Conclusions
In this study, we carried out a GM evaluation of the functional correlates of scapular variation in the African apes using GPA applied to landmark data and compared our findings with previous results based on linear measurements obtained using digital calipers. Scapular size and shape vary between Pan and gorillas, while gorilla subspecies differ only in scapular shape. Shape variation is significant in comparisons between all three groups, with the greatest degree of difference observed between Pan and the two gorilla subspecies. There is, however, no systematic pattern of differentiation that maps predictably to differences in frequency of suspensory or arboreal climbing behaviors. We conclude that the relationship between scapular morphology and locomotor behavior, at least in the African apes, is not a compelling one. Our findings generally confirm patterns of variation between gorillas, and between Pan and gorilla subspecies, observed by previous investigators using conventional distance measurements, and demonstrate the mutually informative nature of GM and other methods of analysis when used to address questions of biological variation.
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Taylor, A.B., Slice, D.E. (2005). A Geometric Morphometric Assessment of the Relationship between Scapular Variation and Locomotion in African Apes. In: Slice, D.E. (eds) Modern Morphometrics in Physical Anthropology. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-27614-9_14
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