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Primate Locomotion pp 277–307Cite as

Heterochronic Approaches to the Study of Locomotion

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Abstract

Despite the advances that have been made in documenting ontogenetic changes in primate skeletal morphology, relatively little is known about the ontogeny of locomotor behavior. Even less is known about differences among behavioral developmental trajectories of closely related species. The study of evolutionary changes in developmental trajectories is the purview of heterochrony. Heterochrony is generally defined as the study of perturbations and displacements in existing ontogenetic pathways caused by changes in developmental timing and rates. As such, it has been conceived by some researchers (e.g., Gould, 1977; Raff et al., 1990; Zelditch and Fink, 1996; Rice, 1997) as narrowly encompassing only a subset of possible evolutionary shifts in ontogeny, and by others (e.g., McKinney and McNamara, 1991) as all-inclusive. The goal of heterochrony is to understand the proximate causes of differences among adult phenotypes of closely related species. This entails understanding how, through development, morphology and behavior emerge, and how developmental trajectories themselves evolve. Applied to the study of locomotion, it means understanding the evolutionary basis for variation, if any, in the ontogeny of positional behavior, and its relation to the ontogeny of form.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Machmer Hall, Box 34805, USA

    Laurie R. Godfrey & Stephen J. King

  2. Statistical Consulting Center, University of Massachusetts, Lederle Tower, Box 34535, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, USA

    Michael R. Sutherland

Authors
  1. Laurie R. Godfrey
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  2. Stephen J. King
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  3. Michael R. Sutherland
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, California, USA

    Elizabeth Strasser

  2. State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA

    John G. Fleagle

  3. National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C, USA

    Alfred L. Rosenberger

  4. University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA

    Henry M. McHenry

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© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Godfrey, L.R., King, S.J., Sutherland, M.R. (1998). Heterochronic Approaches to the Study of Locomotion. In: Strasser, E., Fleagle, J.G., Rosenberger, A.L., McHenry, H.M. (eds) Primate Locomotion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0092-0_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0092-0_16

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0094-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0092-0

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