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Kotli P, Morgenstern D, Bocquentin F, Khalaily H, Horwitz LK, Boaretto E. A label-free quantification method for assessing sex from modern and ancient bovine tooth enamel. Sci Rep 2024; 14:18195. [PMID: 39107380 PMCID: PMC11303769 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68603-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Identification of the sex of modern, fossil and archaeological animal remains offers many insights into their demography, mortality profiles and domestication pathways. However, due to many-factors, sex determination of osteological remains is often problematic. To overcome this, we have developed an innovative protocol to determine an animal's sex from tooth enamel, by applying label-free quantification (LFQ) of two unique AmelY peptides 'LRYPYP' (AmelY;[M+2]2 + 404.7212 m/z) and 'LRYPYPSY' (AmelY;[M+2]2 + 529.7689 m/z) that are only present in the enamel of males. We applied this method to eight modern cattle (Bos taurus) of known sex, and correctly assigned them to sex. We then applied the same protocol to twelve archaeological Bos teeth from the Neolithic site of Beisamoun, Israel (8-th-7-th millennium BC) and determined the sex of the archaeological samples. Since teeth are usually better preserved than bones, this innovative protocol has potential to facilitate sex determination in ancient and modern bovine remains that currently cannot be sexed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Kotli
- Scientific Archaeology and D-REAMS Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, 760001, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - David Morgenstern
- Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine G-INCPM, Weizmann Institute of Science, 760001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Fanny Bocquentin
- CNRS, UMR 8068 TEMPS, MSH Mondes-Bâtiment Ginouvès, 21 allée de l'université, 92023, Nanterre Cedex, France
| | | | - Liora Kolska Horwitz
- National Natural History Collections, E. Safra-Givat Ram Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 96194, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Elisabetta Boaretto
- Scientific Archaeology and D-REAMS Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, 760001, Rehovot, Israel.
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Tappen M, Bukhsianidze M, Ferring R, Coil R, Lordkipanidze D. Life and death at Dmanisi, Georgia: Taphonomic signals from the fossil mammals. J Hum Evol 2022; 171:103249. [PMID: 36116366 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
There are many hypotheses regarding influences on the early hominin biogeographic spread into Eurasia; among them is increased meat-eating. Dmanisi in Georgia is one of the rare Early Pleistocene sites in Eurasia, and here we present primary information and analysis of the medium and large mammal taphonomy, contributing information about site formation and the hominins' interaction with the fauna. Nearly 85% of the specimens come from the B1 stratum. Relative abundances of mammal families demonstrate some bias toward carnivores, especially Canis borjgali, and diverse Felidae species. Bones display little weathering. Post-depositional surface modifications and matrix obscure many bone surfaces, but carnivore tooth marking is the most common bone surface modification from the nutritive taphonomic phase. Tooth pits are large, in the size range of those made by modern Crocuta crocuta and Panthera leo. Breakage variables indicate most breaks occurred while the bones were still fresh, many by carnivore consumption. Fairly even limb bone representation of herbivores suggests carcasses were introduced to the site nearly whole. Hominin tool marks are present in low frequencies, but they suggest a variety of behaviors. These marks are found on Equus, Palaeotragus, Bison, large cervids, Pseudodama, Canis, and Mammuthus. Some were made by filleting proximal limb segments, and so are likely indicative of early access to carcasses, while other marks suggest scavenging. The Homo taphonomic variables resemble the rest of the taphonomic signatures from the site with little weathering, a slightly higher percentage of their bones are whole, but only a few have probable carnivore damage. The assemblage characteristics are compared to modern actualistic and experimental assemblages, and it is concluded that Dmanisi presents a palimpsest of hyena denning, felid activity, hominin meat-eating and likely natural deaths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Tappen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, 301 19th Ave S. Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Maia Bukhsianidze
- Georgian National Museum, 3 Purtseladzes Str., Tbilisi, 0105, Georgia
| | - Reid Ferring
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305279, Denton, TX, 76203, USA
| | - Reed Coil
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay Batyr Avenue, Nur-Sultan, 010000, Kazakhstan
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Titus AL, Knoll K, Sertich JJW, Yamamura D, Suarez CA, Glasspool IJ, Ginouves JE, Lukacic AK, Roberts EM. Geology and taphonomy of a unique tyrannosaurid bonebed from the upper Campanian Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah: implications for tyrannosaurid gregariousness. