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Nava A, Lugli F, Lemmers S, Cerrito P, Mahoney P, Bondioli L, Müller W. Reading children's teeth to reconstruct life history and the evolution of human cooperation and cognition: The role of dental enamel microstructure and chemistry. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 163:105745. [PMID: 38825260 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Studying infants in the past is crucial for understanding the evolution of human life history and the evolution of cooperation, cognition, and communication. An infant's growth, health, and mortality can provide information about the dynamics and structure of a population, their cultural practices, and the adaptive capacity of a community. Skeletal remains provide one way of accessing this information for humans recovered prior to the historical periods. Teeth in particular, are retrospective archives of information that can be accessed through morphological, micromorphological, and biogeochemical methods. This review discusses how the microanatomy and formation of teeth, and particularly enamel, serve as archives of somatic growth, stress, and the environment. Examining their role in the broader context of human evolution, we discuss dental biogeochemistry and emphasize how the incremental growth of tooth microstructure facilitates the reconstruction of temporal data related to health, diet, mobility, and stress in past societies. The review concludes by considering tooth microstructure as a biomarker and the potential clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Nava
- Department of Odontostomatological and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, via Caserta 6, Rome 00161, Italy.
| | - Federico Lugli
- Institut of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Isotope and Element Research Center (FIERCE), Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Department of Chemical and Geological Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Giuseppe Campi, 103, Modena 41125, Italy
| | - Simone Lemmers
- Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., AREA Science Park, s.s. 14 km 163,500, Basovizza, Trieste, Italy; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paola Cerrito
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Mahoney
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Giles Ln, Giles Ln, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, UK
| | - Luca Bondioli
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Padua, Piazza Capitaniato, 7, Padua 35139, Italy
| | - Wolfgang Müller
- Institut of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Isotope and Element Research Center (FIERCE), Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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2
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Clark CT, Yang P, Halden N, Ferguson SH, Matthews CJD. Patterns of trace element deposition in beluga whale teeth reflect early life history. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 340:139938. [PMID: 37634591 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Determination of trace element concentrations in continuously growing biological structures such as otoliths, whiskers, and teeth can provide important insight into physiological and ontogenetic processes. We examined concentrations of 11 trace elements (Li, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Cs, Ba, Pb) in the annual dentine growth layer groups (GLGs) of teeth of 66 Eastern Canadian Arctic belugas (Delphinapterus leucas). Several of these trace elements displayed clear and consistent patterns in early life, though few longer term trends or signals were present in trace element data for either females or males. Large changes in Sr and Ba concentrations in fetal dentine reflected in utero shifts in element deposition in the teeth of developing belugas. Marked changes in these elements during the first years after birth were likely associated with the onset of nursing and subsequent weaning. Mg, Mn, and Zn also displayed clear and consistent patterns in early life that correlated strongly with dentine stable nitrogen isotope (δ15N) data, suggesting these elements merit further study as potential tools for studying nursing and weaning. Depositional patterns of Zn and Pb, which have been linked to sexual maturation in female Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), were inconsistent in beluga teeth. Some individuals (including males) displayed patterns strongly resembling those observed in female walruses, whereas many animals did not, perhaps because they had not yet reached sexual maturity. The lack of clear patterns in trace element deposition after the first few years of life may have resulted from pooling samples from multiple populations/regions collected across more than two decades, but may also indicate that elemental concentrations are primarily driven by other, extrinsic processes later in life, and might be useful as biomonitors of environmental element concentrations or tools for delineating population structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey T Clark
- Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Olympia, WA, USA.
