Ontogeny

Question 1

What is the recapitulation theory

Answer 1

(E. Haeckel, 19th): « ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny ». • Now refuted: similarities with embryos at the same stage, but not ancestral
adult forms.

more accurate = successive developmental steps correspond to adult forms that appeared during the evolutionary history

Question 2

What is ontogeny

Answer 2

all of the stages of life that precede the cessation of growth.

Question 3

Define the following
Heterochrony:
Heterotopy

Answer 3

Heterochrony: change in time or rate of development of a feature.
• Heterotopy: change in the spatial arrangement of a feature.

Question 4

define paedomorphy and peramorphy

Answer 4

paedomorphy
truncating the ancestral ontogenetic trajectory, adults retain juvenile features

peramorphy
extending the ancestral ontogenetic trajectory

Question 5

What can lead to paedomorphy

Answer 5

• postgenesis: earliest offset
• postdisplacement: delayed onset
• neoteny: reduced rate

Question 6

what can lead to peramorphy

Answer 6

• hypermorphosis: delayed offset
• predisplacement: earlier onset
• acceleration: increased rate

Question 7

By what age are chimps vs humans adults

Answer 7

adult = all teeth emerged, all bones fused, first reproduction

chimp = transition at 13-15yrs
human= 17-19 years

Question 8

What are the key post-birth LH stages in most primates

Answer 8

• Infancy stage: from birth to the emergence of the M1, weaning, brain growth
completed in most primates.
• Juvenile stage: considerable growth and development.
• Adulthood: reproduction, eruption of all permanent teeth (including M3), postcranial growth completed.

Question 9

What are the key post-birth LH stages in humans

Answer 9

• Infancy stage: from birth to the emergence of the M1, weaning, brain growth completed in most primates.
• Childhood: prior to the emergence of permanent teeth, brain growth continues after weaning.

• Juvenile stage: considerable growth and development.
• Adolescent growth spurt: growth spurt after puberty, skeletal growth
acceleration (M2 eruption).

• Adulthood: reproduction, eruption of all permanent teeth (including M3),
postcranial growth completed.

post reproductive in females

Question 10

What do you call human child helplessness

Answer 10

secondary altriciality

humans at birth are more immature and helpless than other apes, require more parental care

Question 11

How does human brain at birth compare to chimps

Answer 11

Compared to other great apes humans: a smaller brain at birth, faster and
prolonged brain growth.

chimp: at birth: 1/3 adult brain size
human: at birth: 1/4 adult brain size

Question 12

What are the key ways to investigate LHS in the fossil record

Answer 12

teeth:
→ eruption pattern
→ dental histology
→ elements & isotopes

skull:
→ brain shape
→ brain size
→ suture fusion
→ bone histology

post-crania:
→ suture fusion
→ bone histology

Question 13

Give the timing of dental eruption in chimps vs humans

Answer 13

chimps: M1 at 2.66-4.08 years
humans: M1 at 4.74-7.00 years

Question 14

Give the sequence of dental eruption in chimps vs humans

Answer 14

chimps: M1-I1-I2-M2-(P3,P4)-C-M3
humans: M1-I1-I2-(P3,C,P4)-M2-M3

Question 15

How are teeth formed

wat are key cells involved

Answer 15

• Tooth formation: incremental growth from the dentinoenamel junction.
• Ameloblasts: cells that deposit enamel.
• Odontoblasts: cells that deposit dentine.

Question 16

What are key marks of growth on the teeth

Answer 16

• Short-period lines: daily increments of enamel (cross striations) and dentine
(von Ebner’s lines) depositions.

• Longer-period lines: produced at regular intervals in enamel (Retzius lines) and
dentine (Andresen lines).

Question 17

What are perikymata

Answer 17

surface manifestations of Retzius lines.

Question 18

What is the neonatal line

Answer 18

• Tooth formation: neonatal line (darker and larger than the other lines).

Question 19

How are teeth interesting for weaning

Answer 19

Trace element and isotope analysis in teeth: breastfeeding practices and
weaning age. • Teeth retain the isotopic and elemental dietary signals throughout ontogeny

Question 20

How is the brain useful for assessing LHS

Answer 20

• Craniofacial growth: cranial sutures serve as sites of bone expansion
(intramembranous bone growth).

• Brain growth is closely related to craniofacial growth: new bone is produced in
response to stimuli, such as brain growth.

Question 21

Describe long bone growth in length:

Answer 21

occurs at the epiphyseal (growth) plate that is made of cartilage at the distal end of long bones (endochondral ossification).