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11013. [PMID: 33976955 PMCID: PMC8061582 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tyrannosaurids are hypothesized to be gregarious, possibly parasocial carnivores engaging in cooperative hunting and extended parental care. A tyrannosaurid (cf. Teratophoneus curriei) bonebed in the late Campanian age Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah, nicknamed the Rainbows and Unicorns Quarry (RUQ), provides the first opportunity to investigate possible tyrannosaurid gregariousness in a taxon unique to southern Laramidia. Analyses of the site's sedimentology, fauna, flora, stable isotopes, rare earth elements (REE), charcoal content and taphonomy suggest a complex history starting with the deaths and transport of tyrannosaurids into a peri-fluvial, low-energy lacustrine setting. Isotopic and REE analyses of the fossil material yields a relatively homogeneous signature indicating the assemblage was derived from the same source and represents a fauna living in a single ecospace. Subsequent drying of the lake and fluctuating water tables simultaneously overprinted the bones with pedogenic carbonate and structurally weakened them through wet-dry cycling. Abundant charcoal recovered from the primary bone layer indicate a low temperature fire played a role in the site history, possibly triggering an avulsion that exhumed and reburied skeletal material on the margin of a new channel with minimal transport. Possible causes of mortality and concentration of the tyrannosaurids include cyanobacterial toxicosis, fire, and flooding, the latter being the preferred hypothesis. Comparisons of the RUQ site with other North American tyrannosaur bonebeds (Dry Island-Alberta; Daspletosaurus horneri-Montana) suggest all formed through similar processes. Combined with ichnological evidence, these tyrannosaur mass-burial sites could be part of an emerging pattern throughout Laramidia reflecting innate tyrannosaurid behavior such as habitual gregariousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan L Titus
- Paria River District, US Bureau of Land Management, Kanab, UT, USA
| | - Katja Knoll
- Paria River District, US Bureau of Land Management, Kanab, UT, USA
| | - Joseph J W Sertich
- Department of Earth Sciences, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Daigo Yamamura
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Celina A Suarez
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | | | | | | | - Eric M Roberts
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, QLD, Australia
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4
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Weaver LN, Varricchio DJ, Sargis EJ, Chen M, Freimuth WJ, Wilson Mantilla GP. Early mammalian social behaviour revealed by multituberculates from a dinosaur nesting site. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 5:32-37. [PMID: 33139921 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01325-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
When sociality evolved and in which groups remain open questions in mammalian evolution, largely due to the fragmentary Mesozoic mammal fossil record. Nevertheless, exceptionally preserved fossils collected in well-constrained geologic and spatial frameworks can provide glimpses into these more fleeting aspects of early mammalian behaviour. Here we report on exceptional specimens of a multituberculate, Filikomys primaevus gen. nov., from the Late Cretaceous of Montana, primarily occurring as multi-individual, monospecific aggregates of semi-articulated skulls and skeletons within a narrow stratigraphic (~9 cm thick) and geographic (<32 m2) interval. Taphonomic and geologic evidence indicates that F. primaevus engaged in multigenerational, group-nesting and burrowing behaviour, representing the first example of social behaviour in a Mesozoic mammal. That F. primaevus was a digger is further supported by functional morphological and morphometric analyses of its postcranium. The social behaviour of F. primaevus suggests that the capacity for mammals to form social groups extends back to the Mesozoic and is not restricted to therians. Sociality is probably an evolutionarily labile trait that has arisen numerous times during mammalian evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas N Weaver
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - David J Varricchio
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Eric J Sargis
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT, USA.,Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Meng Chen
- School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Paleobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - William J Freimuth
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Gregory P Wilson Mantilla
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. .,Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture, Seattle, WA, USA.
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Gregariousness in the giant sloth Lestodon (Xenarthra): multi-proxy approach of a bonebed from the Last Maximum Glacial of Argentine Pampas. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10955. [PMID: 32616813 PMCID: PMC7331707 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67863-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Megamammals constituted an important component in the Pleistocene faunal communities of South America. Paleobiological and paleoecological studies involving different megamammal taxa have increased significantly in the last years, but there are still several poorly-known issues of its life history. In this work, we analyze an assemblage composed of 13 individuals of different ontogenetic stages, and possibly different sex, belonging to the giant ground sloth Lestodon armatus (Xenarthra, Folivora), recovered from Playa del Barco site (Pampean Region, Argentina). A dating of 19,849 years Cal BP allows assigning this assemblage to a period of the MIS (Marine Isotope Stage) 2 related to the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. Based on multiple lines of research (e.g. taphonomy, paleopathology, osteohistology, isotopy), we interpret the origin of the assemblage and diverse paleobiological and paleoecological aspects (e.g. social behavior, ontogenetic changes, sexual dimorphism, diseases, resource and habitat use, trophic relationships) of L. armatus. Evidence suggests that the assemblage was formed by a local single event of catastrophic mortality, which affected different members of a social group. This record represents the first accurate evidence of gregariousness for this ground sloth, providing new data on a poorly-known behavior among extinct Folivora.
