Functional and developmental influences on intraspecific variation in catarrhine vertebrae

We tested whether patterns of intraspecific variation in catarrhine vertebral shape are consistent with developmental or functional predictions. Intraspecific variation was compared across column regions, morphological features, and species. Transitional regions and later ossifying morphological features were predicted to exhibit increased variation. The lumbosacral region, biomechanically important morphological features, and species with high...