Question 22

What does age of tooth emergence look like in early hominins

Answer 22

Tooth formation and eruption in early hominins: growth periods in Australopithecus, Paranthropus and early Homo are more ape-like and thus teeth formed more rapidly than in extant humans (Bromage and Dean, 1985;
Dean et al., 2001).

• Emergence of delayed maturation after the emergence of Homo

Question 23

What did breast feeding look like in Austalopithecus

Answer 23

• Breastfeeding: a period of 12-13 months for Australopithecus africanus similar to extant humans (but perhaps extended depending on food availability?).
• Longer breastfeeding period in early Homo.

Question 24

What did brain growth look like in afarensis

Answer 24

A comparison of infant to adult endocranial volumes indicates protracted brain growth in A. afarensis, likely critical for the evolution of long childhood learning

Question 25

Describe the brain development of Taung child

Answer 25

aged 3-4 (M1 erupted) but has remnant of anterior fontanelle in great apes, the MS normally fuses shortly after birth, such that unfused MS similar to Taung’s are rare. In humans, however, MS fuses well after birth, and partially or unfused MS are frequent. In gracile fossil adult hominins that lived between ∼3.0 and 1.5 million y ago, MS are also relatively frequent, indicating that the modern human-like pattern of late MS fusion may have become adaptive during early hominin evolution Falk 2012

Question 26

What may have been the selective pressures favouring delayed fusion in species such as africanus

Answer 26

three aspects of perinatal ontogeny: (i) the difficulty of giving birth to large-headed neonates through birth canals that were reconfigured for bipedalism (the “obstetric dilemma”), (ii) high early postnatal brain growth rates, and (iii) reorganization and expansion of the frontal neocortex. not mutually exclusive

Question 27

Name a gene that is important in suture closure What is interesting about this

Answer 27

RUNX2 Neanderthal genome provides evidence for positive selection in the modern human variant of RUNX2

Question 28

how did P robustus mature

Answer 28

. As with other Plio-Pleistocene hominins, the odonto-postcranial maturational pattern of TM 1517 more closely fits an African great ape rather than the extant human pattern

Question 29

How does crown formation of KNM-WT 15000 compare to other hominins

Answer 29

Dean 2001 using perikymata Estimates of crown formation times for all anterior tooth types in KNM-WT 15000 fall consistently among those for australopiths and are shorter than those in our modern human sample was only based off Nariokotome youth and Sangiran specimen

Question 30

When is the first shift in enamel growth rates in human evolution

Answer 30

the first evidence for a shift in enamel growth rates in the hominin fossil record seems to be with the origin of larger-brained Neanderthals (at least by 100 kya) and modern human

Question 31

When did molars emerge in erectus

Answer 31

M1 emergence occurred around 4 years of age in KNM-WT 15000, close to the time of enamel completion in the lower canines, as it does in modern humans (and Paranthropus). This age is in broad agreement with another estimate (4.5 years) for average M1 emergence in African Homo erectus on the basis of mean endocranial capacity (826 ml) and implies an age at death for KNM-WT 15000 closer to 8 than 12 years of age estimates of molar emergence times have shifted a little, in step with brain size, from those known for African great apes and australopiths

Question 32

Why might enamel suggest habilis is not Homo

Answer 32

Dean 2001 results do not support the notion that the sequence of tooth development in H. erectus indicates that the timing of tooth development events was like that in modern humans, even though other sound nondental criteria suggest that the assignation to Homo is correct however this is not true of habilis - tooth and post-cranial development different

Question 33

What is the problem with Dean 2001 commenting on Nariokotome youth molars

Answer 33

data do not allow us to reconstruct a direct age for the emergence of molars M1 or M2, or an age at death for the Nariokotome or Sangiran specimens

Question 34

What does the Dikika child suggest about Australopithecus LHS

Answer 34

a 3-year old Australopithecus afarensis, to adult fossils, it has been suggested that despite their ape-like endocranial volumes, members of this species took a longer time to attain the adult brain volume than African apes.

Question 35

Describe the brain ontogeny of erectus

Answer 35

0.5-1.5 y/o Perning 1 (1.8-1.4mya) has been estimated between 630 and 663cc Gona pelvis suggests 315cc at birth (Simpson, 2008) rapid early human brain growth was already established in early H. erectus but 35% at birth is between chimp and human -> shorter period of brain growth in erectus cf. humans must be taken with a pinch of salt as H erectus displays large variation in brain/body size across erectus populations even within a given geographical location Hublin 2015 other sources say Perning 1 has cc of 52-79% of adult Homo erectus variability (respectively for adults values ranging between 800 and 1200cm3). For comparison, modern humans have a value of 59,5% of adult endocranial capacity at 1 year and chimpanzee have a 80% adult volume at the same age (Balzeau, 2005) VERY CONFUSING

