Teasing apart the contributions of hard dietary items on 3D dental microtextures in primates

3D dental microtexture analysis is a powerful tool for reconstructing the diets of extinct primates. This method is based on the comparison of fossils with extant species of known diet. The diets of primates are highly diversified and include fruits, seeds, grass, tree leaves, bark, roots, tubers, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of human evolution Vol. 63; no. 1; pp. 85 - 98
Main Authors:	Calandra, Ivan, Schulz, Ellen, Pinnow, Mona, Krohn, Susanne, Kaiser, Thomas M.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2012 Elsevier Elsevier [1972-....]
Subjects:	Analysis of Variance Animals Biodiversity and Ecology Bioengineering Biological and medical sciences Dental areal surface texture analysis Dental mutilations Diet Environmental Sciences Food Fossils Function Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Haplorhini - anatomy & histology Haplorhini - physiology Imaging ISO/FDIS 25178-2 Life Sciences Mastication Molar - anatomy & histology Molar - physiology Odontometry - methods Primates Scale-sensitive fractal analysis Species Species Specificity Thermoregulation. Hibernation. Estivation. Ecophysiology and environmental effects Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems Dental areal surface texture analysis Primates Function Scale-sensitive fractal analysis Diet ISO/FDIS 25178-2 Interspecific comparison Texture Feeding Surface Vertebrata Mammalia Tooth
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Summary:	3D dental microtexture analysis is a powerful tool for reconstructing the diets of extinct primates. This method is based on the comparison of fossils with extant species of known diet. The diets of primates are highly diversified and include fruits, seeds, grass, tree leaves, bark, roots, tubers, and animal resources. Fruits remain the main component in the diets of most primates. We tested whether the proportion of fruit consumed is correlated with dental microtexture. Two methods of microtexture analysis, the scale-sensitive fractal analysis (SSFA) and the Dental Areal Surface Texture Analysis (DASTA; after ISO/FDIS 25178-2), were applied to specimens of eight primate species (Alouatta seniculus, Gorilla gorilla, Lophocebus albigena, Macaca fascicularis, Pan troglodytes, Papio cynocephalus, Pongo abelii, Theropithecus gelada). These species largely differ in the mean annual proportion of fruit (from 0 to 90%) in their diet, as well as in their consumption of other hard items (seeds, bark, and insect cuticles) and of abrasive plants. We find the complexity and heterogeneity of textures (SSFA) to correlate with the proportion of fruits consumed. Textural fill volume (SSFA) indicates the proportion of both fruits and other hard items processed. Furthermore, anisotropy (SSFA) relates to the consumption of abrasive plants like grass and other monocots. ISO parameters valley height, root mean square height, material volume, density of peaks, and closed hill and dale areas (DASTA) describe the functional interaction between food items and enamel facets during mastication. The shallow, plastic deformation of enamel surfaces induced by small hard particles, such as phytoliths or dust, results in flat microtexture relief, whereas the brittle, deep fracture caused by large hard items such as hard seeds creates larger relief.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:	0047-2484 1095-8606
DOI:	10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.05.001