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Hofman-Kamińska E, Merceron G, Bocherens H, Boeskorov GG, Krotova OO, Protopopov AV, Shpansky AV, Kowalczyk R. Was the steppe bison a grazing beast in Pleistocene landscapes? ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:240317. [PMID: 39144492 PMCID: PMC11321853 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
The history and palaeoecology of the steppe bison (Bison priscus) remain incompletely understood despite its widespread distribution. Using dental microwear textural analysis (DMTA) and vegetation modelling, we reconstructed the diet and assessed the habitat of steppe bison inhabiting Eurasia and Alaska since the Middle Pleistocene. During the Late Pleistocene, steppe bison occupied a variety of biome types: from the mosaic of temperate summergreen forest and steppe/temperate grassland (Serbia) to the tundra biomes (Siberia and Alaska). Despite the differences in the identified biome types, the diet of steppe bison did not differ significantly among populations in Eurasia. DMTA classified it as a mixed forager in all populations studied. The DMTA of Bb1 bison-a recently identified genetically extinct sister-clade of Bison bonasus-was typical of a highly grazing bovid species and differed from all B. priscus populations. The results of the study temper the common perception that steppe bison were grazers in steppe habitats. The dietary plasticity of the steppe bison was lower when compared with modern European bison and may have played an important role in its extinction, even in the stable tundra biome of eastern Siberia, where it has survived the longest in all of Eurasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilia Hofman-Kamińska
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Stoczek 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland
| | - Gildas Merceron
- PALEVOPRIM lab, UMR 7262 CNRS & University of Poitiers, Bat. B35—TSA-51106, 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Hervé Bocherens
- Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, Forschungsbereich Paläobiologie, Universität Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoecology (HEP), Universität Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, Germany
| | - Gennady G. Boeskorov
- The Geological Museum of the Diamond and Precious Metals Geology Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Lenina 39, Yakutsk677007, Russia
- Mammoth Fauna Research Department, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Lenina Prospekt 33, Yakutsk, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)677007, Russia
| | - Oleksandra O. Krotova
- Stone Age Archaeology Department, Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 12 Volodymyr Ivasyuk avenue, Kyiv04210, Ukraine
| | - Albert V. Protopopov
- Mammoth Fauna Research Department, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Lenina Prospekt 33, Yakutsk, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)677007, Russia
| | - Andrei V. Shpansky
- Department of Paleontology and Historical Geology, Tomsk State University, Lenina prospekt 36, Tomsk634050, Russia
| | - Rafał Kowalczyk
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Stoczek 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland
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2
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Miyamoto K, Kubo MO, Yokohata Y. The dental microwear texture of wild boars from Japan reflects inter- and intra-populational feeding preferences. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.957646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) is rapidly expanding for the dietary estimation of extinct animals. There has been an extensive accumulation of microwear texture data from herbivorous mammals, especially for ruminant artiodactyls, but suids are still underrepresented. Microwear varies depending on the diet, and suids are naturally more flexible than other artiodactyls. Thus, their microwear is prone to greater variability. In this study, we examine the tooth microwear texture of wild boars from Toyama Prefecture, Japan, for which detailed ecological and dietary information by stomach content analysis is available. We first investigated 205 individuals of wild-shot Toyama boars with known sex, age class, localities (the eastern high latitude region vs. the western low latitude region), and season of collection. The tooth surfaces of boarlets were rougher than those of juvenile and adult animals. The decrease in surface roughness with age implied that the frequency of tooth-tooth contact, which seemed to result in cracking of enamels and thus rough surfaces, decreased after the boars started feeding on solid foods (food-tooth contact), with progressive involvement of rooting behavior in mature adults. We further found that surface roughness showed significant differences between localities, with the western Toyama boars having flatter surfaces, possibly because they were involved in more rooting and feeding on soil-contaminated rhizomes than the eastern ones, as implied by the available stomach content data. The frequency of rooting was also evident in the broader comparison among Japanese boar populations with different habitat environments. The mainland boars inhabiting deciduous broad-leaved forests had a flatter and less rough tooth surfaces than those in the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests of the southern islands. This corresponds to the fact that above-ground dietary resources were more abundant in the habitat of the southern island boars, where crops like succulent vegetables and fruits, as well as naturally fallen acorns, were abundant, whereas underground plant parts were the dominant diet component for the mainland boars. This study proved that DMTA can identify the difference in foraging modes in suids and make it possible to estimate the frequency of rooting, which is informative for inferring breeding methods of boars/pigs from archaeological sites.
