dehydration. To mitigate consequences of extreme heat, local bioculturally-appropriate hydration (e.g. tea) and cooling (e.g. shade) strategies should be encouraged
Human energy expenditure and thermoregulation during persistence hunting in the Namib
Increased physical activity is not related to markers of cardiometabolic health in two lemur species
Insufficient physical activity is a major risk factor for cardiometabolic disease (i.e., unhealthy weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes) in humans and may also negatively affect health of primates in human care. Effects of physical activity on energy expenditure and cardiometabolic health are virtually unstudied in nonhuman primates. We investigated physical activity and metabolic markers in 15 adult ring‐tailed lemurs ( Lemur catta ) and 11 …
Total daily energy expenditure and elevated water turnover in a small-scale semi-nomadic pastoralist society from Northern Kenya
The similar mass-adjusted TEE of Daasanach and industrialised populations supports the hypothesis that habitual TEE is constrained, with physically demanding lifestyles necessitating trade-offs in energy allocation. Elevated WT in the absence of elevated TEE likely reflects a demanding active lifestyle in a hot, arid climate
The effect of bi-iliac breadth on core body temperature
Mobility ideation due to water problems during historic 2022 drought associated with livestock wealth, water and food insecurity, and fingernail cortisol concentration in northern Kenya
Energetic costs of testosterone in two subsistence populations
OBJECTIVE: Testosterone plays a role in mediating energetic trade-offs between growth, maintenance, and reproduction. Investments in a high testosterone phenotype trade-off against other functions, particularly survival-enhancing immune function and cellular repair; thus only individuals in good condition can maintain both a high testosterone phenotype and somatic maintenance. While these effects are observed in experimental manipulations, they a…
Early childhood growth in Daasanach pastoralists of Northern Kenya: Distinct patterns of faltering in linear growth and weight gain
OBJECTIVES: Investigations of early childhood growth among small-scale populations are essential for understanding human life history variation and enhancing the ability to serve such communities through global public health initiatives. This study characterizes early childhood growth trajectories and identifies differences in growth patterns relative to international references among Daasanach semi-nomadic pastoralist children living in a hot, a…
The co-occurrence of water insecurity and food insecurity among Daasanach pastoralists in northern Kenya
Objective: Water plays a critical role in the production of food and preparation of nutritious meals, yet few studies have examined the relationship between water and food insecurity. The primary objective of this study, therefore, was to examine how experiences of household water insecurity (HWI) relate to experiences of household food insecurity (HFI) among a pastoralist population living in an arid, water-stressed region of northern Kenya. Des…
Variability in energy expenditure is much greater in males than females
In mammals, trait variation is often reported to be greater among males than females. However, to date, mainly only morphological traits have been studied. Energy expenditure represents the metabolic costs of multiple physical, physiological, and behavioral traits. Energy expenditure could exhibit particularly high greater male variation through a cumulative effect if those traits mostly exhibit greater male variation, or a lack of greater male v…
Comparing walking and running in persistence hunting
How can evolutionary and biological anthropologists engage broader audiences
OBJECTIVES: With our diverse training, theoretical and empirical toolkits, and rich data, evolutionary and biological anthropologists (EBAs) have much to contribute to research and policy decisions about climate change and other pressing social issues. However, we remain largely absent from these critical, ongoing efforts. Here, we draw on the literature and our own experiences to make recommendations for how EBAs can engage broader audiences, in…
Energetic and endurance constraints on great ape quadrupedalism and the benefits of hominin bipedalism
Bipedal walking was one of the first key behavioral traits that defined the evolution of early hominins. While it is not possible to identify specific selection pressures underlying bipedal evolution, we can better understand how the adoption of bipedalism may have benefited our hominin ancestors. Here, we focus on how bipedalism relaxes constraints on nonhuman primate quadrupedal limb mechanics, providing key advantages during hominin evolution.…
Hotter and sicker: External energy expenditure and the tangled evolutionary roots of anthropogenic climate change and chronic disease
Climate change and NCD are connected both to one another and to our species' deep evolutionary dependence on external energy. Transitioning to carbon-free energy is essential to reduce the existential risks of climate change, but will likely have only modest effects on NCD. With the impending exhaustion of oil, coal, and natural gas reserves, developing replacements for fossil fuels is also critical to maintaining our species' external energy por…
Cross‐cultural variation in thirst perception in hot‐humid and hot‐arid environments: Evidence from two small‐scale populations