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Hess MC, Inoue K, Tsakiris ET, Hart M, Morton J, Dudding J, Robertson CR, Randklev CR. Misidentification of sex for Lampsilis teres, Yellow Sandshell, and its implications for mussel conservation and wildlife management. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197107. [PMID: 29768469 PMCID: PMC5955573 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Correct identification of sex is an important component of wildlife management because changes in sex ratios can affect population viability. Identification of sex often relies on external morphology, which can be biased by intermediate or nondistinctive morphotypes and observer experience. For unionid mussels, research has demonstrated that species misidentification is common but less attention has been given to the reliability of sex identification. To evaluate whether this is an issue, we surveyed 117 researchers on their ability to correctly identify sex of Lampsilis teres (Yellow Sandshell), a wide ranging, sexually dimorphic species. Personal background information of each observer was analyzed to identify factors that may contribute to misidentification of sex. We found that median misidentification rates were ~20% across males and females and that observers falsely identified the number of female specimens more often (~23%) than males (~10%). Misidentification rates were partially explained by geographic region of prior mussel experience and where observers learned how to identify mussels, but there remained substantial variation among observers after controlling for these factors. We also used three morphometric methods (traditional, geometric, and Fourier) to investigate whether sex could be more correctly identified statistically and found that misidentification rates for the geometric and Fourier methods (which characterize shape) were less than 5% (on average 7% and 2% for females and males, respectively). Our results show that misidentification of sex is likely common for mussels if based solely on external morphology, which raises general questions, regardless of taxonomic group, about its reliability for conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan C. Hess
- Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Kentaro Inoue
- Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Eric T. Tsakiris
- Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Michael Hart
- Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Morton
- Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jack Dudding
- Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Clinton R. Robertson
- Texas Parks and Wildlife, Inland Fisheries Division, San Marcos, Texas, United States of America
| | - Charles R. Randklev
- Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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8
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Pečnerová P, Díez-Del-Molino D, Dussex N, Feuerborn T, von Seth J, van der Plicht J, Nikolskiy P, Tikhonov A, Vartanyan S, Dalén L. Genome-Based Sexing Provides Clues about Behavior and Social Structure in the Woolly Mammoth. Curr Biol 2017; 27:3505-3510.e3. [PMID: 29103934 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.09.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
While present-day taxa are valuable proxies for understanding the biology of extinct species, it is also crucial to examine physical remains in order to obtain a more comprehensive view of their behavior, social structure, and life histories [1, 2]. For example, information on demographic parameters such as age distribution and sex ratios in fossil assemblages can be used to accurately infer socioecological patterns (e.g., [3]). Here we use genomic data to determine the sex of 98 woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) specimens in order to infer social and behavioral patterns in the last 60,000 years of the species' existence. We report a significant excess of males among the identified samples (69% versus 31%; p < 0.0002). We argue that this male bias among mammoth remains is best explained by males more often being caught in natural traps that favor preservation. We hypothesize that this is a consequence of social structure in proboscideans, which is characterized by matriarchal hierarchy and sex segregation. Without the experience associated with living in a matriarchal family group, or a bachelor group with an experienced bull, young or solitary males may have been more prone to die in natural traps where good preservation is more likely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Pečnerová
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - David Díez-Del-Molino
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nicolas Dussex
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tatiana Feuerborn
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Johanna von Seth
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johannes van der Plicht
- Centre for Isotope Research, Groningen University, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands; Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Postbus 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Pavel Nikolskiy
- Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pyzhevsky pereulok 7, Moscow 119017, Russia
| | - Alexei Tikhonov
- Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia; Institute of the Applied Ecology of the North, North-Eastern Federal University, Lenina 1, 677000 Yakutsk, Russia
| | - Sergey Vartanyan
- North-East Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Institute N.A.N.A. Shilo, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (NEISRI FEB RAS), Magadan, Russia
| | - Love Dalén