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Isarankura Na Ayudhya J, Merceron G, Wannaprasert T, Jaeger JJ, Chaimanee Y, Shoocongdej R, Suraprasit K. Dental mesowear and microwear for the dietary reconstruction of Quaternary Southeast Asian serows and gorals. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1000168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Serows and gorals (Bovidae, Caprinae) are emblematic antelopes distributed in Southeast Asia. They all are nearly threaten or vulnerable species nowadays despite having a more widespread distribution during the Pleistocene. Fossils of three native caprine species, i.e., a Sumatran serow Capricornis sumatraensis, Chinese goral Naemorhedus griseus, and Himalayan goral Naemorhedus goral, were recovered from four Pleistocene paleontological and archeological sites in Thailand, namely Pha Bong, Khok Sung, Tham Wiman Nakin, and Tham Lod Rockshelter. To investigate dietary changes of these Southeast Asian serows and gorals through the Quaternary, differences in feeding habits and habitat preferences between the Pleistocene and extant populations were examined using the hypsodonty index (HI) together with the mesowear II method and the dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA). The HI and mesowear-II results showed that Pleistocene and extant caprines were mixed feeders. For the Pleistocene caprine populations, the DMTA results suggested more browsing signals for C. sumatraensis than both Naemorhedus species that were mixed feeders similar to their extant populations. The DMTA demonstrated a considerable dietary overlap among the Pleistocene sympatric caprine populations. The dental microwear results also revealed that the extant C. sumatraensis is a leaf-dominant browser, while the extant N. griseus possibly feeds on seeds or tough food items. These data combined with previous stable carbon isotope analyses reinforce the idea that the restricted ranges of habitats for these extant serow and goral populations have possibly been driven by the Holocene climatic and environmental changes as well as the negative effects of human activities.
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Mihlbachler MC, Rusnack F, Beatty BL. Experimental approaches to assess the effect of composition of abrasives in the cause of dental microwear. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211549. [PMID: 35706657 PMCID: PMC9174714 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Dental microwear is used to investigate feeding ecology. Animals ingest geological material in addition to food. The full effect of geological abrasives on tooth wear is unknown. To evaluate mineralogical abrasives as tooth wear agents, rats were fed food manufactured with quartz silt, diatomaceous earth, and calcium carbonate. Rats were assigned to treatments and fed for 15 days. Molars were scanned with a Sensofar Plu Neox confocal microscope and evaluated using ISO-25178-2 parameters and traditional microwear variables using light microscopy. Using a pellet-diet as the control, all treatments had influence on microwear and discriminant function analyses indicated that unique surface textures had been produced. ISO variables with high discriminatory values were correlated to scratch and pit frequencies, but more ISO parameters identified changes associated with numbers of scratches than changes associated with pits. The microwear changes associated with the abrasive inclusions were co-dependent on the type of diet that the abrasives had been added to. The abrasives had less effect with pellets but produced more modified and more differentiated microwear when added to the transgenic dough. Although abrasives produce distinctive surface textures, some knowledge of the properties of food with the abrasives is needed to identify the abrasive agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C. Mihlbachler
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Frances Rusnack
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY, USA
| | - Brian Lee Beatty
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY, USA
- United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
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5
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Neaux D, Louail M, Ferchaud S, Surault J, Merceron G. Experimental assessment of the relationship between diet and mandibular morphology using a pig model: new insights for paleodietary reconstructions. