scholarly journals Australopithecus robustus societies – one-male or multimale?

2016 ◽  
Vol Volume 112 (Number 1/2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna A. Kaszycka ◽  

Abstract Determining the sex of individual specimens is important in estimating the degree of sexual dimorphism. Sexual dimorphism, in turn, provides clues for reconstructing the social organisation and mating systems of extinct species. In an article published in Science, Lockwood et al. (Lockwood CA, Menter CG, Moggi-Cecchi J, Keyser AW. Extended male growth in a fossil hominin species. Science. 2007;318:1443–1446.) suggested an uneven sex ratio (in favour of males) for the known individuals of the South African Pleistocene hominid, Australopithecus robustus, and claimed evidence of an extended period of growth (delayed maturity) for the males of this species. They concluded that this finding, combined with estimates of sexual size dimorphism, suggests a polygynous reproductive strategy, and a social system similar to that of silverback gorillas (i.e. one-male harems). On re-examination of these claims, and based on further analysis, I agree with Lockwood et al. that morphologically A. robustus exhibits an increased (almost gorilla-like) level of facial dimorphism, but propose using an alternate (clustering) technique for grouping the specimens of highly dimorphic species into sexes, and argue that their pronouncements regarding a polygynous social structure of these early hominids are inconclusive. I contend instead that the habitat occupied by this species suggests rather that a one-male harem social structure would have been counterproductive.

2020 ◽  
pp. 77-92
Author(s):  
James Westphal ◽  
Sun Hyun Park

We describe forms of symbolic management that cross organizational boundaries, including symbolic management by firm leaders about the leadership, strategy, and governance of particular other firms, and symbolic management by and for larger groups of leaders and their firms. We suggest how such “symbolic management support” not only has a significant impact on how constituents evaluate particular firms and their leaders, but over an extended period of time it has had a deeper influence on the normative assumptions of journalists and analysts about leadership and governance, contributing to a historical shift in the institutional logics of governance. Finally, we reveal how firm leaders have engaged in symbolic management about the social structure of corporate leadership elite as a community and how these communications have contributed to a growing decoupling between the social structure of corporate leadership as it appears to constituents, and the actual social networks of firm leaders.


2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricio Hernáez ◽  
Erick Villegas-Castro ◽  
Marcio Camargo Araujo João ◽  
Rafael Campos Duarte ◽  
Marcelo M. Rivadeneira

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Towle ◽  
Joel D. Irish

AbstractAbscesses and other periapical lesions are found in abundance in recent archeological samples, yet are scarce in the fossil hominin record. Periapical voids commonly develop after exposure of a tooth’s pulp chamber and are commonly associated with heavy crown wear, trauma or caries. In this study, all available maxilla and mandible fragments from the South African fossil hominin collections were studied, including specimens assigned toHomo naledi, Paranthropus robustus, Australopithicus africanus, A. sedibaand earlyHomo. Only one specimen displayed voids consistent with periapical lesions, and a differential diagnosis of these voids was undertaken. The specimen, SK 847, is described as earlyHomoand has been dated to 2.3-1.65MA. There is one definite abscess, and likely at least two more with postmortem damage, all on the anterior aspect of the maxilla and associated with the incisors. The abscesses originate from the apices of the incisor roots and are therefore unlikely to represent a systemic disease such as multiple myeloma. They best fit the description of an abscess rather than a cyst or granuloma, with one showing a rounded thickened rim around the lesion. The abscesses highlight that this individual used their anterior dentition extensively, to the point that the pulp chambers were exposed on multiple teeth. This is one of the earliest hominin examples of a dental abscess and shows that this individual was able to cope with several concurrent abscesses, clearly surviving for an extended period. Therefore, this finding adds additional information to the history of dental pathology in our genus.


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