| | - Panseok Yang
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB, R3T 2N6, Canada
| | - Norm Halden
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB, R3T 2N6, Canada
| | - Steven H Ferguson
- Arctic Aquatic Research Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Cory J D Matthews
- Arctic Aquatic Research Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Smith TM, Arora M, Bharatiya M, Dirks W, Austin C. Brief Communication: Elemental Models of Primate Nursing and Weaning Revisited. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 180:216-223. [PMID: 37406034 PMCID: PMC10099337 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Objectives Intra-tooth patterns of trace elements barium (Ba) and strontium (Sr) have been used to infer human and nonhuman primate nursing histories, including australopithecine and Neanderthal juveniles. Here we contrast the two elemental models in first molars (M1s) of four wild baboons and explore the assumptions that underlie each. Materials and Methods Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was employed to create comprehensive calcium-normalized barium and strontium (Ba/Ca, Sr/Ca) maps of M1 enamel and dentine at 35 micron resolution. Results Postnatal Ba/Ca values were typically high, peaking ~0.5 years of age and then decreasing throughout M1 crown formation; all four individuals showed minimal Ba/Ca values between ~1.2-1.8 years, consistent with field reports of the cessation of suckling. Enamel Sr/Ca did not support patterns of previous LA-ICP-MS spot sampling as the enamel rarely showed discrete Sr/Ca secretory zonation. Increases in Sr/Ca appeared in coronal dentine beginning ~0.3 years, with varied peak value ages (~0.7-2.7 years) and no evidence of a predicted postweaning decline. Discussion Inferences of baboon weaning ages from initial Ba/Ca minima are more congruent with behavioral observations than Sr/Ca maxima; this is consistent with studies of captive macaques of known weaning ages. Elemental variation is more apparent in the coronal dentine than the enamel of these baboons, which may relate to its more rapid mineralization and protection from the oral environment. Inferences of nursing histories from enamel Sr/Ca patterns alone should be reconsidered, and elevated values of Ba/Ca and Sr/Ca in teeth formed after weaning require further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M. Smith
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural ResearchGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
- Australian Research Centre for Human EvolutionGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
| | - Manish Arora
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public HealthIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Maya Bharatiya
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural ResearchGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
- Australian Research Centre for Human EvolutionGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
| | - Wendy Dirks
- Department of AnthropologyDurham UniversityDurhamUK
| | - Christine Austin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public HealthIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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4
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Lemmers SAM, Dirks W, Street SE, Ngoubangoye B, Herbert A, Setchell JM. Dental microstructure records life history events: A histological study of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) from Gabon. J Hum Evol 2021; 158:103046. [PMID: 34332420 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Accentuated lines in dental microstructure are hypothesized to correlate with potentially stressful life history events, but our understanding of when, how and why such accentuated lines form in relation to stressful events is limited. We examined accentuated line formation and life history events in the teeth of three naturally deceased mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx, Cercopithecidae), for whom we had detailed life history information. We determined the ages at formation of accentuated lines in histological tooth sections and used dates of birth and death to calibrate dental histology to calendar time and individual age. We found accentuated lines that matched their mother's resumption of sexual cycles in two individuals, and possibly in the third individual. The subjects also formed lines when their mothers were mate-guarded by males or wounded. Accentuated lines matched the birth of the next sibling in one of two cases. Both females formed accentuated lines when they experienced their own sexual swelling cycles, but lines did not match all sexual swelling cycles. Mate-guarding matched an accentuated line in one case, but not in another. Lines matched all three parturitions in the two females. Changes in alpha male and captures did not consistently coincide with accentuated line formation, but repeated captures were associated with lines. Using simulated data, we show that the observed number of matches between lines and events would be very unlikely under a null hypothesis of random line formation. Our results support the hypothesis that some life history events are physiologically stressful enough to cause accentuated line formation in teeth. They contribute to our understanding of how primate life histories are recorded during dental development and enhance our ability to use teeth to reconstruct life history in the absence of direct observation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone A M Lemmers
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK; Science and Technology in Archaeology Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Wendy Dirks
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Sally E Street
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Barthélemy Ngoubangoye
- Centre de Primatologie, Centre Internationale de Recherches Médicales, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Anaïs Herbert
- Centre de Primatologie, Centre Internationale de Recherches Médicales, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Joanna M Setchell