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Julien MA, Rivals F, Serangeli J, Bocherens H, Conard NJ. A new approach for deciphering between single and multiple accumulation events using intra-tooth isotopic variations: Application to the Middle Pleistocene bone bed of Schöningen 13 II-4. J Hum Evol 2015; 89:114-28. [PMID: 25912820 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2013] [Revised: 01/31/2015] [Accepted: 02/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
It is often difficult to differentiate between archaeological bonebeds formed by one event such as a mass kill of a single herd, and those formed by multiple events that occurred over a longer period of time. The application of high temporal resolution studies such as intra-tooth isotopic profiles on archaeological mammal cohorts offers new possibilities for exploring this issue, allowing investigators to decipher between single and multiple accumulation events. We examined (18)O and (13)C isotopic variations from the enamel carbonate of 23 horse third molars from the Middle Pleistocene archaeological site of Schöningen. We employed a new approach to investigate processes of fossil accumulation that uses both bulk and intra-tooth isotopic variations and takes into account animal behavior, age at death and dental development to test the degree of isotopic affinity of animals from the same fossil assemblage. Oxygen and carbon isotope bulk values indicate that the horses from Schöningen 13 II-4 experienced relatively similar climatic and dietary regimes. Inter-individual differences of the bulk values of the horses sampled in the current study present nevertheless inter-individual variability similar to individuals from multi-layered localities. In addition, the intra-tooth isotopic variation of specimens of the same age at death seems to indicate that the studied cohort corresponds to a mix of individuals that recorded both similar and different isotopic histories. Finally, the conditions recorded in the isotopic signal shortly before death (i.e., for teeth not fully mineralized) varied between sampled individuals, suggesting possible differences in the seasonality of death. Considering those results, we discuss the possibility that the horses from Schöningen 13 II-4 correspond to an accumulation of different death events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Anne Julien
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany; Centre for the Archaeology of Human Origins, Archaeology Department, University of Southampton, Avenue Campus, Southampton SO17 1BF, UK; Unité Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (UMR 7194), Sorbonne Universités, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, 1 rue René Panhard, 75013 Paris, France.
| | - Florent Rivals
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, C. Marcel.lí Domingo s/n, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain; Area de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Jordi Serangeli
- Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Schloss Hohentübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hervé Bocherens
- Department of Geosciences, Biogeology, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany; Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoecology, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nicholas J Conard
- Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Schloss Hohentübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany; Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoecology, University of Tübingen, Schloss Hohentübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
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Ibiricu LM, Martínez RD, Casal GA, Cerda IA. The behavioral implications of a multi-individual bonebed of a small theropod dinosaur. PLoS One 2013; 8:e64253. [PMID: 23691183 PMCID: PMC3655058 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2012] [Accepted: 04/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Central Patagonia, Argentina, preserves an abundant and rich fossil record. Among vertebrate fossils from the Upper Cretaceous Bajo Barreal Formation of Patagonia, five individuals of the small, non-avian theropod dinosaur Aniksosaurus darwini were recovered. Group behavior is an important aspect of dinosaur paleoecology, but it is not well-documented and is poorly understood among non-avian Theropoda. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The taphonomic association of individuals from the Bajo Barreal Formation and aspects of their bone histology suggest gregarious behavior for Aniksosaurus, during at least a portion of the life history of this species. Histology indicates that the specimens were juvenile to sub-adult individuals. In addition, morphological differences between individuals, particularly proportions of the appendicular bones, are probably related to body-size dimorphism rather than ontogenetic stage. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Gregarious behaviour may have conferred a selective advantage on Aniksosaurus individuals, contributing to their successful exploitation of the Cretaceous paleoenvironment preserved in the Bajo Barreal Formation. The monospecific assemblage of Aniksosaurus specimens constitutes only the second body fossil association of small, coelurosaurian theropods in South America and adds valuable information about the paleoecologies of non-avian theropod dinosaurs, particularly in the early Late Cretaceous of Patagonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucio M Ibiricu
- Laboratorio de Paleontología, Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET-CENPAT), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina.
