Abstract
We analyzed the morphological variability of the cranial shape among the modern Japanese population using landmark-based geometric morphometrics. The sample comprised 56 cranial specimens of the modern Japanese population (23 female and 33 male) housed at Kyoto University. Computed tomography images of the crania were created and virtual models were generated. Variability in cranial shape was examined using a geometric morphometric technique based on a total of 161 anatomical and semi-sliding landmarks distributed across the entire cranial surface. Semi-landmarks were defined on the neurocranium using equally-spaced points along the shortest paths connecting pairs of landmarks. The results show that the most noticeable shape variance observed in the modern Japanese crania is the brachycephalic/dolichocephalic tendency. Multivariate analyses of variance indicate that significant sexual differences exist in the cranial morphology among the modern Japanese population.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Badawi-Fayad J, Cabanis EA (2007) Three-dimensional procrustes analysis of modern human craniofacial form. Anat Rec Adv Integr Anat Evol Biol 290:268–276
Bigoni L, Veleminska J, Bruzek J (2010) Three-dimensional morphometric analysis of cranio-facial sexual dimorphism in a Central European sample of known sex. Homo 61:16–32
Franklin D, Freedman L, Milne N, Oxnard CE (2006) A geometric morphometric study of sexual dimorphism in the crania of indigenous southern Africans. S Afr J Sci 102:229–238
Gonzalez-Jose R, Bortolini MC, Santos FR, Bonatto SL (2008) The peopling of America: craniofacial shape variation on a continental scale and its interpretation from an interdisciplinary view. Am J Phys Anthropol 137:175–187
Hennessy RJ, Stringer CB (2002) Geometric morphometric study of the regional variation of modern human craniofacial form. Am J Phys Anthropol 117:37–48
Morimoto N, Ogihara N, Katayama K, Shiota K (2008) Three-dimensional ontogenetic shape changes in the human cranium during the fetal period. J Anat 212:627–635
Morita Y, Ogihara N, Kanai T, Suzuki H (2013) Quantification of neurocranial shape variation using shortest paths connecting pairs of anatomical landmarks. Am J Phys Anthropol 151:658–666
Neubauer S, Gunz P, Hublin JJ (2009) The pattern of endocranial ontogenetic shape changes in humans. J Anat 215:240–255
O’Higgins P (2000) The study of morphological variation in the hominid fossil record: biology, landmarks and geometry. J Anat 197:103–120
O’Higgins P, Jones N (1998) Facial growth in Cercocebus torquatus: an application of three-dimensional geometric morphometric techniques to the study of morphological variation. J Anat 193:251–272
O’Higgins P, Jones N (2006) Tools for statistical shape analysis. Hull York Medical School. http://hyms.fme.googlepages.com/resources
Ogihara N, Makishima H, Ishida H (2009) Geometric morphometric study of temporal variations in human crania excavated from the Himrin Basin and neighboring areas, northern Iraq. Anthropol Sci 117:9–17
Rosas A, Bastir M (2002) Thin-plate spline analysis of allometry and sexual dimorphism in the human craniofacial complex. Am J Phys Anthropol 117:236–245
Viðarsdóttir US, Cobb S (2004) Inter- and intra-specific variation in the ontogeny of the hominoid facial skeleton: testing assumptions of ontogenetic variability. Ann Anat/Anat Anz 186:423–428
Acknowledgements
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to Prof. Takeru Akazawa (Kochi Institute of Technology) for giving us an opportunity to participate in this research project and for his continuous guidance and support throughout the course of the present study. This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas, “Replacement of Neanderthals by Modern Humans: Testing Evolutionary Models of Learning,” (No. 22101006) from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Japan
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Morita, Y., Amano, H., Nakatsukasa, M., Kondo, O., Ogihara, N. (2014). A Geometric Morphometric Study of Neurocranial Shape Variations in the Crania of Modern Japanese. In: Akazawa, T., Ogihara, N., C Tanabe, H., Terashima, H. (eds) Dynamics of Learning in Neanderthals and Modern Humans Volume 2. Replacement of Neanderthals by Modern Humans Series. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54553-8_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54553-8_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo
Print ISBN: 978-4-431-54552-1
Online ISBN: 978-4-431-54553-8
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)