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
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Smith TM, Cook L, Dirks W, Green DR, Austin C. Teeth reveal juvenile diet, health and neurotoxicant exposure retrospectively: What biological rhythms and chemical records tell us. Bioessays 2021; 43:e2000298. [PMID: 33721363 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Integrated developmental and elemental information in teeth provide a unique framework for documenting breastfeeding histories, physiological disruptions, and neurotoxicant exposure in humans and our primate relatives, including ancient hominins. Here we detail our method for detecting the consumption of mothers' milk and exploring health history through the use of laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) mapping of sectioned nonhuman primate teeth. Calcium-normalized barium and lead concentrations in tooth enamel and dentine may reflect milk and formula consumption with minimal modification during subsequent tooth mineralization, particularly in dentine. However, skeletal resorption during severe illness, and bioavailable metals in nonmilk foods, can complicate interpretations of nursing behavior. We show that explorations of the patterning of multiple elements may aid in the distinction of these important etiologies. Targeted studies of skeletal chemistry, gastrointestinal maturation, and the dietary bioavailability of metals are needed to optimize these unique records of human health and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M Smith
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia.,Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Luisa Cook
- School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Wendy Dirks
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, Durham, UK
| | - Daniel R Green
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christine Austin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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6
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Clark CT, Horstmann L, Misarti N. Evaluating tooth strontium and barium as indicators of weaning age in Pacific walruses. Methods Ecol Evol 2020; 11:1626-1638. [PMID: 33381293 PMCID: PMC7756818 DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Lactation length and weaning age provide important information about maternal investment, which can reflect the health and nutritional status of the mother, as well as broader reproductive strategies in mammals. Calcium-normalized strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba) concentrations in the growth layers of mammalian teeth differ for nursing animals and those consuming non-milk foods, thus can be used to estimate age-at-weaning. To date, this approach has been used only for terrestrial animals, and almost exclusively for primates.The goal of this study was to determine whether Sr and Ba concentrations in the cementum of Pacific walrus Odobenus rosmarus divergens teeth can be used to estimate weaning age. Teeth from 107 walruses were analysed using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and calcium-normalized 88Sr and 137Ba concentrations were quantified.For most walruses, both Sr and Ba concentrations exhibited rapid changes in early life. Ba concentrations matched closely with expected patterns in the published literature, rapidly declining from high to low concentrations (typically from ~10 ppm to ~5 ppm). In contrast, Sr exhibited a pattern opposite to that presented in studies of terrestrial mammals, appearing nearly identical to Ba (typically declining from ~400 ppm to ~200 ppm). To explain these findings, we present conceptual models of the factors generating weaning signals in Sr and Ba for terrestrial mammals, as well as a new, hypothetical model for walruses. Both a visual and mathematical approach to weaning age estimation indicated a median weaning age of walruses at the end of the second year of life (in the second dark layer of the tooth cementum), with many walruses estimated to have weaned in their third year of life, and a smaller group weaning in their fourth or fifth year. This is later than expected, given a published estimate of walrus weaning at 18-24 months.These results do not conclusively support the use of tooth Sr and Ba for estimating weaning age in walruses, and further research is warranted to better understand the drivers of the observed patterns of Ba and Sr accumulation in walrus teeth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey T. Clark
- Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and OceanUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWAUSA
- Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem StudiesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWAUSA
| | - Lara Horstmann
- College of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAKUSA
| | - Nicole Misarti
- Water and Environmental Research CenterUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAKUSA
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7
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Abstract
The early onset of weaning in modern humans has been linked to the high nutritional demand of brain development that is intimately connected with infant physiology and growth rate. In Neanderthals, ontogenetic patterns in early life are still debated, with some studies suggesting an accelerated development and others indicating only subtle differences vs. modern humans. Here we report the onset of weaning and rates of enamel growth using an unprecedented sample set of three late (∼70 to 50 ka) Neanderthals and one Upper Paleolithic modern human from northeastern Italy via spatially resolved chemical/isotopic analyses and histomorphometry of deciduous teeth. Our results reveal that the modern human nursing strategy, with onset of weaning at 5 to 6 mo, was present among these Neanderthals. This evidence, combined with dental development akin to modern humans, highlights their similar metabolic constraints during early life and excludes late weaning as a factor contributing to Neanderthals' demise.