Question 36

How old is the Nariokotome Boy

Answer 36

developmental age = ~12y/o (upper deciduous canines still in place and unerupted third molars) chronological age=~8y/o enamel and dentine microstructures clearly shows that H. erectus individuals developed much faster than extant humans - closer to chimps contrast between its skeletal development and actual calendar age seriously challenges the notion that H. erectus growth already exhibited a childhood slowdown and an adolescent spurt Hublin 2015

Question 37

How does neonatal brain size in Neanderthals compare to humans

Answer 37

382-416cc ~humans

Question 38

How does brain ontogeny differ between humans and chimps How does this compare to Neanderthals

Answer 38

globularisation phase in humans then same pattern of brain growth after eruption of deciduous teeth Neandertals lack a postnatal globularization phase. However, after the eruption of the deciduous dentition modern humans, Neandertals and chimpanzees share a common—presumably ancestral—developmental trajectory with regard to endocranial shape changes

Question 39

Which brain areas are particularly different in humans cf. Neanderthals

Answer 39

parietal basal brain temporal lobes, involved in language, memory and social functions, as well as the olfactory bulbs, are relatively larger in sapiens

Question 40

How does Neanderthal tooth development compare to human

Answer 40

dental development occurred faster in Neandertals and/or that some phases of their somatic development were accelerated in comparison to extant humans.

Question 41

Give details of a key Neanderthal fossil used to investigate LHS

Answer 41

Le Moustier 1 from skeletal and dental analysis = ~12y/o based on already erupted teeth, it is predicted that he would have early eruption of M3 - early start to reproductive life possibly relates to high mortality in young adults in Neanderthals (fast LHS) Hublin 2015

Question 42

When did Neanderthals stop weaning

Answer 42

using Ba/Ca ratios, exclusive breastfeeding until seven months followed by supplementation until total cessation of nursing at 1.2 years of age (Hublin, 2015) More recent evidence suggests weaning began ~6 months (similar to humans) highlights their similar metabolic constraints during early life, short IBI, and excludes late weaning as a factor contributing to Neanderthals’ demise. (Nava, 2020)

Question 43

When should humans stop breast feeding

Answer 43

6 months according to WHO

Question 44

Why does Bayle claim Neanderthal teeth take longer to develop

Answer 44

larger absolute dental size which may require more time for completion and development, and delayed relative calcification was suggested for the Neanderthal anterior dentition relative to the modern human condition A unique pattern with an advanced mineralization of the M1 and delayed maturation of the incisors Bayle 2009

Question 45

What did Smith claim about Neanderthal dentition

Answer 45

a simple Neandertal versus modern human dichotomy is inadequate to accommodate the morphostructural and developmental variation represented by Middle Paleolithic and earlier Upper Paleolithic populations. Smith 2010

Question 46

What did Romanova and colleagues claim about Neanderthal LHS

Answer 46

Neanderthal brain size at birth was similar to that in recent Homo sapiens and most likely subject to similar obstetric constraints. Neanderthal brain growth rates during early infancy were higher, however. This pattern of growth resulted in larger adult brain sizes but not in earlier completion of brain growth . The pattern of Neanderthal brain growth fits into the general pattern of rate hypermorphosis in this species: Compared with rAMHS, Neanderthals have been shown to attain larger adult cranial sizes and more advanced (peramorphic) shapes within a given period of ontogenetic time slower LHS than humans

Question 47

How does Romanova and colleagues argue humans outlasted Neanderthals if they had bigger brains

Answer 47

It could be argued that humans growing smaller—but similarly efficient—brains required less energy investment and might ultimately have led to higher net reproduction rates. Such an evolutionary shift might have contributed to the rapid expansion of Upper Paleolithic AMHS populations into Eurasia

Question 48

What does Zollikofer say of the evolution of erectus to Neanderthal brain

Answer 48

It appears that their voluminous brains evolved through allometric expansion of an H. erectus-like brain, while modern human brains evolved along a novel path-way involving expansion of the parietal cortex

Question 49

Give a key divergence between sapiens and Neanderthal ontogeny

Answer 49

In all hominoids, the NS of the middle thoracic vertebrae and the atlas are the last to fuse, but in this Neandertal, it appears that fusion occurs ~2 years later than in modern humans (or closer to M1 root closure than to the M1 root being a quarter to half formed). later fusion of the NS could reflect a decoupling of certain smaller-scale aspects of growth and maturation in these extinct humans in the transition from the childhood to the juvenile stage. may be related to the characteristically expanded Neandertal torso or to ongoing growth of the neuraxis.

