Inference of Diets of Early Hominins from Primate Molar Form and Microwear

Journal of Dental Research
Peter S Ungar

Abstract

Paleontologists use fossil teeth to reconstruct the diets of early hominins and other extinct species. Some evidence is adaptive: nature selects for tooth size, shape, and structure best suited to specific food types. Other evidence includes traces left by actual foods eaten, such as microscopic tooth wear. This critical review considers how molars work, how they are used, and how occlusal topography and dental microwear can be used to infer diet and food preferences in the past, particularly for hominins of the Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Understanding that cheek teeth function as guides for chewing and tools for fracturing allows us to characterize aspects of occlusal form that reflect mechanical properties of foods to which a species is adapted. Living primates that often eat leaves, for example, have longer crests and more sloping occlusal surfaces than those that prefer hard foods. Studies of feeding ecology have shown, however, that tooth shape does not always correspond to preferred food items. It often follows mechanically challenging foods whether eaten often or rarely. Other lines of evidence that reflect actual tooth use are required to work out food preferences. Microwear textures, for example, reflect foods eat...Continue Reading

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Citations

Oct 9, 2019·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Louise F MartinMarcus Clauss
Jul 26, 2021·Journal of Human Evolution·Ian TowleCarolina Loch
Jun 15, 2021·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Daniela E WinklerThomas Tütken
Jul 10, 2021·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Case Vincent Miller, Michael Pittman

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
profiler
chips

Software Mentioned

DTA
robustus

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