Testing Dietary Hypotheses of East African Hominines Using Buccal Dental Microwear Data.
There is much debate on the dietary adaptations of the robust hominin lineages during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition. It has been argued that the shift from C3 to C4 ecosystems in Africa was the main factor responsible for the robust dental and facial anatomical adaptations of Paranthropus taxa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2016-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5112956?pdf=render |
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| author | Laura Mónica Martínez Ferran Estebaranz-Sánchez Jordi Galbany Alejandro Pérez-Pérez |
| author_facet | Laura Mónica Martínez Ferran Estebaranz-Sánchez Jordi Galbany Alejandro Pérez-Pérez |
| author_sort | Laura Mónica Martínez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is much debate on the dietary adaptations of the robust hominin lineages during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition. It has been argued that the shift from C3 to C4 ecosystems in Africa was the main factor responsible for the robust dental and facial anatomical adaptations of Paranthropus taxa, which might be indicative of the consumption of fibrous, abrasive plant foods in open environments. However, occlusal dental microwear data fail to provide evidence of such dietary adaptations and are not consistent with isotopic evidence that supports greater C4 food intake for the robust clades than for the gracile australopithecines. We provide evidence from buccal dental microwear data that supports softer dietary habits than expected for P. aethiopicus and P. boisei based both on masticatory apomorphies and isotopic analyses. On one hand, striation densities on the buccal enamel surfaces of paranthropines teeth are low, resembling those of H. habilis and clearly differing from those observed on H. ergaster, which display higher scratch densities indicative of the consumption of a wide assortment of highly abrasive foodstuffs. Buccal dental microwear patterns are consistent with those previously described for occlusal enamel surfaces, suggesting that Paranthropus consumed much softer diets than previously presumed and thus calling into question a strict interpretation of isotopic evidence. On the other hand, the significantly high buccal scratch densities observed in the H. ergaster specimens are not consistent with a highly specialized, mostly carnivorous diet; instead, they support the consumption of a wide range of highly abrasive food items. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T21:31:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ae20e9d6c1d04832ab8fde5a407a7631 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T21:31:49Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-ae20e9d6c1d04832ab8fde5a407a76312022-12-21T18:11:54ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-011111e016544710.1371/journal.pone.0165447Testing Dietary Hypotheses of East African Hominines Using Buccal Dental Microwear Data.Laura Mónica MartínezFerran Estebaranz-SánchezJordi GalbanyAlejandro Pérez-PérezThere is much debate on the dietary adaptations of the robust hominin lineages during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition. It has been argued that the shift from C3 to C4 ecosystems in Africa was the main factor responsible for the robust dental and facial anatomical adaptations of Paranthropus taxa, which might be indicative of the consumption of fibrous, abrasive plant foods in open environments. However, occlusal dental microwear data fail to provide evidence of such dietary adaptations and are not consistent with isotopic evidence that supports greater C4 food intake for the robust clades than for the gracile australopithecines. We provide evidence from buccal dental microwear data that supports softer dietary habits than expected for P. aethiopicus and P. boisei based both on masticatory apomorphies and isotopic analyses. On one hand, striation densities on the buccal enamel surfaces of paranthropines teeth are low, resembling those of H. habilis and clearly differing from those observed on H. ergaster, which display higher scratch densities indicative of the consumption of a wide assortment of highly abrasive foodstuffs. Buccal dental microwear patterns are consistent with those previously described for occlusal enamel surfaces, suggesting that Paranthropus consumed much softer diets than previously presumed and thus calling into question a strict interpretation of isotopic evidence. On the other hand, the significantly high buccal scratch densities observed in the H. ergaster specimens are not consistent with a highly specialized, mostly carnivorous diet; instead, they support the consumption of a wide range of highly abrasive food items.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5112956?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Laura Mónica Martínez Ferran Estebaranz-Sánchez Jordi Galbany Alejandro Pérez-Pérez Testing Dietary Hypotheses of East African Hominines Using Buccal Dental Microwear Data. PLoS ONE |
| title | Testing Dietary Hypotheses of East African Hominines Using Buccal Dental Microwear Data. |
| title_full | Testing Dietary Hypotheses of East African Hominines Using Buccal Dental Microwear Data. |
| title_fullStr | Testing Dietary Hypotheses of East African Hominines Using Buccal Dental Microwear Data. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Testing Dietary Hypotheses of East African Hominines Using Buccal Dental Microwear Data. |
| title_short | Testing Dietary Hypotheses of East African Hominines Using Buccal Dental Microwear Data. |
| title_sort | testing dietary hypotheses of east african hominines using buccal dental microwear data |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5112956?pdf=render |
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