This project analyzes the relationships between patterns of bone density at the knee and hip joints, and locomotor function in a diverse sample of primate limb bones housed in museum collections. The project applies a methodology, the computed-tomographic measurement and spatial mapping of bone density distributions across joint surfaces, that has been experimentally validated and which can be used to identify habitual differences in joint posture and joint loading conditions in different individuals. The intellectual merits of this project are that it will analyze patterns of bone density to (1) distinguish the habitual locomotor behaviors used by particular species of primates, (2) evaluate biomechanical models for the effects of body mass on joint postures, and (3) assess levels of intraspecific variation in joint morphology. The data derived from this project will be used to interpret variation in joint loading and positional behavior in extant primates and extinct subfossil lemurs. Broader impacts include the creation of a publicly accessible database that can be used to evaluate future hypotheses of form-function relationships in primate lower extremities. Finally, this project will allow undergraduate and graduate students, including students from under-represented minorities, the opportunity to participate in research projects that investigate the relationships between bony form, locomotor function and joint loading in primates, and to contribute to the science of physical anthropology.