Our findings suggest hydration status is not a reliable predictor of thirst perceptions in extreme-hot environments with ad libitum drinking. Rather, our findings, which require additional confirmation, point to the importance of water availability during gestation in affecting thirst sensitivity to heat and water feedback mechanisms, particularly in arid environments. Thirst regulation will be increasingly important to understand given climate c…
Reindeer herders from subarctic Finland exhibit high total energy expenditure and low energy intake during the autumn herd roundup
High TEE and low caloric intake among herders reflect the extreme demands placed on herders during the annual herd round up. Although TEE DLW was similar between cold climate herders and hot climate farming populations, there are likely differences in how that TEE is comprised, reflecting the local ecologies of these populations
Gendered movement ecology and landscape use in Hadza hunter-gatherers
Understanding how gendered economic roles structure space use is critical to evolutionary models of foraging behaviour, social organization and cognition. Here, we examine hunter-gatherer spatial behaviour on a very large scale, using GPS devices worn by Hadza foragers to record 2,078 person-days of movement. Theory in movement ecology suggests that the density and mobility of targeted foods should predict spatial behaviour and that strong gender…
Dmanisi Hominins and Archaeology
Locomotor anatomy and biomechanics of the Dmanisi hominins
Ecological Energetics in EarlyHomo
Models for the origin of the genus Homo propose that increased quality of diet led to changes in ranging ecology and selection for greater locomotor economy, speed, and endurance. Here, I examine the fossil evidence for postcranial change in early Homo and draw on comparative data from living mammals to assess whether increased diet quality has led to selection for improved locomotor performance in other lineages. Body mass estimates indicate ear…
Climbing and the daily energy cost of locomotion in wild chimpanzees: Implications for Hominoid Locomotor Evolution
Bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion in chimpanzees
The metabolic cost of walking in humans, chimpanzees, and early hominins
Understanding hind limb weight support in chimpanzees with implications for the evolution of primate locomotion
Most quadrupedal mammals support a larger amount of body weight on their forelimbs compared with their hind limbs during locomotion, whereas most primates support more of their body weight on their hind limbs. Increased hind limb weight support is generally interpreted as an adaptation that reduces stress on primates' highly mobile forelimb joints. Thus, increased hind limb weight support was likely vital for the evolution of primate arboreality.…
Dental microwear texture analysis and diet in the Dmanisi hominins
Reconstructions of foraging behavior and diet are central to our understanding of fossil hominin ecology and evolution. Current hypotheses for the evolution of the genus Homo invoke a change in foraging behavior to include higher quality foods. Recent microwear texture analyses of fossil hominin teeth have suggested that the evolution of Homo erectus may have been marked by a transition to a more variable diet. In this study, we used microwear te…
Great ape walking kinematics: Implications for hominoid evolution
OBJECTIVES: Great apes provide a point of reference for understanding the evolution of locomotion in hominoids and early hominins. We assessed (1) the extent to which great apes use diagonal sequence, diagonal couplet gaits, like other primates, (2) the extent to which gait and posture vary across great apes, and (3) the role of body mass and limb proportions on ape quadrupedal kinematics. METHODS: High-speed digital video of zoo-housed bonobos (…
High resting metabolic rate among Amazonian forager‐horticulturalists experiencing high pathogen burden
OBJECTIVES: Resting metabolic rate (RMR) reflects energetic costs of homeostasis and accounts for 60 to 75% of total energy expenditure (TEE). Lean mass and physical activity account for much RMR variability, but the impact of prolonged immune activation from infection on human RMR is unclear in naturalistic settings. We evaluate the effects of infection on mass-corrected RMR among Bolivian forager-horticulturalists, and assess whether RMR declin…
The Narrow Niche hypothesis: Gray squirrels shed new light on primate origins
Current hypotheses for primate origins propose that nails and primate‐like grasping hands and feet were important early adaptations for feeding in fine branches. Comparative research in this area has focused on instances of convergence in extant animals, showing that species with primate‐like morphology feed predominantly from terminal branches. Little has been done to test whether animals without primate‐like morphology engage in similar behavio…
Ontogeny of Ranging in Wild Chimpanzees
Dehydration and persistence hunting in Homo erectus
Skeletal pathology in Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii in Kibale National Park, Uganda
The ecological pressures shaping chimpanzee anatomy and behavior are the subject of much discussion in primatology and paleoanthropology, yet empirical data on fundamental parameters including body size, morbidity, and mortality are rare for wild chimpanzees. Here, we present skeletal pathology and body size data for 20 (19 crania, 12 postcrania) chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii ) from Kibale National Park, Uganda. We compare these da…
Muscle force production during bent-knee, bent-hip walking in humans
Gendered movement ecology and landscape use in Hadza hunter-gatherers
