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The study of an animal’s ecomorphology has three components: 1) studies of the species’ functional anatomy; 2) studies of its movement biomechanics (often under controlled conditions in a lab or zoo) and 3) biomechanical field-studies of the species in natural habitat. The aim is to elucidate the basic physical rules governing how a species operates; identifying physical constraints on what it can do, evaluating which structural characteristics affect its performance, and analyzing the mechanisms responsible for the effects of morphological differences on performance.
However, applying this approach to understand the morphology of extinct species is problematic. Generally only bones are preserved in the fossil record, which are often fragmentary. The study of fossil bones can shed light on the maximum ability of an animal’s musculoskeletal system to exert forces and moments (following Wolff's law) and pathology can provide additional information; ie, joints used at the limits of their functional capability may experience an increased risk of destabilisation and degeneration. While this approach can provide functional parameters however, it doesn’t tell us about the range of behaviours fossil animals can exhibit, which is fundamental to recreating how they interacted with their habitat. Our ancestry is a good example. It is filled with species that have variously been interpreted as adapted to quadrupedalism, bipedalism, vertical climbing or upright-trunked suspension. A major limiting factor is that we do not know the extent to which an animal adapted to any one of these behaviours may also exhibit the others, without significant modifications of the skeletal system.
Various options exist. Animals that are skeletally different may in fact be dynamically similar; thus differences in their skeletal structure may be compensated for by changes in joint geometry or muscle architecture, allowing a much broader range of behaviours to be exhibited than might be apparent from study of the skeleton alone. Even without being dynamically similar, species adapted to different physically-demanding behaviours should be able to exhibit a whole host of less demanding behaviours without any modification of the muscular system. It is possible that we have underestimated the functional flexibility within given musculoskeletal parameters, and this could lead to an overly constrained model of the relationship between form and function, with the result that reconstructions of extinct animals’ behaviours could be too narrow and stereotyped.
This PhD will bring a whole-animal perspective to the study of the evolution of hominoid locomotion. The primary focus is to relate locomotor repertoire and functional muscular anatomy to skeletal structure in extant species. The student would initially review what is known about morphology, function and locomotion in relevant primate species and where necessary undertake new studies of functional anatomy and/or locomotor field studies. The second focus is to relate these results to the interpretation of the locomotor repertoire of key hominoid fossils such as Australopithecus afarensis and Ardipithecus ramidus.
The student will study with Dr Susannah Thorpe and Dr Alice Roberts in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at Birmingham University and with Prof. Robin Crompton at Liverpool University.
Funding Notes:
Candidates must hold/ expect to hold, a good honours degree (at least 2.1 or equivalent) in a relevant subject (e.g. Biology, Physical Anthropology), and a relevant Masters degree (merit/ distinction). The position may involve fieldwork as well as lab and zoo-based studies in the UK. Field experience would therefore be beneficial. The student will benefit from exposure to a wide variety of researchers, research fields and techniques and will receive considerable training, but should be enthusiastic, self-motivated and be able to work independently.
References:
Recent relevant papers include:
Myatt JP, Crompton RH, Payne-Davis RC, Savage R, Vereecke EE, Gunther MM, Thorpe SKS. (2012) Functional adaptations in the forelimb muscles of non-human great apes. Journal of Anatomy 220:13-28
Myatt JP, Crompton RH, Thorpe SKS (2011). Hindlimb muscle architecture in non-human great apes and a comparison of methods for analysing inter-species variation Journal of Anatomy 219: 150-166
Crompton RH, Sellers WI and Thorpe SKS (2010) Arborealism, Terrestrialism and Bipedalism. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 365: 3301-3314
Crompton RH, Vereeke E and Thorpe SKS. (2008) Locomotion and posture from the common hominoid ancestor to fully modern hominins, with special reference to the last common panin/hominin ancestor. Journal of Anatomy 212 (4): 501-543
Thorpe S. K. S., Holder R. L. and Crompton R. H. (2007b). Origin of human bipedalism as an adaptation for locomotion on flexible branches. Science 316, (5829):1328-1331.
Thorpe S. K. S., Holder R. and Crompton R. H. (2009). Orangutans employ unique strategies to control branch flexibility. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106, (31):12646-12651.
Thorpe SKS, Crompton RH (2006) Orangutan positional behavior and the nature of arboreal locomotion in Hominoidea American Journal of Physical Anthropology 131 (3): 384-401.
Further information is available on Dr Thorpe’s research interests (http://www.biosciences.bham.ac.uk/labs/thorpe/index.htm), Birmingham’s research environment (http://www.biosciences.bham.ac.uk/study/graduate/PhD.htm) or by contacting Dr Thorpe (S.K.Thorpe@bham.ac.uk).
Applications should be submitted using the University of Birmingham on-line postgraduate application, details of which can be found at http://www.postgraduate.bham.ac.uk/apply. Applicants should indicate they are applying to the “PhD Biosciences” programme for research into “The Evolution of Hominoid ecomorphology”. They should ignore the question “Briefly describe your research interest…”, but instead write a 1-page summary describing their research interests in, and experience relevant to, the advertised position, and email this directly to Dr Thorpe.
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: The position wil be advertised until a suitable candidate is found, applications are therefore invited ASAP
Award start date: 1st October 2012.
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