Explorations into Appendicular Ontogeny using a Cross-Sectional, Contemporary U.S. Sample

Investigations into the subadult skeleton have been restricted by sample availability in biological anthropology. Alternatively, the same source of longitudinal data has been repeatedly used, which does not reflect the variability of growth and development (i.e., ontogeny) or the United States (U.S.) population. Small and/or homogenous samples have often resulted in limited or inappropriate modeling choices to investigate the growth and development and variation of the subadult skeleton. Recent technological advancements have made virtual anthropology possible. The use of computed tomography (CT) scans has opened the doors to increasing sample sizes of minority groups and in turn increasing the variation of skeletal information. One repository, the Subadult Virtual Anthropology Database (SVAD), has focused on increasing and diversifying subadult skeletal data to increase the possibilities of subadult research in biological anthropology. The articles in this (non)dissertation collection use the SVAD (M=610, F=416) and the Forensic Anthropology Data Bank (FDB; M=285, F=161) to evaluate three different perspectives of appendicular (i.e., long bone) ontogeny: absolute, relative, and index. First, relative long bone lengths and nonlinear modeling are used as the first-ever evaluation of long bone growth through adult stabilization. Second, the brachial and crural indices are used to explore the chronological ontogenetic trajectories of each index and their ecogeographic patterns. Third, absolute long bone breadth and length measurements are used to create linear and nonlinear equations for estimating subadult stature for forensic application. In doing so, this is the first comprehensive collection of studies that explore three distinct perspectives of long bone ontogeny and variation from the same source of subadult skeletal data, demonstrating the need for additional contemporary subadult samples and novel modeling approaches.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctorate Degree

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Chu, Elaine Yih-Ning

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Stull, Kyra E

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Sylvester, Adam D
• Hand, Emily
• Scott, G. Richard
• Pilloud, Marin A

• Growth and Development
• Human Variation
• Long Bones

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11714/8359

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/8359