Understanding how gendered economic roles structure space use is critical to evolutionary models of foraging behaviour, social organization and cognition. Here, we examine hunter-gatherer spatial behaviour on a very large scale, using GPS devices worn by Hadza foragers to record 2,078 person-days of movement. Theory in movement ecology suggests that the density and mobility of targeted foods should predict spatial behaviour and that strong gender…
Chewing efficiency and occlusal functional morphology in modern humans
The Laetoli footprints and early hominin locomotor kinematics
Mobility ideation due to water problems during historic 2022 drought associated with livestock wealth, water and food insecurity, and fingernail cortisol concentration in northern Kenya
Macronutrient contributions of insects to the diets of hunter-gatherers: A geometric analysis
Comparing walking and running in persistence hunting
Variability in energy expenditure is much greater in males than females
In mammals, trait variation is often reported to be greater among males than females. However, to date, mainly only morphological traits have been studied. Energy expenditure represents the metabolic costs of multiple physical, physiological, and behavioral traits. Energy expenditure could exhibit particularly high greater male variation through a cumulative effect if those traits mostly exhibit greater male variation, or a lack of greater male v…
Mechanics of archery among Hadza hunter-gatherers
Age‐related decline in urine concentration may not be universal: Comparative study from the U.S. and two small‐scale societies
OBJECTIVES: Evidence from industrialized populations suggests that urine concentrating ability declines with age. However, lifestyle factors including episodic protein intake and low hypertension may help explain differences between populations. Whether this age-related decline occurs among small-scale populations with active lifestyles and non-Western diets is unknown. We test the universality of age-related urine concentration decline. MATERIAL…
Abstracts of AAPA poster and podium presentations
The human face differs from most other primates in that it lacks a rostrum and is oriented primarily in the coronal plane. These differences may influence biomechanical resistance to torsional, shearing, and bending forces generated during mastication that are known to affect the growth of the maxillary and mandibular arches. We tested the effects of facial retraction on facial strain patterns using in vivo strain data collected from rock hyraxes…
Ambient temperature and wet bulb globe temperature outperform heat index in predicting hydration status and heat perception in a semi-arid environment
In a hot, semi-arid climate, ambient temperature and WBGT accurately predict human water needs and heat stress, with children more vulnerable to dehydration. To mitigate consequences of extreme heat, local bioculturally-appropriate hydration (e.g. tea) and cooling (e.g. shade) strategies should be encouraged
Abstracts of AAPA poster and podium presentations
The human face differs from most other primates in that it lacks a rostrum and is oriented primarily in the coronal plane. These differences may influence biomechanical resistance to torsional, shearing, and bending forces generated during mastication that are known to affect the growth of the maxillary and mandibular arches. We tested the effects of facial retraction on facial strain patterns using in vivo strain data collected from rock hyraxes…
Climbing and the daily energy cost of locomotion in wild chimpanzees: Implications for Hominoid Locomotor Evolution
Abstracts of AAPA poster and podium presentations
Functional interpretation of limb bone cross-sectional geometry depends upon knowledge of the magnitude and direction of habitual loading. Quantification of bone loading has only been possible using invasive, in vivo strain measurement and a non-invasive alternative is highly desirable. This study presents a new biomechanical model that predicts bone loading conditions from non-invasive 3D kinematic and ground reaction force data. The model has b…
Trabecular bone in the bird knee responds with high sensitivity to changes in load orientation
Wolff's law of trajectorial orientation proposes that trabecular struts align with the orientation of dominant compressive loads within a joint. Although widely considered in skeletal biology, Wolff's law has never been experimentally tested while controlling for ontogenetic stage, activity level,and species differences, all factors that may affect trabecular bone growth. Here we report an experimental test of Wolff's law using a within-species d…
Ontogeny of Ranging in Wild Chimpanzees
Chimpanzee locomotor energetics and the origin of human bipedalism
Bipedal walking is evident in the earliest hominins [Zollikofer CPE, Ponce de Leon MS, Lieberman DE, Guy F, Pilbeam D, et al. (2005) Nature 434:755–759], but why our unique two-legged gait evolved remains unknown. Here, we analyze walking energetics and biomechanics for adult chimpanzees and humans to investigate the long-standing hypothesis that bipedalism reduced the energy cost of walking compared with our ape-like ancestors [Rodman PS, McHenr…
Skeletal pathology in Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii in Kibale National Park, Uganda
The ecological pressures shaping chimpanzee anatomy and behavior are the subject of much discussion in primatology and paleoanthropology, yet empirical data on fundamental parameters including body size, morbidity, and mortality are rare for wild chimpanzees. Here, we present skeletal pathology and body size data for 20 (19 crania, 12 postcrania) chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii ) from Kibale National Park, Uganda. We compare these da…
The Laetoli footprints and early hominin locomotor kinematics