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8
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Dean MC, Le Cabec A, Van Malderen SJ, Garrevoet J. Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging of strontium incorporated into the enamel and dentine of wild-shot orangutan canine teeth. Arch Oral Biol 2020; 119:104879. [DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2020.104879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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9
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Dean MC, Spiers KM, Garrevoet J, Le Cabec A. Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence mapping of Ca, Sr and Zn at the neonatal line in human deciduous teeth reflects changing perinatal physiology. Arch Oral Biol 2019; 104:90-102. [PMID: 31176148 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2019.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Our first objective was to review the evidence describing the appearance and microstructure of the neonatal line in human deciduous teeth and to link this with known changes in neonatal physiology occurring at and around birth. A second objective was to explore ways to improve identification of the neonatal line by mapping the pre- and postnatal distribution of Ca, Sr and Zn in deciduous cuspal enamel and superimposing these maps onto transmitted light micrographs that included a clear true section of the neonatal line. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used synchrotron X-ray fluorescence to map elemental distributions in pre- and postnatal enamel and dentine. Two deciduous canines and 5 deciduous molars were scanned with an X-ray beam monochromatised to 17.0 keV at either 10.0, 2.5 or 1.0 μm resolution and 10 ms integration time. RESULTS Calcium maps distinguished enamel and dentine but did not clearly demarcate tissues formed pre- or postnatally. Strontium maps reflected presumed pre- and postnatal maternal serum levels and what are likely to be diet-dependent regions of Sr enrichment or depletion. Prenatal Zn maps, particularly for dentine, mirror elevated levels in the fetus and in colostrum during the first few days of life. CONCLUSIONS The neonatal line, enamel dentine junction and surface enamel were all Zn-rich. Within the neonatal line Zn may be associated with increased crystallinity but also with caries resistance, both of which have been reported previously. Elemental mapping may improve the identification of ambiguous NNLs and so be useful in forensic and archaeological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Christopher Dean
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Department of Earth Sciences, Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
| | - Kathryn M Spiers
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Garrevoet
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Adeline Le Cabec
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
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10
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Determination of the Sr/Ca ratio of tooth samples by photoactivation analysis in Southern Turkey. RADIOCHIM ACTA 2018. [DOI: 10.1515/ract-2017-2918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
A nuclear analytical technique, namely instrumental photon activation analysis (IPAA), was used to determine Sr and Ca concentrations in human teeth. This work was conducted using the first accelerator facility, an off-shelf clinical linear accelerator (cLINAC), in Turkey. The tooth samples supplied by the Akdeniz University Faculty of Dentistry were analyzed for determination of the Sr/Ca element ratio. The results were obtained to demonstrate the impact of socioeconomic changes on dietary habits. A calibration material (CM; a mixture of calcium and strontium oxides) was required for quantification of the analytical results. The tooth samples, together with the CM, were exposed to 18 MeV end-point energy bremsstrahlung photons from the cLINAC. Thereafter, the γ-ray spectra of the samples and the CM were obtained using high resolution γ spectroscopy. Variations in the Sr/Ca ratio in the teeth of patients fed with beef and fizzy beverages were investigated in this study.
