Skeletal Anomalies in The Neandertal Family of El Sidrón (Spain) Support A Role of Inbreeding in Neandertal Extinction

Neandertals disappeared from the fossil record around 40,000 bp, after a demographic history of small and isolated groups with high but variable levels of inbreeding, and episodes of interbreeding with other Paleolithic hominins. It is reasonable to expect that high levels of endogamy could be expre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2019-02, Vol.9 (1), p.1697-1697, Article 1697
Main Authors: Ríos, L, Kivell, T L, Lalueza-Fox, C, Estalrrich, A, García-Tabernero, A, Huguet, R, Quintino, Y, de la Rasilla, M, Rosas, A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological Evolution
Bone and Bones - abnormalities
Bone and Bones - diagnostic imaging
Congenital Abnormalities - diagnostic imaging
Congenital Abnormalities - pathology
Congenital defects
Fossils
Fossils - anatomy & histology
Fossils - diagnostic imaging
Hominids
Homo neanderthalensis
Hypoplasia
Inbreeding
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Neanderthals - anatomy & histology
Neanderthals - physiology
Palaeoecology
Palaeontology
Phenotypes
Skeleton
Spain
Thorax
Vertebrae
X-Ray Microtomography
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Summary:Neandertals disappeared from the fossil record around 40,000 bp, after a demographic history of small and isolated groups with high but variable levels of inbreeding, and episodes of interbreeding with other Paleolithic hominins. It is reasonable to expect that high levels of endogamy could be expressed in the skeleton of at least some Neandertal groups. Genetic studies indicate that the 13 individuals from the site of El Sidrón, Spain, dated around 49,000 bp, constituted a closely related kin group, making these Neandertals an appropriate case study for the observation of skeletal signs of inbreeding. We present the complete study of the 1674 identified skeletal specimens from El Sidrón. Altogether, 17 congenital anomalies were observed (narrowing of the internal nasal fossa, retained deciduous canine, clefts of the first cervical vertebra, unilateral hypoplasia of the second cervical vertebra, clefting of the twelfth thoracic vertebra, diminutive thoracic or lumbar rib, os centrale carpi and bipartite scaphoid, tripartite patella, left foot anomaly and cuboid-navicular coalition), with at least four individuals presenting congenital conditions (clefts of the first cervical vertebra). At 49,000 years ago, the Neandertals from El Sidrón, with genetic and skeletal evidence of inbreeding, could be representative of the beginning of the demographic collapse of this hominin phenotype.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-019-38571-1