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2022; 305:3150-3160. [PMID: 35142076 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Dietary habits exert significant selective pressures on anatomical structures in animals, leading to substantial morphological adaptations. Yet, the relationships between the mandible and diet are still unclear, raising issues for paleodietary reconstructions notably. To assess the impact of food hardness and size on morphological structures, we used an experimental baseline using a model based on the domestic pig, an omnivorous mammal with bunodont, thick-enameled dentition, and chewing movements similar to hominids. We hypothesized that the consumption of different types of seeds would result in substantial differences in the morphology of the mandible despite similar overall diets. The experiment was conducted on four groups of juvenile pigs fed with mixed cereal and soy flours. The control group received only flours. We supplemented the four others with either 10 hazelnuts, 30 hazelnuts, 30% barley seeds or 20% corn kernels per day. We investigated the shape differences between the controlled-fed groups using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics. Our results provide strong evidence that the supplemental consumption of a significant amount of seeds for a short period (95 days) substantially modify the mandibular morphology of pigs. Our analyses suggest that this shape differentiation is due to the size of the seeds, requiring high and repeated bite force, rather than their hardness. These results provide new perspectives for the use of mandibular morphology as a proxy in paleodietary reconstructions complementing dental microwear textures analyses. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitri Neaux
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, UMR 7209, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle CNRS, Paris, France.,Laboratoire PALEVOPRIM, UMR 7262 CNRS, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Margot Louail
- Laboratoire PALEVOPRIM, UMR 7262 CNRS, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | | | - Jérôme Surault
- Laboratoire PALEVOPRIM, UMR 7262 CNRS, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Gildas Merceron
- Laboratoire PALEVOPRIM, UMR 7262 CNRS, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
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6
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Krueger KL, Chwa E, Peterson AS, Willman JC, Fok A, van Heel B, Heo Y, Weston M, DeLong R. Technical note: Artificial Resynthesis Technology for the experimental formation of dental microwear textures. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:703-712. [PMID: 34405887 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Dental microwear formation on the posterior dentition is largely attributed to an organism's diet. However, some have suggested that dietary and environmental abrasives contribute more to the formation process than food, calling into question the applicability of dental microwear to the reconstruction of diet in the fossil record. Creating microwear under controlled conditions would benefit this debate, but requires accurately replicating the oral environment. This study tests the applicability of Artificial Resynthesis Technology (ART 5) to create microwear textures while mitigating the challenges of past research. ART 5 is a simulator that replicates the chewing cycle, responds to changes in food texture, and simulates the actions of the oral cavity. Surgically extracted, occluding pairs of third molars (n = 2 pairs) were used in two chewing experiments: one with dried beef and another with sand added to the dried beef. High-resolution molds were taken at 0, 50, 100, 2500, and 5000 simulated chewing cycles, which equates to approximately 1 week of chewing. Preliminary results show that ART 5 produces microwear textures. Meat alone may produce enamel prism rod exposure at 5000 cycles, although attrition cannot be ruled out. Meat with sand accelerates the wear formation process, with enamel prism rods quickly obliterated and "pit-and-scratch" microwear forming at approximately 2500 cycles. Future work with ART 5 will incorporate a more thorough experimental protocol with improved controls, pH of the simulated oral environment, and grit measurements; however, these results indicate the potential of ART 5 in untangling the complex variables of dental microwear formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin L Krueger
- Department of Anthropology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Evan Chwa
- College of Dentistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | - John C Willman
- Centro de Investigação em Antropologia (CIAS), Universidad de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Alex Fok
- Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Bonita van Heel
- Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Young Heo
- Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Michael Weston
- Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ralph DeLong
- Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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7
