Fluvial transport potential of shed and root-bearing dinosaur teeth from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation
Shed dinosaur teeth are commonly collected microvertebrate remains that have been used for interpretations of dinosaur feeding behaviors, paleoecology, and population studies. However, such interpretations may be biased by taphonomic processes such as fluvial sorting influenced by tooth shape: shed...
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PeerJ Inc.
2014-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/347.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797423853483327488 |
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| author | Joseph E. Peterson Jason J. Coenen Christopher R. Noto |
| author_facet | Joseph E. Peterson Jason J. Coenen Christopher R. Noto |
| author_sort | Joseph E. Peterson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Shed dinosaur teeth are commonly collected microvertebrate remains that have been used for interpretations of dinosaur feeding behaviors, paleoecology, and population studies. However, such interpretations may be biased by taphonomic processes such as fluvial sorting influenced by tooth shape: shed teeth, removed from the skull during life, and teeth possessing roots, removed from the skull after death. As such, teeth may behave differently in fluvial systems due to their differences in shape. In order to determine the influence of fluvial processes on the preservation and distribution of shed and root-bearing dinosaur teeth, the hydrodynamic behaviors of high-density urethane resin casts of shed and root-bearing Allosaurus and Camarasaurus teeth were experimentally tested for relative transport distances at increasing flow velocities in an artificial fluviatile environment. Results show that tooth cast specimens exhibited comparable patterns of transport at lower velocities, though the shed Camarasaurus teeth transported considerably farther in medium to higher flow velocities. Two-Way ANOVA tests indicate significant differences in the mean transport distances of tooth casts oriented perpendicular to flow (p < 0.05) with varying tooth morphologies and flow velocities. The differences exhibited in the transportability of shed and root-bearing teeth has important implications for taphonomic reconstructions, as well as future studies on dinosaur population dynamics, paleoecology, and feeding behaviors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:53:46Z |
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| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:53:46Z |
| publishDate | 2014-04-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-9c8d16017c27418999c8e064a55fcf6c2023-12-03T01:24:20ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592014-04-012e34710.7717/peerj.347347Fluvial transport potential of shed and root-bearing dinosaur teeth from the late Jurassic Morrison FormationJoseph E. Peterson0Jason J. Coenen1Christopher R. Noto2Department of Geology, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI, United StatesDepartment of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, United StatesDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI, United StatesShed dinosaur teeth are commonly collected microvertebrate remains that have been used for interpretations of dinosaur feeding behaviors, paleoecology, and population studies. However, such interpretations may be biased by taphonomic processes such as fluvial sorting influenced by tooth shape: shed teeth, removed from the skull during life, and teeth possessing roots, removed from the skull after death. As such, teeth may behave differently in fluvial systems due to their differences in shape. In order to determine the influence of fluvial processes on the preservation and distribution of shed and root-bearing dinosaur teeth, the hydrodynamic behaviors of high-density urethane resin casts of shed and root-bearing Allosaurus and Camarasaurus teeth were experimentally tested for relative transport distances at increasing flow velocities in an artificial fluviatile environment. Results show that tooth cast specimens exhibited comparable patterns of transport at lower velocities, though the shed Camarasaurus teeth transported considerably farther in medium to higher flow velocities. Two-Way ANOVA tests indicate significant differences in the mean transport distances of tooth casts oriented perpendicular to flow (p < 0.05) with varying tooth morphologies and flow velocities. The differences exhibited in the transportability of shed and root-bearing teeth has important implications for taphonomic reconstructions, as well as future studies on dinosaur population dynamics, paleoecology, and feeding behaviors.https://peerj.com/articles/347.pdfTaphonomyDinosaurTeethFluvial transport |
| spellingShingle | Joseph E. Peterson Jason J. Coenen Christopher R. Noto Fluvial transport potential of shed and root-bearing dinosaur teeth from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation PeerJ Taphonomy Dinosaur Teeth Fluvial transport |
| title | Fluvial transport potential of shed and root-bearing dinosaur teeth from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation |
| title_full | Fluvial transport potential of shed and root-bearing dinosaur teeth from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation |
| title_fullStr | Fluvial transport potential of shed and root-bearing dinosaur teeth from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fluvial transport potential of shed and root-bearing dinosaur teeth from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation |
| title_short | Fluvial transport potential of shed and root-bearing dinosaur teeth from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation |
| title_sort | fluvial transport potential of shed and root bearing dinosaur teeth from the late jurassic morrison formation |
| topic | Taphonomy Dinosaur Teeth Fluvial transport |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/347.pdf |
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