Abstract
Previous research found sexual dimorphism in the bony labyrinth of a Greek population sample (Osipov et al. 2013). This study intends to investigate the nature of this structure’s sexual dimorphism across populations of diverse geographic origin and to identify the effect of inter-population variation on the accuracy of determining sex using the bony labyrinth. Three population samples of known sex were analyzed originating from Europe (n = 30), Africa (n = 38), and North America (n = 30). The discriminant function developed in Osipov et al. (2013) was applied, and new function equations for sex estimation were developed. In addition, we used principal component analyses for investigating population differences, while bivariate tests were used to compare across population samples, sexes, and anatomical sides. A significant level of sexual dimorphism was found in all population samples, being driven by both size and shape differences. Discriminant functions for sex estimation were developed for all three population samples combined (71.4% accuracy) as well as separately (70–80% accuracy). The German sample was the least sexually dimorphic, whereas the North American sample exhibited the greatest sexual dimorphism. The size and shape of the bony labyrinth also significantly differed across population samples. The bony labyrinth is found to be sexually dimorphic across distinct population groups. Due to significant differences across our population samples, the accuracy of the previously proposed method for sex determination (Osipov et al., 2013) was relatively low. For this purpose, this study presented new functions, whose accuracy was tested in three distinct population samples.
Highlights
The bony labyrinth, the osseous cavity inside the petrous bone and surrounding the inner ear, accommodates the organs for balance and hearing
We developed new functions based on a dataset involving individuals from distinct population groups
Osipov et al (2013) found sexual dimorphism of the bony labyrinth in a Cretan population and developed functions to be used for sex estimation, which had 82.4% classification accuracy
Summary
The bony labyrinth, the osseous cavity inside the petrous bone and surrounding the inner ear, accommodates the organs for balance and hearing. While it has been studied extensively for locomotor and phylogenetic differences across extant and fossil species (i.e., Spoor et al 1994; Hublin et al 1996; Spoor and Zonneveld 1998; Spoor 2003; Spoor 2003; Bouchneb and Crevecoeur 2009; Cox and Jeffery 2010; Gunz et al 2012; Braga et al 2013; El Khoury et al 2014; Hill et al 2014), there is limited research looking at the sexual dimorphism of bony labyrinth in Homo sapiens. Osipov et al (2013) reported significant sexual dimorphism in a Cretan (Greek) population and 82.4% discriminant accuracy was achieved using a discriminant function, while El Khoury et al (2014) reported sexual dimorphism of the semi-circular canal angles in a French sample
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
