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Towle I, Constantino PJ, Borths MR, Loch C. Tooth chipping patterns in Archaeolemur provide insight into diet and behavior. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 180:401-408. [PMID: 36790760 PMCID: PMC10107942 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Archaeolemur is a recently extinct genus of lemur that is often compared to some Cercopithecidae, especially baboons. This is due in part to their derived dentition, with large anterior teeth and reduced bilophodont molars. Research involving comparative morphology, analysis of coprolites, isotopes, and enamel structure, have suggested Archaeolemur had an omnivorous diet involving mechanically challenging items. Yet, microwear analysis of posterior teeth does not necessarily support this conclusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this macroscopic study, dental chipping was recorded on permanent teeth of Archaeolemur from different localities (53 individuals; 447 permanent teeth; including both A. edwardsi and A. majori specimens). This study aimed to compare chipping patterns across the dentition of Archaeolemur with chipping in other primates. RESULTS The results show enamel chipping was prevalent on the anterior teeth of Archaeolemur (38.9% of anterior teeth showed at least one fracture) yet rare in posterior teeth (9%). There was a decrease in chipping frequency across the dentition, moving distally from incisors (50%; 20/40), through caniniform teeth (30%; 15/50), premolars (9.5%; 16/169), and molars (8.5%; 16/188). DISCUSSION The results support previous research suggesting Archaeolemur had a varied omnivorous diet in which the anterior dentition was used for extensive food processing. This likely included mechanically challenging items such as tough/hard large fruits, small vertebrates, and crustaceans. Such a high rate of chipping in the anterior dentition is uncommon in other primates, with exception of hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Towle
- Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Paul J Constantino
- Department of Biology, Saint Michael's College, Colchester, Vermont, USA
| | - Matthew R Borths
- Duke Lemur Center Museum of Natural History, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Carolina Loch
- Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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2
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Hansford JP, Turvey ST. Dietary isotopes of Madagascar's extinct megafauna reveal holocene browsing and grazing guilds. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220094. [PMID: 35414222 PMCID: PMC9006009 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Megafauna play a disproportionate role in developing and maintaining their biomes, by regulating plant dispersal, community structure and nutrient cycling. Understanding the ecological roles of extinct megafaunal communities, for example through dietary reconstruction using isotope analysis, is necessary to determine pre-human states and set evidence-based restoration goals. We use δ13C and δ15N isotopic analyses to reconstruct Holocene feeding guilds in Madagascar's extinct megaherbivores, which included elephant birds, hippopotami and giant tortoises that occurred across multiple habitats and elevations. We compare isotopic data from seven taxa and two elephant bird eggshell morphotypes against contemporary regional floral baselines to infer dietary subsistence strategies. Most taxa show high consumption of C3 and/or CAM plants, providing evidence of widespread browsing ecology. However, Aepyornis hildebrandti, an elephant bird restricted to the central highlands region, has isotope values with much higher δ13C values than other taxa. This species is interpreted as having obtained up to 48% of its diet from C4 grasses. These findings provide new evidence for distinct browsing and grazing guilds in Madagascar's Holocene megaherbivore fauna, with implications for past regional distribution of ecosystems dominated by endemic C4 grasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Hansford
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.,Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA.,School of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Samuel T Turvey
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
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3
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Crowley BE, Godfrey LR, Hansford JP, Samonds KE. Seeing the forest for the trees-and the grasses: revisiting the evidence for grazer-maintained grasslands in Madagascar's Central Highlands. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20201785. [PMID: 33978523 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brooke E Crowley
- Departments of Geology and Anthropology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Laurie R Godfrey
- Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - James P Hansford
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK.,Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Karen E Samonds
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
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4
