Dental microwear

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Dental microwear analysis is a method to infer diet and behaviour in extinct animals, especially in fossil specimens. [1] Typically, the patterns of pits and scratches on the occlusal or buccal surface of the enamel are compared with patterns observed in extant species to infer ecological information. [2] [3] Hard foods in particular can lead to distinctive patterns (although see below). Microwear can also be used for inferring behavior, especially those related to the non-masticatory use of teeth as 'tools'. Other uses include investigating weaning in past populations. [4] Methods used to collect data initially involved a microscope and manually collecting information on individual microwear features, but software to automatically collect data have improved markedly in recent years. [5]

This method has been used on a variety of taxa, including:

Potential issues and on-going debates

References

  1. Hernando, Raquel; Fernández-Marchena, Juan Luis; Willman, John C.; Ollé, Andreu; Vergès, Josep Maria; Lozano, Marina (20 December 2020). "Exploring the utility of optical microscopy versus scanning electron microscopy for the quantification of dental microwear" . Quaternary International . 569–570: 5–14. Bibcode:2020QuInt.569....5H. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.05.022. ISSN   1040-6182. S2CID   219761015 . Retrieved 28 December 2024 via Elsevier Science Direct.
  2. Winkler, Daniela E.; Schulz-Kornas, Ellen; Kaiser, Thomas M.; Tütken, Thomas (2019-05-29). "Dental microwear texture reflects dietary tendencies in extant Lepidosauria despite their limited use of oral food processing". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences . 286 (1903): 20190544. doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.0544. PMC   6545078 . PMID   31113323.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  3. 1 2 Rivals, Florent; Julien, Marie-Anne; Kuitems, Margot; Van Kolfschoten, Thijs; Serangeli, Jordi; Drucker, Dorothée G.; Bocherens, Hervé; Conard, Nicholas J. (December 2015). "Investigation of equid paleodiet from Schöningen 13 II-4 through dental wear and isotopic analyses: Archaeological implications" . Journal of Human Evolution . 89: 129–137. Bibcode:2015JHumE..89..129R. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.04.002. PMID   25242064 . Retrieved 24 March 2024 via Elsevier Science Direct.
  4. Scott, Rachel M.; Halcrow, Siân E. (2017-02-01). "Investigating weaning using dental microwear analysis: A review". Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports . 11: 1–11. Bibcode:2017JArSR..11....1S. doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.11.026 . ISSN   2352-409X.
  5. Strani, Flavia; Profico, Antonio; Manzi, Giorgio; Pushkina, Diana; Raia, Pasquale; Sardella, Raffaele; DeMiguel, Daniel (2018). "MicroWeaR: A new R package for dental microwear analysis". Ecology and Evolution . 8 (14): 7022–7030. Bibcode:2018EcoEv...8.7022S. doi:10.1002/ece3.4222. ISSN   2045-7758. PMC   6065344 . PMID   30073064.
  6. Scott, Robert S.; Ungar, Peter Stuart; Bergstrom, Torbjorn S.; Brown, Christopher A.; Grine, Frederick E.; Teaford, Mark F.; Walker, Alan (August 2005). "Dental microwear texture analysis shows within-species diet variability in fossil hominins" . Nature . 436 (7051): 693–695. Bibcode:2005Natur.436..693S. doi:10.1038/nature03822. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   16079844. S2CID   4431062.
  7. Louys, Julien; Zaim, Yahdi; Rizal, Yan; Aswan; Puspaningrum, Mika; Trihascaryo, Agus; Price, Gilbert J.; Petherick, Ansley; Scholtz, Elinor; DeSantis, Larisa R. G. (8 September 2020). "Sumatran orangutan diets in the Late Pleistocene as inferred from dental microwear texture analysis". Quaternary International . 603: 74–81. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.08.040. hdl: 10072/399186 . ISSN   1040-6182 . Retrieved 4 August 2025 via Elsevier Science Direct.
  8. Fehringer, Leah K.; Beck, Catherine C.; Leakey, Louise N.; Princehouse, Patricia; Rowan, John; Russo, Gabrielle A.; Teaford, Mark F.; Uno, Kevin T.; Ungar, Peter Stuart (April 2025). "Dental microwear of Neogene cercopithecoids from the Turkana Basin, Kenya". Journal of Human Evolution . 201 103646. Bibcode:2025JHumE.20103646F. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103646 . PMID   39965434.
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  10. Ungar, Peter Stuart (October 1996). "Dental microwear of European Miocene catarrhines: evidence for diets and tooth use" . Journal of Human Evolution . 31 (4): 335–366. Bibcode:1996JHumE..31..335U. doi:10.1006/jhev.1996.0065 . Retrieved 10 July 2025 via Elsevier Science Direct.
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  12. Goillot, Cyrielle; Blondel, Cécile; Peigné, Stéphane (1 January 2009). "Relationships between dental microwear and diet in Carnivora (Mammalia) — Implications for the reconstruction of the diet of extinct taxa" . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . 271 (1–2): 13–23. Bibcode:2009PPP...271...13G. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2008.09.004 . Retrieved 6 April 2025 via Elsevier Science Direct.
  13. Prassack, Kari A.; DuBois, Josephine; Lázničková-Galetová, Martina; Germonpré, Mietje; Ungar, Peter Stuart (March 2020). "Dental microwear as a behavioral proxy for distinguishing between canids at the Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian) site of Předmostí, Czech Republic" . Journal of Archaeological Science . 115 105092. Bibcode:2020JArSc.115j5092P. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2020.105092 . Retrieved 25 February 2025 via Elsevier Science Direct.
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