1
|
Senthilkumar A, Ramadoss R, Ramalingam K, Arthanari A. In Vitro Analysis of Enamel Patterns Across Three Species Using Stereomicroscopy. Cureus 2024; 16:e59488. [PMID: 38826978 PMCID: PMC11144051 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.59488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Dental enamel, the outermost layer of the tooth, stands as a unique and remarkable tissue that plays a crucial role in safeguarding teeth against various external factors. The examination and analysis of enamel rod end patterns on tooth surfaces, referred to as ameloglyphics, offer a promising avenue for dental identification and forensic investigations in forensic medicine, thereby enhancing the precision and reliability of forensic analyses. This paper aims to evaluate and compare the ameloglyphics of different species under a stereomicroscope. The species examined in this study include the beaver (genus Castor), fox (genus Vulpes), and human (Homo sapiens). Methods Teeth samples from each species (n = 3) were gathered from the tooth repository and examined under a stereomicroscope at various magnifications, both with and without graphite staining. Photographs were captured, and the enamel patterns were meticulously evaluated. Through the utilization of plot profiles, the enamel patterns of the different species were compared, and any discernible differences between them were carefully noted. Results The plot profiles of the three species were analyzed, revealing distinct characteristics. Specifically, it was observed that the plots of the genus Castor teeth and Homo sapiens teeth exhibited dispersed arrangements, whereas the plot profile of the genus Vulpes displayed a closely arranged pattern. Conclusions Within the confines of the current investigation, it can be inferred that every mammal exhibits a distinct and exclusive arrangement of enamel rods. Hence, the task of identifying a deceased individual through dental imprints may pose difficulties if the structural characteristics are not thoroughly comprehended.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Akshai Senthilkumar
- Forensic Odontology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, IND
| | - Ramya Ramadoss
- Oral Pathology and Oral Biology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, IND
| | - Karthikeyan Ramalingam
- Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, IND
| | - Abirami Arthanari
- Forensic Odontology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, IND
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ramírez-Pedraza I, Martínez LM, Aouraghe H, Rivals F, Tornero C, Haddoumi H, Estebaranz-Sánchez F, Rodríguez-Hidalgo A, van der Made J, Oujaa A, Ibáñez JJ, Mhamdi H, Souhir M, Aissa AM, Chacón MG, Sala-Ramos R. Multiproxy approach to reconstruct fossil primate feeding behavior: Case study for macaque from the Plio-Pleistocene site Guefaït-4.2 (eastern Morocco). Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1011208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The genus Macaca belongs to Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys), Cercopithecinae, Papionini. The presence of Macaca in North Africa is well known from the Late Miocene to the Late Pleistocene. However, the diet of fossil Macaca has been poorly described in the literature. In this study, we investigated the feeding habits of Macaca cf. sylvanus (n = 4) from the Plio-Pleistocene site Guefaït-4.2 in eastern Morocco through multiproxy analysis combining analyses of stable carbon and oxygen isotopes from tooth enamel, buccal microtexture, and low-magnification occlusal dental microwear. For both microwear analyses, we compared the macaques with a new reference collection of extant members of Cercopithecoidea. Our occlusal microwear results show for the fossil macaque a pattern similar to the extant Cercocebus atys and Lophocebus albigena, African forest-dwelling species that are characterized by a durophagous diet based mainly on hard fruit and seed intake. Buccal microtexture results also suggest the consumption of some grasses and the exploitation of more open habitats, similar to that observed in Theropithecus gelada. The δ13C of M. cf. sylvanus indicates a C3 based-diet without the presence of C4 plants typical of the savanna grassland in eastern Africa during this period. The high δ18O values of M. cf. sylvanus, compared with the contemporary ungulates recovered from Guefaït-4.2, could be associated with the consumption of a different resource by the primate such as leaves or fresh fruits from the upper part of trees. The complementarity of these methods allows for a dietary reconstruction covering a large part of the individual’s life.
