Raw trait data for: A quantitative genetics analysis of evolution in the hominoid appendicular skeleton
Data files
Mar 02, 2026 version files 176.26 KB
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ILDs_Raw.csv
173.28 KB
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README.md
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Abstract
Hominoidea are a diverse superfamily, with potential selection on the postcranium from divergent locomotor patterns. The scarcity of postcranial primate fossil remains, however, means that selection on the appendicular skeleton has been difficult to study directly. Here, we use complementary methods from evolutionary quantitative genetics to assess selection versus drift within hominoids and an outgroup of cercopithecoid monkeys. While most branches were characterized by drift or stabilizing selection, directional selection was indicated on the branch leading to Homo sapiens and potentially on the branch to Hylobates lar. Directional selection gradients were then assessed for each trait on these two lineages. Strong selection was detected on limb length and on os coxae traits in both lineages. Our results are consistent with prior studies of evolution in the hominoid postcranium and indicate that these methods may be useful for studying multiple elements in conjunction for a holistic assessment of evolution in the primate skeleton, even in the absence of extensive fossil data.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.z8w9ghxs9
Description of the data and file structure
This dataset contains the interlandmark distances for used in the manuscript "A quantitative genetics analysis of evolution in the hominoid appendicular skeleton." Traits represent measurements of postcranial skeletal elements (humerus, scapula, ulna, radius, os coxae, femur, tibia, fibula) taken from 3D structured light scans. For further information on the methods used to generate this dataset, please refer to the manuscript.
This dataset contains morphometric (skeletal measurement) data for multiple individual specimens of C. pygerythrus. Each row represents a single specimen, identified by a unique catalog ID (e.g., NMNH or UBPSC numbers), along with its species designation and sex (male, female, or unknown). The remaining columns consist of numerical measurements—likely recorded in millimeters—corresponding to different skeletal elements, such as the femur (FE), fibula (FI), humerus (HU), radius (RA), scapula (SC), tibia (TI), and ulna (UL), with the numbered suffixes indicating different types of measurements taken on each bone (e.g., length, breadth, or diameter). Overall, this is a multivariate dataset suitable for analyzing skeletal variation, sexual dimorphism, and morphological differences among individuals within the species.
3D structured light scans were taken using an HDI-120 structured light scanner. Landmarks were placed using the program Landmark (Wiley et al., 2005). Interlandmark distances here were extracted using functions from the package geomorph in R. For a more in-depth description of data collection, please refer to Chapter 3 of Conaway (2020).
Conaway, M. A. (2020). Quantification of Integration in the Hominoid Postcranium in Reference to Evolutionary History and Functional Independence. (Dissertation). University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.
Wiley, D. F., Amenta, N., Alcantara, D. A., Ghosh, D., Kil, Y. J., Delson, … Hamann, B. (2005). Evolutionary morphing. VIS 05. IEEE Visualization, 2005., 431–438. https://doi.org/10.1109/VISUAL.2005.1532826
Files and variables
File: ILDs_Raw.csv
Description:
All specimens are contained in one document, with one row per specimen. There are three informational columns (ID, Species, and Sex) followed by 40 columns containing variables representing interlandmark distances. For detailed descriptions of interlandmark distances, please see Cooper, Conaway & von Cramon-Taubadel (accepted).
Code/software
Data is in a .csv and can be viewed using Excel.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- None.
Data was derived from the following sources:
- 3D structured light scans of postcranial elements from 7 primate species.