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Fulwood EL, Shan S, Winchester JM, Kirveslahti H, Ravier R, Kovalsky S, Daubechies I, Boyer DM. Insights from macroevolutionary modelling and ancestral state reconstruction into the radiation and historical dietary ecology of Lemuriformes (Primates, Mammalia). BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:60. [PMID: 33882818 PMCID: PMC8061064 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01793-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Lemurs once rivalled the diversity of rest of the primate order despite thier confinement to the island of Madagascar. We test the adaptive radiation model of Malagasy lemur diversity using a novel combination of phylogenetic comparative methods and geometric methods for quantifying tooth shape. Results We apply macroevolutionary model fitting approaches and disparity through time analysis to dental topography metrics associated with dietary adaptation, an aspect of mammalian ecology which appears to be closely related to diversification in many clades. Metrics were also reconstructed at internal nodes of the lemur tree and these reconstructions were combined to generate dietary classification probabilities at internal nodes using discriminant function analysis. We used these reconstructions to calculate rates of transition toward folivory per million-year intervals. Finally, lower second molar shape was reconstructed at internal nodes by modelling the change in shape of 3D meshes using squared change parsimony along the branches of the lemur tree. Our analyses of dental topography metrics do not recover an early burst in rates of change or a pattern of early partitioning of subclade disparity. However, rates of change in adaptations for folivory were highest during the Oligocene, an interval of possible forest expansion on the island. Conclusions There was no clear phylogenetic signal of bursts of morphological evolution early in lemur history. Reconstruction of the molar morphologies corresponding to the ancestral nodes of the lemur tree suggest that this may have been driven by a shift toward defended plant resources, however. This suggests a response to the ecological opportunity offered by expanding forests, but not necessarily a classic adaptive radiation initiated by dispersal to Madagascar. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-021-01793-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan L Fulwood
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pikeville, KY, 41501, USA. .,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
| | - Shan Shan
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Julia M Winchester
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Henry Kirveslahti
- Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Robert Ravier
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Shahar Kovalsky
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Ingrid Daubechies
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Doug M Boyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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5
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Crowley BE, Godfrey LR. Strontium Isotopes Support Small Home Ranges for Extinct Lemurs. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Salmona J, Olofsson JK, Hong-Wa C, Razanatsoa J, Rakotonasolo F, Ralimanana H, Randriamboavonjy T, Suescun U, Vorontsova MS, Besnard G. Late Miocene origin and recent population collapse of the Malagasy savanna olive tree (Noronhia lowryi). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Debates regarding the origin of tropical savannas have attempted to disentangle the role of human, biotic and abiotic factors. Understanding the origins of savanna remains essential to identifying processes that gave rise to habitat mosaics, particularly those found in the Central Plateau of Madagascar. Documenting the evolutionary history and demography of native trees occurring in open habitats may reveal footprints left by past and recent environmental changes. We conducted a population genetic analysis of an endangered Malagasy shrub (Noronhia lowryi, Oleaceae) of the Central Plateau. Seventy-seven individuals were sampled from three sites and genotyped at 14 nuclear and 24 chloroplast microsatellites. We found a highly contrasting nuclear and plastid genetic structure, suggesting that pollen-mediated gene flow allows panmixia, while seed-based dispersal may rarely exceed tens of metres. From a phylogeny based on full plastomes, we dated the surprisingly old crown age of maternal lineages back to ~6.2 Mya, perhaps co-occurring with the global expansion of savanna. In contrast, recent demographic history inferred from nuclear data shows a bottleneck signature ~350 generations ago, probably reflecting an environmental shift during the Late Pleistocene or the Holocene. Ancient in situ adaptation and recent demographic collapse of an endangered woody plant highlight the unique value and vulnerability of the Malagasy savannas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Salmona
- CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, IRD, UMR 5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique), Toulouse, France
| | - Jill K Olofsson
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | - Cynthia Hong-Wa
- Claude E. Phillips Herbarium, Delaware State University, Dover, DE, USA
| | - Jacqueline Razanatsoa
- Herbier, Département Flore, Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Franck Rakotonasolo
- Herbier, Département Flore, Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza, Antananarivo, Madagascar
- Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Ivandry, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Hélène Ralimanana
- Herbier, Département Flore, Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | | | - Uxue Suescun
- CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, IRD, UMR 5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique), Toulouse, France
| | - Maria S Vorontsova
- Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
| | - Guillaume Besnard
- CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, IRD, UMR 5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique), Toulouse, France
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7
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Isotopic evidence for oligotrophication of terrestrial ecosystems. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1735-1744. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0694-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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8