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Ackermans NL, Winkler DE, Schulz-Kornas E, Kaiser TM, Martin LF, Hatt JM, Clauss M. Dental wear proxy correlation in a long-term feeding experiment on sheep ( Ovis aries). J R Soc Interface 2021; 18:20210139. [PMID: 34283942 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Dietary reconstruction in vertebrates often relies on dental wear-based proxies. Although these proxies are widely applied, the contributions of physical and mechanical processes leading to meso- and microwear are still unclear. We tested their correlation using sheep (Ovis aries, n = 39) fed diets of varying abrasiveness for 17 months as a model. Volumetric crown tissue loss, mesowear change and dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) were all applied to the same teeth. We hereby correlate: (i) 46 DMTA parameters with each other, for the maxillary molars (M1, M2, M3), and the second mandibular molar (m2); (ii) 10 mesowear variables to each other and to DMTA for M1, M2, M3 and m2; and (iii) volumetric crown tissue loss to mesowear and DMTA for M2. As expected, many DMTA parameters correlated strongly with each other, supporting the application of reduced parameter sets in future studies. Correlation results showed only few DMTA parameters correlated with volumetric tissue change and even less so with mesowear variables, with no correlation between mesowear and volumetric tissue change. These findings caution against interpreting DMTA and mesowear patterns in terms of actual tissue removal until these dental wear processes can be better understood at microscopic and macroscopic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L Ackermans
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.,Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniela E Winkler
- Applied and Analytical Paleontology, Institute for Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany.,Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, Department of Natural Environmental Studies, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan.,Center of Natural History, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ellen Schulz-Kornas
- Department of Cariology, Endontology and Peridontology, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas M Kaiser
- Center of Natural History, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Louise F Martin
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Michel Hatt
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marcus Clauss
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.,AgroVet Strickhof, Lindau Site, Eschikon 27, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland
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8
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Thiery G, Gibert C, Guy F, Lazzari V, Geraads D, Spassov N, Merceron G. From leaves to seeds? The dietary shift in late Miocene colobine monkeys of southeastern Europe. Evolution 2021; 75:1983-1997. [PMID: 34131927 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Extant colobine monkeys are specialized leaf eaters. But during the late Miocene, western Eurasia was home to colobines that were less efficient at chewing leaves than they were at breaking seed shells. To understand the link between folivory and granivory in this lineage, the dietary niche of Mesopithecus delsoni and Mesopithecus pentelicus was investigated in southeastern Europe, where a major environmental change occurred during the late Miocene. We combined dental topographic estimates of chewing efficiency with dental microwear texture analysis of enamel wear facets. Mesopithecus delsoni was more efficient at chewing leaves than M. pentelicus, the dental topography of which matches an opportunistic seed eater. Concurrently, microwear complexity increases in M. pentelicus, especially in the northernmost localities corresponding to present-day Bulgaria. This is interpreted as a dietary shift toward hard foods such as seeds or tubers, which is consistent with the savanna and open mixed forest biomes that covered Bulgaria during the Tortonian. The fact that M. delsoni was better adapted to folivory and consumed a lower amount of hard foods than M. pentelicus suggests that colobines either adapted to folivory before their dispersal to Europe or evolved adaptations to leaf consumption in multiple occurrences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghislain Thiery
- Palevoprim UMR 7262 CNRS, Université de Poitiers UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, Poitiers, 86022, France
| | - Corentin Gibert
- Palevoprim UMR 7262 CNRS, Université de Poitiers UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, Poitiers, 86022, France
| | - Franck Guy
- Palevoprim UMR 7262 CNRS, Université de Poitiers UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, Poitiers, 86022, France
| | - Vincent Lazzari
- Palevoprim UMR 7262 CNRS, Université de Poitiers UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, Poitiers, 86022, France
| | - Denis Geraads
- UMR 7207 CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Nikolai Spassov
- National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, 1000, Bulgaria
| | - Gildas Merceron
- Palevoprim UMR 7262 CNRS, Université de Poitiers UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, Poitiers, 86022, France
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9