Collapse
|
3
|
Avià Y, Romero A, Estebaranz-Sánchez F, Pérez-Pérez A, Cuesta-Torralvo E, Martínez LM. Dental topography and dietary specialization in Papionini primates. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.969007] [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
Our understanding of primate adaptive evolution depends on appreciating the way in which dental functional morphology affects food processing. The Papionini tribe of Cercopithecoidea primates shows great dietary versatility and ecological adaptations to resource seasonality across the African and Asian ecosystems, however, there are few studies focusing on the occlusal topography of the bilophodont teeth and the effect of tooth wear in the crown shape. Here, we explore the relationship between wear-related dental functional morphology and dietary ecological constraints within the Papionini. Three-dimensional (3D) polygonal meshes of the upper permanent molar row (M1-3) were obtained in a large papionine sample (838 specimens) of known dietary preferences including species from six genera (Cercocebus, Lophocebus, Macaca, Mandrillus, Papio, and Theropithecus). All the sample was classified in four diet categories and four topographic metrics (orientation patch count rotated, OPCR; Dirichlet normal energy, DNE; occlusal relief, OR; and ambient occlusion, portion de ciel visible, PCV) were measured for each tooth-type according to wear stage (lightly and moderately worn) to determine diet-related interspecific morphological changes with long-term functionality. The results indicate that hard-object feeders (Cercocebus and Lophocebus) and grass eaters (Theropithecus gelada) exhibit a pattern of occlusal complexity (OPCR), surface curvature (DNE), relief (OR), and morphological wear resistance (PCV) that is significantly different from the omnivores and folivore-frugivore species (Mandrillus and Macaca) despite the overall homogeneity of the bilophodont dentition. A multifactorial ANOVA showed that the topographic metrics were sensitive to tooth wear as expected. The results also indicate that the interspecific variability of dental topography of the upper molars reflects dietary specializations rather than phylogenetic proximity. These findings support the hypothesis that evolutionary convergence processes could have affected the Papionini, clustering the hard-object feeders (Lophocebus and Cercocebus) together in the morphospace, and clearly discriminating this group from the graminivorous and frugivores-folivores.
Collapse
|
4
|
Feeding ecology of the last European colobine monkey, Dolichopithecus ruscinensis. J Hum Evol 2022; 168:103199. [PMID: 35667203 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Currently, very little is known about the ecology of extinct Eurasian cercopithecids. Dietary information is crucial in understanding the ecological adaptations and diversity of extinct cercopithecids and the evolution of this family. For example, the colobine genus Dolichopithecus is represented by multiple large-bodied species that inhabited Eurasia during the Pliocene-Early Pleistocene. The available evidence, though limited, suggests semiterrestrial locomotion, which contrasts with most extant African and Asian colobines that exhibit morphological and physiological adaptations for arboreality and folivory. These differences raise questions regarding the dietary specialization of early colobine taxa and how/if that influenced their dispersion out of Africa and into Eurasia. To further our understanding of the ecology of Plio-Pleistocene cercopithecids, we characterized the dental capabilities and potential dietary adaptations of Dolichopithecus ruscinensis through dental topographic and enamel thickness analyses on an M1 from the locality of Serrat d'en Vacquer, Perpignan (France). We also assessed the feeding behavior of D. ruscinensis through dental microwear texture analysis on a broad sample of fossil molars from fossil sites in France, Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania. Dental topographic and enamel thickness analyses suggest that D. ruscinensis could efficiently process a wide range of foods. Results of the dental microwear texture analysis suggest that its diet ranged from folivory to the consumption of more mechanically challenging foods. Collectively, this suggests a more opportunistic feeding behavior for Dolichopithecus than characteristic of most extant colobines.