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11
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Assessing human weaning practices with calcium isotopes in tooth enamel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:6268-6273. [PMID: 28559355 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1704412114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Weaning practices differ among great apes and likely diverged during the course of human evolution, but behavioral inference from the fossil record is hampered by a lack of unambiguous biomarkers. Here, we show that early-life dietary transitions are recorded in human deciduous tooth enamel as marked variations in Ca isotope ratios (δ44/42Ca). Using a sequential microsampling method along the enamel growth axis, we collected more than 150 enamel microsamples from 51 deciduous teeth of 12 different modern human individuals of known dietary histories, as well as nine enamel samples from permanent third molars. We measured and reconstructed the evolution of 44Ca/42Ca ratios in enamel from in utero development to first months of postnatal development. We show that the observed variations of δ44/42Ca record a transition from placental nutrition to an adult-like diet and that Ca isotopes reflect the duration of the breastfeeding period experienced by each infant. Typically, the δ44/42Ca values of individuals briefly or not breastfed show a systematic increase during the first 5-10 mo, whereas individuals with long breastfeeding histories display no measurable variation in δ44/42Ca of enamel formed during this time. The use of Ca isotope analysis in tooth enamel allows microsampling and offers an independent approach to tackle challenging questions related to past population dynamics and evolution of weaning practices in hominins.
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12
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Guede I, Zuluaga MC, Ortega LA, Alonso-Olazabal A, Murelaga X, Pina M, Gutierrez FJ. Analyses of human dentine and tooth enamel by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to study the diet of medieval Muslim individuals from Tauste (Spain). Microchem J 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2016.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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13
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Bădescu I, Katzenberg MA, Watts DP, Sellen DW. A novel fecal stable isotope approach to determine the timing of age-related feeding transitions in wild infant chimpanzees. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 162:285-299. [PMID: 27768227 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Determining nutritional development in wild primates is difficult through observations because confirming dietary intake is challenging. Physiological measures are needed to determine the relative contributions of maternal milk and other foods at different ages, and time of weaning. We used fecal stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ13 C, δ15 N) and fecal nitrogen concentrations (%N) from wild chimpanzees at Ngogo, Uganda, to derive physiological dietary indicators during the transition from total reliance on maternal milk to adult foods after weaning. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed 560 fecal samples collected non-invasively from 48 infants, their mothers, and 6 juvenile siblings. Most infant and juvenile samples (90%) were matched to samples collected from mothers on the same day. Isotopic assessments were compared with observations of nursing and feeding. RESULTS Infants ≤1 year old showed average δ15 N, δ13 C and %N ratios that were 2.0‰, 0.8‰ and 1.3% greater than their mothers, respectively, interpreted as trophic level effects. Although data collected on newborns were few, results suggest that solid foods were consumed within 2-5 months after birth. Trophic level differences decreased steadily after 1 year, which indicates a decreasing relative contribution of milk to the diet. Isotopic results indicated infants were weaned by 4.5 years old-more than a year earlier than observations of nipple contacts ceased, which revealed the occurrence of "comfort nursing." Juvenile isotopic signatures indicate no nursing overlap between siblings. DISCUSSION Our results resemble the stable isotope differences of human babies. This study contributes to a model of chimpanzee nutritional development required to understand early life history patterns in hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iulia Bădescu
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2S2
| | - M Anne Katzenberg
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - David P Watts
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 0511
| | - Daniel W Sellen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2S2
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14
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The exposome concept proposes a comprehensive assessment of environmental exposures from the prenatal period onwards. However, determining exposure timing, especially over the prenatal period, is a major challenge in environmental epidemiologic studies. RECENT FINDINGS For decades, teeth have been used to estimate long-term cumulative exposure to metals. Recently developed high-dimensional analytical methods, which combine sophisticated histological and chemical analysis to precisely sample tooth layers that correspond to specific life stages, have the potential to reconstruct the exposome in the second and third trimesters of prenatal development and during early childhood. SUMMARY A retrospective temporal exposomic approach that precisely measures exposure intensity 'and timing' during prenatal and early childhood development would substantially aid epidemiologic investigations, particularly case-control studies of rare health outcomes.