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Scholtz EJ, DeSantis LRG. Invasive species, not environmental changes, restrict the population and geographical range of the quokka (
Setonix brachyurus
). J Zool (1987) 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. J. Scholtz
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Vanderbilt University Nashville TN USA
| | - L. R. G. DeSantis
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Vanderbilt University Nashville TN USA
- Department of Biological Sciences Vanderbilt University Nashville TN USA
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10
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Teaford MF, Ungar PS, Taylor AB, Ross CF, Vinyard CJ. The dental microwear of hard-object feeding in laboratory Sapajus apella and its implications for dental microwear formation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 171:439-455. [PMID: 31922261 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2019] [Revised: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study seeks to determine if (a) consumption of hard food items or a mixture of food items leads to the formation of premolar or molar microwear in laboratory capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella) in one feeding session and (b) rates of microwear formation are associated with the number of food items consumed. MATERIALS AND METHODS Five adult male capuchins were used in two experiments, one where they were fed unshelled Brazil nuts, and the other where they were fed a mixture of food items. Dental impressions were taken before and after each feeding session. Epoxy casts made from those impressions then were used in SEM analyses of rates of microwear formation. Upper and lower premolars and molars were analyzed. Qualitative comparisons were made and Spearman's rank-order correlations used to examine the relationship between rates of microwear formation and number of Brazil nuts consumed. RESULTS Premolars and molars generally showed new microwear in the form of pits and scratches. However, the incidence of those features was low (0-6%). Rates of microwear formation were highest during the consumption of Brazil nuts. DISCUSSION Variations in the rate of microwear formation on the premolars likely reflected patterns of ingestion whereas consistency in the rate of microwear on the molars likely reflected patterns of chewing. While dental microwear formation seemed to be correlated with the number of hard objects consumed, rates did differ between individuals. Differences in results between the two experiments demonstrate some of the limitations in our knowledge of dental microwear formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark F Teaford
- Department of Basic Science, Touro University, Vallejo, California
| | - Peter S Ungar
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas
| | - Andrea B Taylor
- Department of Basic Science, Touro University, Vallejo, California
| | - Callum F Ross
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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11
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Robinet C, Merceron G, Candela AM, Marivaux L. Dental microwear texture analysis and diet in caviomorphs (Rodentia) from the Serra do Mar Atlantic forest (Brazil). J Mammal 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The Serra do Mar Atlantic forest (Brazil) shelters about 15 different species of caviomorph rodents and thus represents a unique opportunity to explore resource partitioning. We studied 12 species with distinct diets using dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA). Our results revealed differences (complexity, textural fill volume, and heterogeneity of complexity) among species with different dietary preferences, and among taxa sharing the same primary dietary components but not those with similar secondary dietary preferences (heterogeneity of complexity). We found three main dietary tendencies characterized by distinct physical properties: consumers of young leaves had low complexity; bamboo specialists, fruit and seed eaters, and omnivorous species, had intermediate values for complexity; grass, leaf, and aquatic vegetation consumers, had highly complex dental microwear texture. Dietary preferences and body mass explained a major part of the resource partitioning that presumably enables coexistence among these rodent species. DMTA was useful in assessing what foods contributed to resource partitioning in caviomorphs. Our database for extant caviomorph rodents is a prerequisite for interpretation of dental microwear texture of extinct caviomorph taxa, and thus for reconstructing their diets and better understanding the resource partitioning in paleocommunities and its role in the successful evolutionary history of this rodent group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Robinet
- División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Gildas Merceron
- Laboratoire PALEVOPRIM (UMR 7262 CNRS-INEE & Université de Poitiers) Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex, France