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Pampush JD, Spradley JP, Morse PE, Griffith D, Gladman JT, Gonzales LA, Kay RF. Adaptive wear-based changes in dental topography associated with atelid (Mammalia: Primates) diets. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James D Pampush
- Department of Exercise Science, High Point University, High Point, NC, USA
- Department of Physician Assistant Studies, High Point University, High Point, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jackson P Spradley
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
| | - Paul E Morse
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Darbi Griffith
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Justin T Gladman
- Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF), Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Lauren A Gonzales
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC, USA
| | - Richard F Kay
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Godfrey LR, Crowley BE. Madagascar's ephemeral palaeo-grazer guild: who ate the ancient C4 grasses? Proc Biol Sci 2018; 283:rspb.2016.0360. [PMID: 27383816 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- L R Godfrey
- Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - B E Crowley
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA Department of Anthropology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
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10
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Berthaume MA. Food mechanical properties and dietary ecology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 159:S79-104. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Revised: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Berthaume
- Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Deutscher Platz 6 Leipzig 04103 Germany
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11
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Crowley BE, Reitsema LJ, Oelze VM, Sponheimer M. Advances in primate stable isotope ecology-Achievements and future prospects. Am J Primatol 2015; 78:995-1003. [PMID: 26683892 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2015] [Revised: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 11/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Stable isotope biogeochemistry has been used to investigate foraging ecology in non-human primates for nearly 30 years. Whereas early studies focused on diet, more recently, isotopic analysis has been used to address a diversity of ecological questions ranging from niche partitioning to nutritional status to variability in life history traits. With this increasing array of applications, stable isotope analysis stands to make major contributions to our understanding of primate behavior and biology. Most notably, isotopic data provide novel insights into primate feeding behaviors that may not otherwise be detectable. This special issue brings together some of the recent advances in this relatively new field. In this introduction to the special issue, we review the state of isotopic applications in primatology and its origins and describe some developing methodological issues, including techniques for analyzing different tissue types, statistical approaches, and isotopic baselines. We then discuss the future directions we envision for the field of primate isotope ecology. Am. J. Primatol. 78:995-1003, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke E Crowley
- Departments of Geology and Anthropology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
| | | | - Vicky M Oelze
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matt Sponheimer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
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12
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Muldoon KM, Goodman SM. Primates as Predictors of Mammal Community Diversity in the Forest Ecosystems of Madagascar. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0136787. [PMID: 26334525 PMCID: PMC4559443 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The geographic distribution of species is the typical metric for identifying priority areas for conservation. Since most biodiversity remains poorly studied, a subset of charismatic species, such as primates, often stand as surrogates for total biodiversity. A central question is therefore, how effectively do primates predict the pooled species richness of other mammalian taxa? We used lemurs as indicator species to predict total non-primate mammal community richness in the forest ecosystems of Madagascar. We combine environmental and species occurrence data to ascertain the extent to which primate diversity can predict (1) non-primate mammal α-diversity (species richness), (2) non-primate complementarity, and (3) non-primate β-diversity (species turnover). Our results indicate that primates are effective predictors of non-primate mammal community diversity in the forest ecosystems of Madagascar after controlling for habitat. When individual orders of mammals are considered, lemurs effectively predict the species richness of carnivorans and rodents (but not afrosoricids), complementarity of rodents (but not carnivorans or afrosoricids), and all individual components of β-diversity. We conclude that lemurs effectively predict total non-primate community richness. However, surrogate species alone cannot achieve complete representation of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M. Muldoon
- Department of Anatomy, Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Steven M. Goodman
- Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Association Vahatra, BP 3972, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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