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15
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Tsutaya T, Yoneda M. Reconstruction of breastfeeding and weaning practices using stable isotope and trace element analyses: A review. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 156 Suppl 59:2-21. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Tsutaya
- Department of Integrated Biosciences; Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo; Kashiwanoha 5-1-5 Kashiwa Chiba 277-8562 Japan
| | - Minoru Yoneda
- Department of Integrated Biosciences; Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo; Kashiwanoha 5-1-5 Kashiwa Chiba 277-8562 Japan
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo; Hongo 7-3-1 Bunkyo Tokyo 113-0033 Japan
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16
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Humphrey LT. Isotopic and trace element evidence of dietary transitions in early life. Ann Hum Biol 2014; 41:348-57. [DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2014.923939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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17
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Borries C, Lu A, Ossi-Lupo K, Larney E, Koenig A. The meaning of weaning in wild Phayre's leaf monkeys: Last nipple contact, survival, and independence. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 154:291-301. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 03/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carola Borries
- Department of Anthropology; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook NY
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook NY
| | - Amy Lu
- Department of Anthropology; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Urbana IL
| | - Kerry Ossi-Lupo
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook NY
| | - Eileen Larney
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook NY
| | - Andreas Koenig
- Department of Anthropology; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook NY
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook NY
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18
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M. Smith
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138;
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Austin C, Smith TM, Bradman A, Hinde K, Joannes-Boyau R, Bishop D, Hare DJ, Doble P, Eskenazi B, Arora M. Barium distributions in teeth reveal early-life dietary transitions in primates. Nature 2013; 498:216-9. [PMID: 23698370 PMCID: PMC3725337 DOI: 10.1038/nature12169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Early-life dietary transitions reflect fundamental aspects of primate evolution and are important determinants of health in contemporary human populations. Weaning is critical to developmental and reproductive rates; early weaning can have detrimental health effects but enables shorter inter-birth intervals, which influences population growth. Uncovering early-life dietary history in fossils is hampered by the absence of prospectively validated biomarkers that are not modified during fossilization. Here we show that large dietary shifts in early life manifest as compositional variations in dental tissues. Teeth from human children and captive macaques, with prospectively recorded diet histories, demonstrate that barium (Ba) distributions accurately reflect dietary transitions from the introduction of mother's milk through the weaning process. We also document dietary transitions in a Middle Palaeolithic juvenile Neanderthal, which shows a pattern of exclusive breastfeeding for seven months, followed by seven months of supplementation. After this point, Ba levels in enamel returned to baseline prenatal levels, indicating an abrupt cessation of breastfeeding at 1.2 years of age. Integration of Ba spatial distributions and histological mapping of tooth formation enables novel studies of the evolution of human life history, dietary ontogeny in wild primates, and human health investigations through accurate reconstructions of breastfeeding history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Austin
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
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Vašinová Galiová M, Nývltová Fišáková M, Kynický J, Prokeš L, Neff H, Mason A, Gadas P, Košler J, Kanický V. Elemental mapping in fossil tooth root section of Ursus arctos by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Talanta 2013; 105:235-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2012.12.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2012] [Revised: 12/10/2012] [Accepted: 12/13/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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21
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Schwartz GT. Growth, Development, and Life History throughout the Evolution of Homo. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1086/667591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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22
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Peek S, Clementz MT. Ontogenetic variations in Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of dental bioapatites from Bos taurus and Odocoileus virginianus. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2012; 26:248-54. [PMID: 22677541 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2012.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2012] [Revised: 02/27/2012] [Accepted: 04/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of bone are commonly used as biochemical indicators of trophic level in modern and fossil mammals. Concerns over the effects of diagenesis on Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of bone led archaeologists and paleontologists to favor tooth enamel, which is less prone to alteration. Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of bone, enamel, and dentin from three farm-raised steers (Bos taurus) and five wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from central Missouri were compared. Our results show that changes in diet, discrimination, and growth rate during ontogeny can lead to significant differences in Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of different bioapatite types as well as significant differences within the same bioapatite forming at different times. Early- and late-forming tooth enamel can have significant differences in Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios equivalent to almost one full trophic step. Although differences between early- and late-forming dentin are typically not significant, dentin Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios are significantly greater than enamel values. This difference in Sr/Ca or Ba/Ca ratios between enamel and dentin from the same tooth can be greater than one full trophic step. These results have profound implications for the use of dental bioapatites in trophic level reconstructions. They highlight the importance of consistency in bioapatite selection, tooth selection, and relative location of sampling within the enamel cap. Furthermore, this expected difference in Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios could be used as another means of checking for diagenetic alteration in ancient samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Peek