| | - Adriana M Candela
- División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Laurent Marivaux
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554 CNRS/UM/IRD/EPHE), c.c. 064, Université de Montpellier, Place E. Bataillon, France
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12
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Stuhlträger J, Schulz-Kornas E, Wittig RM, Kupczik K. Ontogenetic Dietary Shifts and Microscopic Tooth Wear in Western Chimpanzees. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00298] [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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13
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Mihlbachler MC, Foy M, Beatty BL. Surface Replication, Fidelity and Data Loss in Traditional Dental Microwear and Dental Microwear Texture Analysis. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1595. [PMID: 30733473 PMCID: PMC6367376 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37682-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Dental microwear studies often analyze casts rather than original surfaces, although the information loss associated with reproduction is rarely considered. To investigate the sensitivity of high magnification (150x) microwear analysis to common surface replication materials and methods, we compared areal surface texture parameters (ISO 25178-2) and traditional microwear variables (pits and scratches) generated from teeth and casts of rat molars exposed to experimental diets involving hard and soft foods in which abrasive materials had been added. Although the data from the original and replicated surfaces were correlated, many significant differences were found between the resulting data of the casts and original teeth. Both areal surface texture parameters and traditional microwear variables showed diminished ability to discriminate between the eight diet treatments when casts were analyzed. When areal surface texture parameters and traditional microwear variables were combined into a single discriminant function analysis, the cast data and original data produced the most similar results. Microwear researchers tend to favor either texture analysis or traditional microwear methods, better results may be generated by combining them. Although surface textures were not accurately reproduced by the casts, they retained sufficient information to discriminate between microwear of the experimental diets to a degree similar to the original teeth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C Mihlbachler
- New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY, 11568, USA.
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA.
| | - Melissa Foy
- New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY, 11568, USA
| | - Brian L Beatty
- New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY, 11568, USA
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Martin F, Plastiras CA, Merceron G, Souron A, Boisserie JR. Dietary niches of terrestrial cercopithecines from the Plio-Pleistocene Shungura Formation, Ethiopia: evidence from Dental Microwear Texture Analysis. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14052. [PMID: 30232366 PMCID: PMC6145942 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32092-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aims to explore the feeding ecology of two terrestrial papionins, Papio and Theropithecus from the Shungura Formation in Ethiopia, the most complete stratigraphic and paleontological record of the African Plio-Pleistocene. Two aspects were evaluated using Dental Microwear Texture Analysis: differences in diet between the extinct genera and their extant relatives, and any potential dietary fluctuations over time. Amongst more than 2,500 cercopithecid dental remains, 154 Theropithecus molars and 60 Papio molars were considered. Thirty-nine extant wild baboons and 20 wild geladas were also considered. The results show that diets of extinct monkeys from Member G already differed between genera as it is the case for their extant representatives. The shearing facets on the Theropithecus molars display significant variations in microwear textures, suggesting several dietary shifts over time. Two events point to higher intakes of herbaceous monocots (tougher than dicots foliages), at about 2.91 Ma (between members B and C) and at 2.32 Ma (between members E and F). These two events are separated by an inverse trend at about 2.53 Ma (between members C and D). Some of these variations, such as between members E and F are supported by the enamel carbon isotopic composition of herbivorous mammals and with paleovegetation evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Martin
- Laboratory Paleontology Evolution Paleoecosystems Paleoprimatology (PALEVOPRIM) - UMR CNRS-INEE/University of Poitiers, 86073, POITIERS CEDEX 9, France
| | | | - Gildas Merceron
- Laboratory Paleontology Evolution Paleoecosystems Paleoprimatology (PALEVOPRIM) - UMR CNRS-INEE/University of Poitiers, 86073, POITIERS CEDEX 9, France.
