Predicting euarchontan body mass: A comparison of tarsal and dental variables.
Abstract
Multiple meaningful ecological characterizations of a species revolve around body
mass. Because body mass cannot be directly measured in extinct taxa, reliable body
mass predictors are needed. Many published body mass prediction equations rely on
dental dimensions, but certain skeletal dimensions may have a more direct and consistent
relationship with body mass. We seek to evaluate the reliability of prediction equations
for inferring euarchontan body mass based on measurements of the articular facet areas
of the astragalus and calcaneus.Surface areas of five astragalar facets (n = 217 specimens)
and two calcaneal facets (n = 163) were measured. Separate ordinary least squares
and multiple regression equations are presented for different levels of taxonomic
inclusivity, and the reliability of each equation is evaluated with the coefficient
of determination, standard error of the estimate, mean prediction error, and the prediction
sum of squares statistic. We compare prediction errors to published prediction equations
that utilize dental and/or tarsal measures. Finally, we examine the effects of taxonomically
specific regressions and apply our equations to a diverse set of non-primates.Our
results reveal that predictions based on facet areas are more reliable than most linear
dental or tarsal predictors. Multivariate approaches are often better than univariate
methods, but require more information (making them less useful for fragmentary fossils).
While some taxonomically specific regressions improve predictive ability, this is
not true for all primate groups.Among individual facets, the ectal and fibular facets
of the astragalus and the calcaneal cuboid facet are the best body mass predictors.
Since these facets have primarily concave curvature and scale with positive allometry
relative to body mass, it appears that candidate skeletal proxies for body mass can
be identified based on their curvature and scaling coefficients.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18081Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1002/ajpa.22735Publication Info
Yapuncich, Gabriel S; Gladman, Justin T; & Boyer, Doug M (2015). Predicting euarchontan body mass: A comparison of tarsal and dental variables. American journal of physical anthropology, 157(3). pp. 472-506. 10.1002/ajpa.22735. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18081.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Douglas Martin Boyer
Associate Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology
Gabriel Yapuncich
Assistant Professor of the Practice of Medical Education
I hail from the great mountain states of Montana (the state of my birth) and Wyoming
(the state of my childhood). I have a bachelor's degree in English literature from
the University of Wisconsin and a bachelor's degree in the evolutionary biology from
Columbia University. I completed my PhD in evolutionary anthropology at Duke University
in March 2017, working with Dr. Doug M. Boyer. I have taught gross and microanatomy
to Duke University School of Medicine students since 2018. In 2021, I
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