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Dental microwear texture analysis shows within-species diet variability in fossil hominins

Author

Listed:
  • Robert S. Scott

    (University of Arkansas)

  • Peter S. Ungar

    (University of Arkansas)

  • Torbjorn S. Bergstrom

    (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

  • Christopher A. Brown

    (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

  • Frederick E. Grine

    (Stony Brook University)

  • Mark F. Teaford

    (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

  • Alan Walker

    (Pennsylvania State University)

Abstract

Once bitten The measurement of the marks on fossilized teeth provides palaeontologists with direct evidence of what an individual ate in the past. The conventional approach to dental ‘microwear’ treats it as a set of features arbitrarily defined by individual observers on a two-dimensional image. A new approach eliminates some of the vagaries associated with the method by treating the worn surfaces as textures and measuring them in three dimensions. Use of this technique on a series of South African australopithecines suggests that the ‘gracile’ Australopithecus africanus ate more tough foods than Paranthropus robustus, and that Paranthropus ate more hard, brittle items as part of more varied diet.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert S. Scott & Peter S. Ungar & Torbjorn S. Bergstrom & Christopher A. Brown & Frederick E. Grine & Mark F. Teaford & Alan Walker, 2005. "Dental microwear texture analysis shows within-species diet variability in fossil hominins," Nature, Nature, vol. 436(7051), pages 693-695, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:436:y:2005:i:7051:d:10.1038_nature03822
    DOI: 10.1038/nature03822
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    Cited by:

    1. Naomi L Martisius & Isabelle Sidéra & Mark N Grote & Teresa E Steele & Shannon P McPherron & Ellen Schulz-Kornas, 2018. "Time wears on: Assessing how bone wears using 3D surface texture analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(11), pages 1-32, November.
    2. Stefano Benazzi & Huynh Nhu Nguyen & Ottmar Kullmer & Jean-Jacques Hublin, 2013. "Unravelling the Functional Biomechanics of Dental Features and Tooth Wear," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(7), pages 1-1, July.
    3. David Normando & Jorge Faber & João Farias Guerreiro & Cátia Cardoso Abdo Quintão, 2011. "Dental Occlusion in a Split Amazon Indigenous Population: Genetics Prevails over Environment," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(12), pages 1-6, December.
    4. Eisuke Yamada & Mugino O Kubo & Tai Kubo & Naoki Kohno, 2018. "Three-dimensional tooth surface texture analysis on stall-fed and wild boars (Sus scrofa)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-16, October.

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