| | - Antoine Souron
- De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA) - UMR 5199 CNRS/Université de Bordeaux/Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, 33615, PESSAC CEDEX, France
| | - Jean-Renaud Boisserie
- Laboratory Paleontology Evolution Paleoecosystems Paleoprimatology (PALEVOPRIM) - UMR CNRS-INEE/University of Poitiers, 86073, POITIERS CEDEX 9, France.,Centre Français des Etudes Ethiopiennes (CFEE) - USR 3137 CNRS/Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires Etrangères, Ambassade de France en Ethiopie, ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
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15
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Peterson A, Abella EF, Grine FE, Teaford MF, Ungar PS. Microwear textures of Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus molars in relation to paleoenvironment and diet. J Hum Evol 2018; 119:42-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Revised: 02/03/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Merceron G, Blondel C, Brunetiere N, Francisco A, Gautier D, Ramdarshan A. Dental microwear and controlled food testing on sheep: The TRIDENT project. BIOSURFACE AND BIOTRIBOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bsbt.2017.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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17
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Percher AM, Merceron G, Nsi Akoue G, Galbany J, Romero A, Charpentier MJE. Dental microwear textural analysis as an analytical tool to depict individual traits and reconstruct the diet of a primate. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 165:123-138. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Revised: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alice M. Percher
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M) UMR5554, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE; Montpellier France
| | - Gildas Merceron
- Institut de Paléoprimatologie, Paléontologie Humaine: Évolution & Paléoenvironnements (IPHEP) UMR 7262 CNRS, University of Poitiers; Poitiers France
| | | | - Jordi Galbany
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology; The George Washington University; Washington DC, USA
| | - Alejandro Romero
- Departamento de Biotecnología; Universidad de Alicante; Alicante Spain
| | - Marie JE Charpentier
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M) UMR5554, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE; Montpellier France
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18
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Bernardi M, Couette S. Eocene Paleoecology ofAdapis parisiensis(Primate, Adapidae): From Inner Ear to Lifestyle. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2017; 300:1576-1588. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Revised: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Margot Bernardi
- EPHE, PSL Research University, Paris; Dijon 21000 France
- Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282; Univ Bourgogne Franche-Comté; 6 Bd Gabriel Dijon 21000 France
| | - Sébastien Couette
- EPHE, PSL Research University, Paris; Dijon 21000 France
- Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282; Univ Bourgogne Franche-Comté; 6 Bd Gabriel Dijon 21000 France
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19
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Ungar PS, Abella EF, Burgman JHE, Lazagabaster IA, Scott JR, Delezene LK, Manthi FK, Plavcan JM, Ward CV. Dental microwear and Pliocene paleocommunity ecology of bovids, primates, rodents, and suids at Kanapoi. J Hum Evol 2017; 140:102315. [PMID: 28499698 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Revised: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Reconstructions of habitat at sites like Kanapoi are key to understanding the environmental circumstances in which hominins evolved during the early Pliocene. While Australopithecus anamensis shows evidence of terrestrial bipedality traditionally associated with a more open setting, its enamel has low δ13C values consistent with consumption of C3 foods, which predominate in wooded areas of tropical Africa. Habitat proxies, ranging from paleosols and their carbonates to associated herbivore fauna and their carbon isotope ratios, suggest a heterogeneous setting with both grass and woody plant components, though the proportions of each have been difficult to pin down. Here we bring dental microwear texture analysis of herbivorous fauna to bear on the issue. We present texture data for fossil bovids, primates, rodents, and suids (n = 107 individuals in total) from the hominin bearing deposits at Kanapoi, and interpret these in the light of closely related extant mammals with known differences in diet. The Kanapoi bovid results, for example, are similar to those for extant variable grazers or graze-browse intermediate taxa. The Kanapoi suid data vary by taxon, with one similar to the pattern of extant grazers and the other more closely resembling mixed feeders. The Kanapoi primates and rodents are more difficult to associate with a specific environment, though it seems that grass was likely a component in the diets of both. All taxa evince microwear texture patterns consistent with a mosaic of discrete microhabitats or a heterogeneous setting including both tree and grass components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter S Ungar
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA; Environmental Dynamics Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
| | - Elicia F Abella
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Jenny H E Burgman
- Environmental Dynamics Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | | | - Jessica R Scott
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Lucas K Delezene
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Fredrick K Manthi
- Department of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - J Michael Plavcan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Carol V Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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Dental microwear textural analyses to track feeding ecology of reindeer: a comparison of two contrasting populations in Norway. MAMMAL RES 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-016-0304-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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