Question 50

Is Neanderthal somatic growth pattern closer to erectus or sapiens?

Answer 50

sapiens: Growth and development in this juvenile Neandertal fit the typical features of human ontogeny, where there is slow somatic growth between weaning and puberty (3, 28) that may offset the cost of growing a large brain then growth spurt in adolescence (not in erectus) Rosas 2017

Question 51

How does Rosas' research corroborate Romanova's claims about Neanderthal LHS

Answer 51

El Sidrón J1 achieved 87.5% of full brain growth by 7.7years cf. 95% at 7yrs in humans slower LHS and brain growth

Question 52

What are the questions surrounding Naledi's ontogeny

Answer 52

same maturational age as KNM-WT 15000 (unfused epiphyses, M3s unerupted), same age and mode of maturity or older with a slower maturation schedule like in Neandertals?

Question 53

Which other skeletons is DH7 similar to

Answer 53

MH1 holotype of Au.sediba, dated to 1.98Ma (~10y/o) KNM-WT15000 (H.erectus, 1.6Ma); (~8.5y/o) all have unfused combination of unfused long bone epiphyses and pelvic elements and unerupted M3

Question 54

How does the dental ontogeny of naledi compare to humans

Answer 54

Dentally, H.naledi appears to have a pattern of dental eruption which suggests an affinity with H.sapiens, with premolars fully emerged by the time the second molars are fully erupted; however, the pattern of dental root formation is more ape-like

Question 55

What is confusing about the brain ontogeny of naledi

Answer 55

At 480-610cc, H.naledi has an intermediate brain-size between Au.sediba and H.erectus SMALL H.naledi has a stature more similar to Au.sediba, estimated at 143.5cm for adults. If Au.sediba, H.erectus and H.naledi hareda similar modeof maturity, this would suggest an age at death for DH7 between ~8–11 years old

Question 56

What does the teeth of naledi suggest about its place in the evolutionary tree

Answer 56

H. naledi deciduous molars do not consistently align with any genus or species in the comparative sample in either the crown shape or relative cusp analyses. This line of inquiry is consistent with other cranial and postcranial studies suggesting that H. naledi is unique.

Question 57

Is there heterochronic change between afarensis and africanus

Answer 57

South African australopithecine crania are more pedomorphic than those of A. afarensis, similar to the contrast between chimpanzees and bonobos

Question 58

What does the Taung child indicate about africanus growth What are the implications of this

Answer 58

facial expansion from Taung to adulthood is comparable to facial expansion from Taung-aged chimps to adult chimps (McNulty et al., 2006). This indicates that reduction in facial growth must have occurred earlier during life, be it prenatally or early during post-natal ontogeny

Question 59

What does Zollikofer claim about sediba's ontogeny

Answer 59

premaxillary suture in the juvenile individual (MH1) is still patent, indicating australopith-like sustained growth of the anterior dental arcade. neurocranial and facial modules evolved relatively independently - mosaic

Question 60

Give the cc and age of the following erectus specimens a) Perning-1 b) Nariokotome boy What did the Gona pelvis suggest for neonate cc

Answer 60

a) 0.5-1.5 y/o Perning 1 (1.8-1.4mya) has been estimated between 630 and 663cc b) Nariokotome boy - 8y/o (~1.5mya), 880cc Gona - 315cc (Simpson, 2008)

Question 61

What does the size of the Gona pelvis suggest about erectus ontogeny

Answer 61

Gona pelvis suggests neonatal cc of 315cc (30-50% of adult, an intermediate value between that of chimpanzees (∼40%) and modern humans (∼28%)) suggests that H. erectus had a prenatal brain growth rate similar to that of humans but a postnatal brain and somatic growth rate intermediate between that of chimpanzees and humans

Question 62

Give evidence of grandmother hypothesis in erectus

Answer 62

1) larger cc, later M1 eruption (4.5y/o), and increased body size (55-60kg ~50% increase on Au.) suggest delayed maturation and slowed LHS 2) marked change in climate ~1.9mya - (increased C4, decrease in frugivorous animals at this time) 3) before erectus hominins were restricted to (sub)tropical locations) but erectus went as high as latitude 50 degrees - this is the limit of tuber reliance in continental HGs 4) burnt patches with associated stone tools 1.5mya in East Turkana + reduced gut based on thoracic morphology (Aiello and Wheeler, 1995) -> investment in pre-consumption process 5) coincides with brain expansion and more complex social behaviours (edentulous Dmanisi, Acheulian gaze etc.) 6) can't be sure of post-reproductive period but elders will always be unrepresented (Cave, 2014) observations of Hadza women suggests appearance of grandmothers could have aided the success of