{"id":{"repo_id":"buffalo","oai_identifier":"oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86812"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/buffalo/oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86812","repository":{"repo_id":"buffalo","name":"Buffalo","base_url":"https://ubir.buffalo.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Taxonomic Efficacy of the Macaque Skeleton: A Geometric Morphometric Analysis of the Crania and Postcrania with Regard to Ecogeography and Behavior","abstract":"Ph.D.","abstract_html":"Ph.D.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kenyon-Flatt, Brittany; 0000-0003-0784-4604"],"institution":"State University of New York at Buffalo","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Sirianni, Joyce","Anthropology"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-02-25T23:23:01Z","date_published":"2025-02-25T23:23:01Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:37Z","subjects":["biology","systematic biology"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86812","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Sirianni, Joyce","Anthropology"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kenyon-Flatt, Brittany; 0000-0003-0784-4604"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-02-25T23:23:01Z","2020","2020-07-17 18:35:29"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["State University of New York at Buffalo"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["biology","systematic biology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86812"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Ph.D.","Taxonomic classification is a fundamental aspect when it comes to understanding the natural world, yet the current methods for assessing unknown species are often based on qualitative methods and are focused on craniodental morphology. Moreover, it is currently unknown how much variation could, or should, exist within a particular genus. Therefore, this dissertation investigated whether the skeletons of a closely related group of primates, the macaque monkeys, could serve as a useful comparative dataset to 1) determine how much variation feasibly exists throughout the skeleton within a given genus, and 2) to pilot new, quantitative methods by which to classify specimens. Thus the main hypotheses tested whether taxonomy can be accurately predicted based on patterns of morphological variation in a geographically widespread taxa (H1) and whether postcranial bones reflect subgeneric macaque taxonomy at the same level, or better, then the cranium (H2). Three additional hypotheses tested which external factors were likely to confound the assessment of taxonomy from morphological variation: climate/geography (H3), diet (H4), or locomotion (H5). Data consisted of 3D scans for eight macaque species (M. arctoides, M. fascicularis, M. fuscata, M. mulatta, M. nemestrina, M. nigra, M. radiata, M. sylvanus) and a colobine outgroup, Trachypithecus cristatus, for a total sample of 297 individuals. Each macaque species included in the study represented a different phylogenetic lineage and were chosen both for this purpose and for their wide geographic representation. The dataset included eight skeletal elements for each individual, where a total of 293 fixed and semilandmarks were applied throughout the skeleton (crania = 45; mandible = 31; scapula = 66; humerus = 38; radius = 33; os coxa = 28; femur = 40; tibia = 40). A regression analysis was performed to minimize the effects of sexual dimorphism, making the primary input variables regression residuals. Molecular, ecogeographical, and behavioral data were collected from published datasets. Geometric morphometric methodologies were employed for analysis, namely multivariate statistics. Patterns of variation were analyzed both between- and within-species via Canonical Variates Analysis and 2D Multidimensional Scaling. Classificatory ability was tested using Discriminant Function Analysis. For comparison between morphological and other variables (molecular, ecogeographical, behavioral), Euclidean distance matrices were generated. These distance matrices were subjected to Mantel tests and partial Mantel tests, which tested the correlation between the various datasets. Procrustes rotations were used to visualize the congruence between these datasets for each species. Results suggested rejecting some, but not all, of the null hypothesis. Ho1 and Ho2 were rejected based on results that supported the idea that taxonomy can be assessed based on patterns of morphological variation throughout both the crania and postcrania. Ho3 was also rejected since results supported the notion that ecogeographic variables, namely climate and geography, do impact morphological variation as it relates to taxonomic assessment. Ho4 and Ho5 were not rejected, as there was not enough evidence to conclusively argue that diet nor locomotion impact morphological variation in macaque monkeys. Therefore, results from this dissertation offer an important empirical and theoretical contribution to the field of biological anthropology. Empirically, results suggest that the various species of macaque monkeys are taxonomically distinct from one another. Moreover, both the crania and postcrania possess a taxonomic signal, and some bones, such as the limb bones, are more useful for taxonomic assessment than previously realized. The morphological variation seen in macaques is most likely driven by genetics and ecogeographic factors, and less likely to be driven by diet or locomotion. Lastly, sex must be controlled for when assessing the taxonomic efficacy of sexually dimorphic primates. Theoretically, results from this dissertation suggest that methods for taxonomic assessment are outdated and should be updated to reflect new methodological tools. Thus, the methods presented here should be used as a baseline for future taxonomic assessments of known and unknown primate species.