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Department #3006, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
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23
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Catlett KK, Schwartz GT, Godfrey LR, Jungers WL. "Life history space": a multivariate analysis of life history variation in extant and extinct Malagasy lemurs. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2010; 142:391-404. [PMID: 20091842 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Studies of primate life history variation are constrained by the fact that all large-bodied extant primates are haplorhines. However, large-bodied strepsirrhines recently existed. If we can extract life history information from their skeletons, these species can contribute to our understanding of primate life history variation. This is particularly important in light of new critiques of the classic "fast-slow continuum" as a descriptor of variation in life history profiles across mammals in general. We use established dental histological methods to estimate gestation length and age at weaning for five extinct lemur species. On the basis of these estimates, we reconstruct minimum interbirth intervals and maximum reproductive rates. We utilize principal components analysis to create a multivariate "life history space" that captures the relationships among reproductive parameters and brain and body size in extinct and extant lemurs. Our data show that, whereas large-bodied extinct lemurs can be described as "slow" in some fashion, they also varied greatly in their life history profiles. Those with relatively large brains also weaned their offspring late and had long interbirth intervals. These were not the largest of extinct lemurs. Thus, we distinguish size-related life history variation from variation that linked more strongly to ecological factors. Because all lemur species larger than 10 kg, regardless of life history profile, succumbed to extinction after humans arrived in Madagascar, we argue that large body size increased the probability of extinction independently of reproductive rate. We also provide some evidence that, among lemurs, brain size predicts reproductive rate better than body size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kierstin K Catlett
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
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Humphrey LT. Weaning behaviour in human evolution. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2009; 21:453-61. [PMID: 19914386 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2009.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2009] [Revised: 11/04/2009] [Accepted: 11/04/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Human life history incorporates early weaning, a prolonged period of post-weaning dependency and slow somatic growth, late onset of female reproduction, reduced birth spacing and a significant post-reproductive female lifespan, combined with rapid early brain growth. Weaned human offspring lack the cognitive skills and physical capacity required to locate, procure and prepare foods that are appropriate for their immature state and sufficient for their high energy requirements. During the weaning process and throughout childhood human offspring are supported by the provision of energy dense and easily digestible foods. Changes in weaning behaviour during human evolution imply a shift in the balance between maternal costs of lactation and the risk of poor offspring outcome, and may have been driven by an increase in infant nutritional and metabolic requirements, a reduction reproductive lifespan resulting in selection for reduced birth spacing or a change in other factors affecting offspring survival and fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise T Humphrey
- Department of Paleontology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom.
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Smith TM, Tafforeau P. New visions of dental tissue research: Tooth development, chemistry, and structure. Evol Anthropol 2008. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.20176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Abstract
Recent developments in microspatial analysis of enamel chemistry provide the resolution needed to reconstruct detailed chronological records of an individual's early life history. Evidence of nutritional history, residential mobility, and exposure to heavy metals can potentially be retrieved from archaeological and even fossil teeth. Understanding the pattern and timing of incorporation of each trace element or stable isotope into enamel is crucial to the interpretation of the primary data. Here, we use laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and ArcGIS software to map variation in calcium-normalized strontium intensities across thin sections of enamel from exfoliated deciduous teeth. Differences in calcium-normalized strontium intensities across each tooth reflect variation in tooth mineralization, implying that sampling location must be taken into account in interpreting results. Chronologically consistent shifts in calcium-normalized strontium intensities in teeth from children with known nursing histories reflect the onset and duration of breastfeeding and the introduction of nonmaternal sources of food. This tool is likely to be valuable for studying weaning and nursing behavior in the past. The distribution of normalized strontium intensities presented here is consistent with a model for the differential incorporation of strontium and calcium into enamel during the secretory and maturational phases of formation.
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