Cheek Tooth Morphology and Ancient Mitochondrial DNA of Late Pleistocene Horses from the Western Interior of North America: Implications for the Taxonomy of North American Late Pleistocene Equus

Horses were a dominant component of North American Pleistocene land mammal communities and their remains are well represented in the fossil record. Despite the abundant material available for study, there is still considerable disagreement over the number of species of Equus that inhabited the different regions of the continent and on their taxonomic nomenclature. In this study, we investigated cheek tooth morphology and ancient mtDNA of late Pleistocene Equus specimens from the Western Interior of North America, with the objective of clarifying the species that lived in this region prior to the end-Pleistocene extinction. Based on the morphological and molecular data analyzed, a caballine (Equus ferus) and a non-caballine (E. conversidens) species were identified from different localities across most of the Western Interior. A second non-caballine species (E. cedralensis) was recognized from southern localities based exclusively on the morphological analyses of the cheek teeth. Notably the separation into caballine and non-caballine species was observed in the Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of ancient mtDNA as well as in the geometric morphometric analyses of the upper and lower premolars. Teeth morphologically identified as E. conversidens that yielded ancient mtDNA fall within the New World stilt-legged clade recognized in previous studies and this is the name we apply to this group. Geographic variation in morphology in the caballine species is indicated by statistically different occlusal enamel patterns in the specimens from Bluefish Caves, Yukon Territory, relative to the specimens from the other geographic regions. Whether this represents ecomorphological variation and/or a certain degree of geographic and genetic isolation of these Arctic populations requires further study

Genome-wide Analyses Identify KIF5A as a Novel ALS Gene

To identify novel genes associated with ALS, we undertook two lines of investigation. We carried out a genome-wide association study comparing 20,806 ALS cases and 59,804 controls. Independently, we performed a rare variant burden analysis comparing 1,138 index familial ALS cases and 19,494 controls. Through both approaches, we identified kinesin family member 5A (KIF5A) as a novel gene associated with ALS. Interestingly, mutations predominantly in the N-terminal motor domain of KIF5A are causative for two neurodegenerative diseases: hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG10) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 (CMT2). In contrast, ALS-associated mutations are primarily located at the C-terminal cargo-binding tail domain and patients harboring loss-of-function mutations displayed an extended survival relative to typical ALS cases. Taken together, these results broaden the phenotype spectrum resulting from mutations in KIF5A and strengthen the role of cytoskeletal defects in the pathogenesis of ALS.Peer reviewe

Moa and moa hunting : an archaeological analysis of big game hunting in New Zealand

This study is an archaeological examination of the prehistoric hunting of moa, a family (Dinornithidae) of now extinct large flightless birds that inhabited New Zealand. The analysis employs a detailed butchering pattern analysis for the moa remains and combines it with a lithic usewear microchipping and polish analysis. The usewear analysis examines two lithic materials, porcellanite and silcrete. The criteria used to distinguish worked material in the usewear study. The general patterns of moa exploitation and butchering are defined in a faunal analysis of moa remains from sites from throughout New Zealand. Hunting strategies are examined in a case study of the Clutha River area of southern New Zealand, by interpreting the results of the butchering pattern analysis in combination with the usewear analysis results and some of the general aspects of site type and location. It is concluded that moa were hunted by an individual hunting strategy, probably with wooden spears. Hunting was done from habitation sites, not from temporary camps established from base camps. Hunting did not specialise in any one particular moa species. In addition to meat, bone marrow was also particular moa species. In addition to meat, bone marrow was also extracted and eaten. No evidence of meat preservation was found. The results correspond well with expectations based on analogies from traditional hunting of other large birds and in east Polynesia, suggesting the methodology is reliable for studying hunting and could be applied elsewhere. The study also includes an examination of bone anatomical landmarks as a means to identifying moa species. The hypothesised significance of the variation in these traits is used to make suggestions about possible moa behaviour. It is suggested that Megalapteryx didinus was more awkward than the other moa, that Anomalopteryx didiformis may have had a diet more similar to that of the kiwi than to that of the other moa, and that Dinornis species may have balanced their centre of gravity differently from other moa. Based on the manner in which moa were hunted, it is proposed that moa did not congregate in large flocks