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Taxonomic Efficacy of the Macaque Skeleton: A Geometric Morphometric Analysis of the Crania and Postcrania with Regard to Ecogeography and Behavior"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Sirianni, Joyce","Anthropology"],"dc:creator":["Kenyon-Flatt, Brittany; 0000-0003-0784-4604"],"dc:date":["2025-02-25T23:23:01Z","2020","2020-07-17 18:35:29"],"dc:description":["Ph.D.","Taxonomic classification is a fundamental aspect when it comes to understanding the natural world, yet the current methods for assessing unknown species are often based on qualitative methods and are focused on craniodental morphology. Moreover, it is currently unknown how much variation could, or should, exist within a particular genus. Therefore, this dissertation investigated whether the skeletons of a closely related group of primates, the macaque monkeys, could serve as a useful comparative dataset to 1) determine how much variation feasibly exists throughout the skeleton within a given genus, and 2) to pilot new, quantitative methods by which to classify specimens. Thus the main hypotheses tested whether taxonomy can be accurately predicted based on patterns of morphological variation in a geographically widespread taxa (H1) and whether postcranial bones reflect subgeneric macaque taxonomy at the same level, or better, then the cranium (H2). Three additional hypotheses tested which external factors were likely to confound the assessment of taxonomy from morphological variation: climate/geography (H3), diet (H4), or locomotion (H5). Data consisted of 3D scans for eight macaque species (M. arctoides, M. fascicularis, M. fuscata, M. mulatta, M. nemestrina, M. nigra, M. radiata, M. sylvanus) and a colobine outgroup, Trachypithecus cristatus, for a total sample of 297 individuals. Each macaque species included in the study represented a different phylogenetic lineage and were chosen both for this purpose and for their wide geographic representation. The dataset included eight skeletal elements for each individual, where a total of 293 fixed and semilandmarks were applied throughout the skeleton (crania = 45; mandible = 31; scapula = 66; humerus = 38; radius = 33; os coxa = 28; femur = 40; tibia = 40). A regression analysis was performed to minimize the effects of sexual dimorphism, making the primary input variables regression residuals. Molecular, ecogeographical, and behavioral data were collected from published datasets. Geometric morphometric methodologies were employed for analysis, namely multivariate statistics. Patterns of variation were analyzed both between- and within-species via Canonical Variates Analysis and 2D Multidimensional Scaling. Classificatory ability was tested using Discriminant Function Analysis. For comparison between morphological and other variables (molecular, ecogeographical, behavioral), Euclidean distance matrices were generated. These distance matrices were subjected to Mantel tests and partial Mantel tests, which tested the correlation between the various datasets. Procrustes rotations were used to visualize the congruence between these datasets for each species. Results suggested rejecting some, but not all, of the null hypothesis. Ho1 and Ho2 were rejected based on results that supported the idea that taxonomy can be assessed based on patterns of morphological variation throughout both the crania and postcrania. Ho3 was also rejected since results supported the notion that ecogeographic variables, namely climate and geography, do impact morphological variation as it relates to taxonomic assessment. Ho4 and Ho5 were not rejected, as there was not enough evidence to conclusively argue that diet nor locomotion impact morphological variation in macaque monkeys. Therefore, results from this dissertation offer an important empirical and theoretical contribution to the field of biological anthropology. Empirically, results suggest that the various species of macaque monkeys are taxonomically distinct from one another. Moreover, both the crania and postcrania possess a taxonomic signal, and some bones, such as the limb bones, are more useful for taxonomic assessment than previously realized. The morphological variation seen in macaques is most likely driven by genetics and ecogeographic factors, and less likely to be driven by diet or locomotion. Lastly, sex must be controlled for when assessing the taxonomic efficacy of sexually dimorphic primates. Theoretically, results from this dissertation suggest that methods for taxonomic assessment are outdated and should be updated to reflect new methodological tools. Thus, the methods presented here should be used as a baseline for future taxonomic assessments of known and unknown primate species.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86812"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["State University of New York at Buffalo"],"dc:rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"dc:subject":["biology","systematic biology"],"dc:title":["Taxonomic Efficacy of the Macaque Skeleton: A Geometric Morphometric Analysis of the Crania and Postcrania with Regard to Ecogeography and Behavior"],"dc:type":["Text","Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:37Z"}