Collapse
|
5
|
Martínez LM, Estebaranz-Sánchez F, Ferràndez-Cañadell C, Romero A, Ribot F, Galbany J, Gibert L, Pérez-Pérez A. Buccal dental-microwear and feeding ecology of Early Pleistocene Theropithecus oswaldi from Cueva Victoria (Spain). J Hum Evol 2020; 142:102736. [PMID: 32193025 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Despite the scarcity of fossil specimens of Theropithecus oswaldi in Eurasia, its presence out of Africa attests to the great dispersal of this Papionini genus during the Early Pleistocene. In the present study, we analyze the buccal dental microwear of T. oswaldi (T. o. leakeyi) fossil specimens from Cueva Victoria (Southeastern Spain). This analysis is the first characterization of the feeding ecology of T. oswaldi in Europe. The buccal microwear pattern of the molar and premolar teeth of T. oswaldi from Cueva Victoria shows great similarities to that observed for the extant frugivorous forest-dwelling Mandrillus sphinx and mangabeys (Cercocebus sp.)-both species adapted to durophagous dietary habits-while significantly different from that observed for the gramnivorous Theropithecus gelada. These results suggest that T. oswaldi from Cueva Victoria could have exploited both hard-shelled fruits or seeds and succulent fruits from open and forested Mediterranean ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L M Martínez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08014, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - F Estebaranz-Sánchez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08014, Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de Bellaterra, 08193, Bellaterra - Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - C Ferràndez-Cañadell
- Departament Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí Franquès s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Romero
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, 99, 03080, Alicante, Spain
| | - F Ribot
- Museo Municipal de Prehistoria y Paleontología, Calle Las Tiendas s/n, 18858, Orce, Granada, Spain
| | - J Galbany
- Departament de Psicologia Clínica i Psicobiologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Facultat de Psicologia, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035, Barcelona, Spain; Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
| | - L Gibert
- Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí Franquès s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Pérez-Pérez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08014, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lin B, Foxfoot IR, Miller CM, Venkatamaran VV, Kerby JT, Bechtold EK, Kellogg BS, Nguyen N, Fashing PJ. Leopard predation on gelada monkeys at Guassa, Ethiopia. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23098. [PMID: 31994756 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Predation is widely believed to exert strong selective pressure on primate behavior and ecology but is difficult to study and rarely observed. In this study, we describe seven encounters between lone wild leopards (Panthera pardus) and herds of geladas (Theropithecus gelada) over a 6-year period in an intact Afroalpine grassland ecosystem at the Guassa Community Conservation Area, Ethiopia. Three encounters consisted of attempted predation on geladas by leopards, one of which was successful. All three attacks occurred in low-visibility microhabitats (dominated by tussock graminoids, mima mounds, or tall shrubs) that provided leopards with hidden viewsheds from which to ambush geladas. An additional four encounters did not result in an attempted attack but still document the consistently fearful responses of geladas to leopards. In encounters with leopards, geladas typically gave alarm calls (n = 7 of 7 encounters), reduced interindividual distances (n = 5), and collectively fled towards or remained at their sleeping cliffs (n = 7), the only significant refugia in the open-country habitat at Guassa. Geladas did not engage in mobbing behavior towards leopards. Encounters with leopards tended to occur on days when gelada herd sizes were small, raising the possibility that leopards, as ambush hunters, might stalk geladas on days when fewer eyes and ears make them less likely to be detected. We compare the behavioral responses of geladas to leopards at Guassa with those previously reported at Arsi and the Simien Mountains and discuss how gelada vulnerability and responses to leopards compare with those of other primate species living in habitats containing more refugia. Lastly, we briefly consider how living in multilevel societies may represent an adaptive response by geladas and other open-country primates to predation pressure from leopards and other large carnivores.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bing Lin
- Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
| | | | - Carrie M Miller
- Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | | | - Jeffrey T Kerby
- Neukom Institute for Computational Science, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - Emily K Bechtold
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts
| | - Bryce S Kellogg
- Forest Restoration Program, The Nature Conservancy, Bend, Oregon
| | - Nga Nguyen
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, California
