Educational History
University of
Pittsburgh, Ph.D., 1992
Northwestern University, M.A.,
1986
University of California, Berkley, B.A., 1983
Professional Membership
American Association of Physical Anthropologists, 1985 -
Present
American Association for the Advancement of
Science, 1989 - Present
American Association of Clinical
Anatomists, 1995 - Present
American Society of
Primatologists, 1997 - Present
Teaching
Responsibilities
PT 301 Human Clinical Anatomy
PT 302 Palpation
PT 322
Arthrological and Pathological Movement Science I
Research
Interests
My primary research centers on the ecological bases of
species diversification in primates. I have approached this
problem through evaluation of the ontogenetic, allometric
bases of skull change in closely related taxa that differ in
feeding ecology and diet. As diet is one of the most important
factors underlying differences in behavior and ecology among
primates, tracking changes in primate skull form within and
among species informs adaptive hypotheses about jaw form,
function and dietary behavior, and conveys important
information about development, morphological integration and
historical constraint in this region.
Currently, I have two related research foci. One involves
evaluating the ontogenetic, allometric patterning of
masticatory morphology within and between the African apes.
These apes differ in their feeding ecology and diet as well as
body size. Results have demonstrated that species and
subspecies patterns of variation in craniomandibular
morphology are consistent with some functional and adaptive
differences in masticatory behaviors that may be linked to
dietary specialization. Results also clarify that many
structural differences in the cranium and mandible among the
African apes, and among gorilla subspecies, can be attributed
to the shared, correlated effects of regional and local
phyletic size change.
More recently, I have begun to study the musculoskeletal
correlates of tree gouging in South American monkeys. This
work involves evaluating jaw muscle architecture and
physiology using gross anatomical and chemical dissections and
linking these properties to differences in cranial morphology.
These data should yield important insights into the
relationship between tree gouging and musculoskeletal features
associated with wide gape, and are important for assessing the
use of bony measures as valid proxies of muscle fiber length
and physiological cross sectional area, and for predicting
muscle force in extant and fossil taxa.
Selected
Publications
Taylor, A.B., & Goldsmith, M.L. (editors). 2003. Gorilla Biology: A Multidisciplinary
Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Taylor, A.B. (2003). Ontogeny and function of masticatory
form in Gorilla: Functional, evolutionary, and taxonomic
implications. In (A.B. Taylor and M.L. Goldsmith, Eds.)
Gorilla Biology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Taylor, A.B., & Groves, C.P. (n.d.) Patterns of
mandibular variation in Pan and Gorilla.
Journal of Human Evolution 44:529-561.
Taylor, A.B. (2002). Masticatory form and function in the
African apes. American Journal of Physical Anthropology
117, 133-156.
Odom, C.J.,Taylor, A.B., Hurd, C.E and Denegar, CR. (2001).
Measurement of scapular asymmetry and assessment of shoulder
dysfunction using the lateral scapular slide test: A
reliability and validity study. Physical Therapy 81,
799-809.
Taylor, A.B. (1997) Relative growth, ontogeny and sexual
dimorphism in Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla and G.g.
beringei): Evolutionary and ecological
considerations.American Journal of Primatology 43:1-33.
Taylor, A.B. (1997) Scapula form and biomechanics in
gorillas. Journal of Human Evolution 34:529-533.
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