Understanding hind limb weight support in chimpanzees with implications for the evolution of primate locomotion
Most quadrupedal mammals support a larger amount of body weight on their forelimbs compared with their hind limbs during locomotion, whereas most primates support more of their body weight on their hind limbs. Increased hind limb weight support is generally interpreted as an adaptation that reduces stress on primates' highly mobile forelimb joints. Thus, increased hind limb weight support was likely vital for the evolution of primate arboreality.…
The metabolic cost of walking in humans, chimpanzees, and early hominins
Locomotor anatomy and biomechanics of the Dmanisi hominins
The Narrow Niche hypothesis: Gray squirrels shed new light on primate origins
Current hypotheses for primate origins propose that nails and primate‐like grasping hands and feet were important early adaptations for feeding in fine branches. Comparative research in this area has focused on instances of convergence in extant animals, showing that species with primate‐like morphology feed predominantly from terminal branches. Little has been done to test whether animals without primate‐like morphology engage in similar behavio…
Dental microwear texture analysis and diet in the Dmanisi hominins
Reconstructions of foraging behavior and diet are central to our understanding of fossil hominin ecology and evolution. Current hypotheses for the evolution of the genus Homo invoke a change in foraging behavior to include higher quality foods. Recent microwear texture analyses of fossil hominin teeth have suggested that the evolution of Homo erectus may have been marked by a transition to a more variable diet. In this study, we used microwear te…
Hunter-Gatherer Energetics and Human Obesity
Western lifestyles differ markedly from those of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, and these differences in diet and activity level are often implicated in the global obesity pandemic. However, few physiological data for hunter-gatherer populations are available to test these models of obesity. In this study, we used the doubly-labeled water method to measure total daily energy expenditure (kCal/day) in Hadza hunter-gatherers to test whether forager…
Metabolic hypothesis for human altriciality
The classic anthropological hypothesis known as the “obstetrical dilemma” is a well-known explanation for human altriciality, a condition that has significant implications for human social and behavioral evolution. The hypothesis holds that antagonistic selection for a large neonatal brain and a narrow, bipedal-adapted birth canal poses a problem for childbirth; the hominin “solution” is to truncate gestation, resulting in an altricial neonate. T…
Ecological Energetics in EarlyHomo
Models for the origin of the genus Homo propose that increased quality of diet led to changes in ranging ecology and selection for greater locomotor economy, speed, and endurance. Here, I examine the fossil evidence for postcranial change in early Homo and draw on comparative data from living mammals to assess whether increased diet quality has led to selection for improved locomotor performance in other lineages. Body mass estimates indicate ear…
SSIT Logo Design Contest [News and Notes]
interesting experiments and simulations. We described some alternative monetary systems in detail to show what such experiments entail. Translating these experiments to the physical world faces many challenges, since the physical world poses some unique problems. Nevertheless, the concept of risk, how we measure it, and how we treat it, are all likely to change dramatically as these risk reduction technologies are refined
Muscle force production during bent-knee, bent-hip walking in humans
Mutualism and manipulation in Hadza–honeyguide interactions
Macronutrient contributions of insects to the diets of hunter-gatherers: A geometric analysis
Bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion in chimpanzees
Energy Expenditure in Humans and Other Primates: A New Synthesis
This review examines the proximate, ecological, and evolutionary determinants of energy expenditure in humans and primates, with an emphasis on empirical measurements of total energy expenditure (TEE). Body size is the main proximate determinant of TEE, both within and between species; physical activity, genetic variation, and endocrine regulation explain substantially less of the variation in TEE. Basal metabolism is the single largest component…
Energy expenditure and activity among Hadza hunter‐gatherers
Our results indicate that daily physical activity may not predict TEE within traditional hunter-gatherer populations like the Hadza. Instead, adults with high levels of habitual physical activity may adapt by reducing energy allocation to other physiological activity
High resting metabolic rate among Amazonian forager‐horticulturalists experiencing high pathogen burden
OBJECTIVES: Resting metabolic rate (RMR) reflects energetic costs of homeostasis and accounts for 60 to 75% of total energy expenditure (TEE). Lean mass and physical activity account for much RMR variability, but the impact of prolonged immune activation from infection on human RMR is unclear in naturalistic settings. We evaluate the effects of infection on mass-corrected RMR among Bolivian forager-horticulturalists, and assess whether RMR declin…
Chewing efficiency and occlusal functional morphology in modern humans
Biology (42 works) · Medicine (27 works) · Ecology (24 works) · Primate Behavior and Ecology (24 works) · Geography (23 works) · Ecology (19 works) · Demography (15 works) · Anatomy (12 works) · Evolutionary biology (11 works) · Evolution and Paleontology Studies (10 works)