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Peter J Fashing
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, California
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Frost SR, Ward CV, Manthi FK, Plavcan JM. Cercopithecid fossils from Kanapoi, West Turkana, Kenya (2007-2015). J Hum Evol 2020; 140:102642. [PMID: 31959361 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Recent fieldwork at Kanapoi has expanded the sample of fossil cercopithecids, facilitating a re-appraisal of their taxonomy. The assemblage now includes at least one species of cercopithecin, two papionins, and two colobines. The guenon Nanopithecus browni is similar in dental size to extant Miopithecus. We tentatively re-affirm the identification of Parapapio cf. ado and confirm the presence of Theropithecus. The colobines include a small form tentatively attributed to Kuseracolobus and a second larger species. The Kanapoi fossils represent the oldest occurrences of guenons in Africa and of the important genus Theropithecus, the most abundant and widespread primate in the Neogene of Africa. In the assemblage, Parapapio cf. ado is the most abundant form, comprising the majority of specimens. All of the other taxa are comparatively rare. Colobines make up a small part of the Kanapoi fossil assemblage compared to most other contemporary sites, including Allia Bay, Kenya, where, like Kanapoi, Australopithecus anamensis has been found. The presence of Theropithecus is consistent with the presence of some relatively open habitat at Kanapoi. While the ecological preferences of the small cercopithecin are unknown, most guenons are associated with relatively wooded habitats, as are most colobines, suggesting the availability of at least some wooded areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Frost
- Department of Anthropology, 1218 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1218, USA.
| | - Carol V Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, M263 Medical Sciences Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA.
| | - Fredrick K Manthi
- Department of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - J Michael Plavcan
- Department of Anthropology, 330 Old Main, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Lazagabaster IA. Dental microwear texture analysis of Pliocene Suidae from Hadar and Kanapoi in the context of early hominin dietary breadth expansion. J Hum Evol 2019; 132:80-100. [PMID: 31203853 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 04/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Stable carbon isotope studies suggest that early hominins may have diversified their diet as early as 3.76 Ma. Early Pliocene hominins, including Australopithecus anamensis, had diets that were dominated by C3 resources while Late Pliocene hominins, including Australopithecus afarensis-a putative descendant of A. anamensis-had diets that included both C3 and C4 resources. It has been hypothesized that the expansion of C4 grasslands in eastern Africa during the Pliocene could have prompted hominins to incorporate C4 resources in their diets. However, dental microwear analyses suggest that diet diversification did not involve changes in the mechanical properties of the foods consumed. To provide contextual and comparative information on this issue, the diet of suids from the A. anamensis site of Kanapoi and the A. afarensis site of Hadar is investigated. Using dental microwear texture analyses, it is shown that despite significant dietary overlap, there is evidence for dietary niche partitioning among suids. Based on comparisons with the diet of extant African suids, it is inferred that Nyanzachoerus pattersoni (n = 21) was a mixed feeder, Nyanzachoerus jaegeri (n = 4) and Notochoerus euilus (n = 61) were habitual grazers, and Kolpochoerus afarensis (n = 34) had a broad diet that included hard brittle foods and underground resources. The dental microwear of Ny. pattersoni and Ny. jaegeri/No. euilus do not differ significantly between Kanapoi and Hadar. Most differences are driven by K. afarensis, a suid absent at Kanapoi but present at Hadar. Food availability probably differed between Hadar and Kanapoi, and it is likely that A. afarensis did not exploit some of the foods (e.g., underground resources) consumed by suids. It is hypothesized that despite the incorporation of C4 resources in the diet, a significant dietary change towards flexible diets in the hominin lineage had yet to come.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio A Lazagabaster
- The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and Departments of Maritime Civilizations and Archaeology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; Institute of Human Origins and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Souron A. Morphology, diet, and stable carbon isotopes: On the diet of Theropithecus
and some limits of uniformitarianism in paleoecology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 166:261-267. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Souron
- PACEA, UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, Bâtiment B18, Allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, CS 50023; Pessac, 33615 France
- Human Evolution Research Center, University of California; Berkeley California 94720-3140
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|