A Macaque Model for the Effects of Hybridization on Body Size

Abstract

Genomics research has uncovered recurrent hybridization between hominin species, yet its morphological impact remains understudied. Non-human primate research has suggested a morphological signature of hybrid ancestry, which could be used to identify hybrids in the hominin fossil record. This pattern may include extreme size, heightened variation, and markers of developmental instability, but factors affecting these characteristics are poorly understood. Studies of non-mammalian taxa suggest that extreme morphology is more likely in early-generation hybrids and with a greater parental distance. To understand hybridization in hominins, therefore, we must use appropriate proxy taxa.