Moa and moa hunting : an archaeological analysis of big game hunting in New Zealand

This study is an archaeological examination of the prehistoric hunting of moa, a family (Dinornithidae) of now extinct large flightless birds that inhabited New Zealand. The analysis employs a detailed butchering pattern analysis for the moa remains and combines it with a lithic usewear microchipping and polish analysis. The usewear analysis examines two lithic materials, porcellanite and silcrete. The criteria used to distinguish worked material in the usewear study. The general patterns of moa exploitation and butchering are defined in a faunal analysis of moa remains from sites from throughout New Zealand. Hunting strategies are examined in a case study of the Clutha River area of southern New Zealand, by interpreting the results of the butchering pattern analysis in combination with the usewear analysis results and some of the general aspects of site type and location. It is concluded that moa were hunted by an individual hunting strategy, probably with wooden spears. Hunting was done from habitation sites, not from temporary camps established from base camps. Hunting did not specialise in any one particular moa species. In addition to meat, bone marrow was also particular moa species. In addition to meat, bone marrow was also extracted and eaten. No evidence of meat preservation was found. The results correspond well with expectations based on analogies from traditional hunting of other large birds and in east Polynesia, suggesting the methodology is reliable for studying hunting and could be applied elsewhere. The study also includes an examination of bone anatomical landmarks as a means to identifying moa species. The hypothesised significance of the variation in these traits is used to make suggestions about possible moa behaviour. It is suggested that Megalapteryx didinus was more awkward than the other moa, that Anomalopteryx didiformis may have had a diet more similar to that of the kiwi than to that of the other moa, and that Dinornis species may have balanced their centre of gravity differently from other moa. Based on the manner in which moa were hunted, it is proposed that moa did not congregate in large flocks

Metis faunal remains and variables in archaeological butchering pattern analysis

Bibliography: p. 221-230.Archaeologists have not generally utilized faunal remins resulting from subsistence activities to their best advantage in interpreting past cultural systems. This is mainly due to the absence of an objective system of analysis whereby the relevant information can be elicited. The present study examines the major factors acting upon the faunal remains in archaeological sites and postulates the configurations these remains would take when subjected to alteration by these factors in their various states. A methodology is proposed that serves to isolate each variable for separate analysis so that its impact upon the faunal material can be individually assessed. The validity of these techniques of analysis is tested by use of a control .archaeological sample where the states of the variables are largely known due to the presence of documentary records. The archaeological sites are three Metis settlements from the Canadian Plains. The applicability of the techniques is generally corroborated. The study indicates that states of variables pertaining to the logistics of procurement, to the procedures employed for processing the subsistence resource, and to many of the aspects of the social structure of the community under consideration, can be deduced from patterning in faunal remains

Geographic location of the fossil sites considered in the study.

<p>Northeastern Mexico: C = Cedral, J = San Josecito Cave; American Southwest: A = Algerita Blossom Cave, M = Big Manhole Cave, L = Blackwater Draw, K = Dark Canyon Cave, D = Dry Cave, X = El Barreal, F = Fresnal Canyon, G = Highway 45, Chihuahua, I = Isleta Cave No. 2, O = Lubbock Lake, H = Nash Draw, Q = Quitaque Creek, S = Salt Creek, R = Scharbauer Ranch, U = U-Bar Cave, V = Villa Ahumada; Wyoming: N = Natural Trap Cave; Alberta: E = Edmonton area gravel pits, W = Wally’s Beach site; Yukon Territory: B = Bluefish Caves.</p

Summary of the results of the geometric morphometric analyses of the cheek teeth and the Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of ancient mtDNA.

<p>Summary of the results of the geometric morphometric analyses of the cheek teeth and the Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of ancient mtDNA.</p

Procrustes distances among groups for the upper premolars (P3/P4).

<p>Procrustes distances among groups for the upper premolars (P3/P4).</p

Plot of the first and third Canonical Variates resulting from CVA of 50 landmark coordinates of the double knot (metaconid-linguaflexid-metastylid complex) of the lower premolars (p3/p4).

<p>Shown on the margins of the graph is the change in shape along each corresponding axis. Refer to caption of <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0183045#pone.0183045.g009" target="_blank">Fig 9</a> for details on the specimens included in this analysis.</p