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11
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Gogarten JF, Grine FE. Seasonal mortality patterns in primates: implications for the interpretation of dental microwear. Evol Anthropol 2013; 22:9-19. [PMID: 23436645 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The microscopic traces of use wear on teeth have been extensively studied to provide information that will assist in elucidating the dietary habits of extinct hominin species. It has been amply documented that dental microwear provides information pertaining to diet for living animals, where there is a strong and consistent association between dental microwear patterns and different types of foods that are chewed. The details of occlusal surface wear patterns are capable of distinguishing among diets when the constituent food items differ in their fracture properties. For example, the microwear traces left on the teeth of mammals that crush hard, brittle foods such as nuts are generally dominated by pits, whereas traces left on the teeth of mammals that shear tough items such as leaves tend to be characterized by scratches. These microwear features result from and thus record actual chewing events. As such, microwear patterns are expected to be variably ephemeral, as individual features are worn away and replaced or overprinted by others as the tooth wears down in subsequent bouts of mastication. Indeed, it has been demonstrated, both in the laboratory and the wild, that short-term dietary variation can result in the turnover of microwear. Because occlusal microwear potentially reflects an individual's diet for a short time (days, weeks, or months, depending on the nature of the foods being masticated), tooth surfaces sampled at different times will display differences that relate to temporal (for example, seasonal) differences in diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan F Gogarten
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
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Sexual Dimorphism and Inter-Generic Variation in Proboscidean Tusks: Multivariate Assessment of American Mastodons (Mammut americanum) and Extant African Elephants. J MAMM EVOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-013-9225-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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13
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Gogarten JF, Brown LM, Chapman CA, Cords M, Doran-Sheehy D, Fedigan LM, Grine FE, Perry S, Pusey AE, Sterck EHM, Wich SA, Wright PC. Seasonal mortality patterns in non-human primates: implications for variation in selection pressures across environments. Evolution 2012; 66:3252-66. [PMID: 23025613 PMCID: PMC3955579 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2012.01668.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Examining seasonal mortality patterns can yield insights into the drivers of mortality and thus potential selection pressures acting on individuals in different environments. We compiled adult and juvenile mortality data from nine wild non-human primate taxa to investigate the role of seasonality in patterns of mortality and address the following questions: Is mortality highly seasonal across species? Does greater environmental seasonality lead to more seasonal mortality patterns? If mortality is seasonal, is it higher during wet seasons or during periods of food scarcity? and Do folivores show less seasonal mortality than frugivores? We found seasonal mortality patterns in five of nine taxa, and mortality was more often tied to wet seasons than food-scarce periods, a relationship that may be driven by disease. Controlling for phylogeny, we found a positive relationship between the degree of environmental seasonality and mortality, with folivores exhibiting more seasonal mortality than frugivores. These results suggest that mortality patterns are influenced both by diet and degree of environmental seasonality. Applied to a wider array of taxa, analyses of seasonal mortality patterns may aid understanding of life-history evolution and selection pressures acting across a broad spectrum of environments and spatial and temporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan F Gogarten
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA.
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MIHLBACHLER MATTHEWC. Palaeodemographics of small-bodied mammals in Pleistocene environments: a case study of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus: Rodentia: Muridae) from north Florida. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01849.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Zieritz A, Aldridge DC. Sexual, habitat-constrained and parasite-induced dimorphism in the shell of a freshwater mussel (Anodonta anatina, Unionidae). J Morphol 2011; 272:1365-75. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2010] [Revised: 04/18/2011] [Accepted: 04/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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McGee EM, Turnbull WD. A Paleopopulation of Coryphodon lobatus (Mammalia: Pantodonta) from Deardorff Hill Coryphodon Quarry, Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.3158/0096-2651-52.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M. McGee
- Department of Biological Sciences, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA 95192-0100, U.S.A
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PRICE GILBERTJ. Taxonomy and palaeobiology of the largest-ever marsupial, Diprotodon Owen, 1838 (Diprotodontidae, Marsupialia). Zool J Linn Soc 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00387.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Mihlbachler MC. Species Taxonomy, Phylogeny, and Biogeography of the Brontotheriidae (Mammalia: Perissodactyla). BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2008. [DOI: 10.1206/0003-0090(2008)501[1:stpabo]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Mihlbachler MC. Sexual Dimorphism and Mortality Bias in a Small Miocene North American Rhino, Menoceras arikarense: Insights into the Coevolution of Sexual Dimorphism and Sociality in Rhinos. J MAMM EVOL 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-007-9048-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Bowyer RT. SEXUAL SEGREGATION IN RUMINANTS: DEFINITIONS, HYPOTHESES, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT. J Mammal 2004. [DOI: 10.1644/bbl-002.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Adam D. Fittest finger first. Nature 2001. [DOI: 10.1038/news010125-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Whitfield J. Disasters reveal social secrets of the dead. Nature 2001. [DOI: 10.1038/news010125-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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