Mechanisms of tooth damage and Paranthropus dietary reconstruction
According to the current fossil record, the extinct hominin genus Paranthropus and the genus Homo both first appeared ∼2.7 million years ago. Despite this similarity in geological age, Paranthropus evolved enormous postcanine teeth with very thick enamel while Homo evolved smaller teeth. Results fro...
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doaj-b307daee08b2444180c3d31d0eaa26eb2021-04-02T14:17:42ZengWileyBiosurface and Biotribology2405-45182018-10-0110.1049/bsbt.2018.0017BSBT.2018.0017Mechanisms of tooth damage and Paranthropus dietary reconstructionPaul Joseph Constantino0Oscar Borrero-Lopez1Oscar Borrero-Lopez2Brian R. Lawn3Department of Biology, Saint Michael's CollegeDepartamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Energética y de los Materiales, Universidad de ExtremaduraDepartamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Energética y de los Materiales, Universidad de ExtremaduraMaterials Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and TechnologyAccording to the current fossil record, the extinct hominin genus Paranthropus and the genus Homo both first appeared ∼2.7 million years ago. Despite this similarity in geological age, Paranthropus evolved enormous postcanine teeth with very thick enamel while Homo evolved smaller teeth. Results from contact mechanics models derived from multiple scales of tooth damage (microwear, macrowear, and fracture) are reviewed to examine this evolutionary divergence and the role that diet may have played in it. Each scale of investigation reveals different kinds of evidence that can be combined into a more complete picture of hominin diet and feeding behaviour. Microwear reveals information about recent feeding events, while macrowear and fracture record longer-term trends. The synthesis of all three levels of evidence exposes significant dietary diversity, not only between these two hominin genera but within them as well. Within Paranthropus, the eastern and southern African species (P. boisei and P. robustus, respectively) were morphologically similar but appear to have been functionally different. Whereas P. boisei apparently used its teeth to consume large quantities of low quality vegetation, P. robustus had a more varied diet that included harder objects, possibly items such as seeds, nuts, or underground storage organs.https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/journals/10.1049/bsbt.2018.0017biomechanicsmicroorganismszoologydentistryP. boiseiP. robustusParanthropus dietary reconstructionfracture recordhominin genusdietary diversityhominin generafeeding behaviourhominin dietmacrowearmicrowearcontact mechanics modelsenormous postcanine teethtooth damage |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Paul Joseph Constantino Oscar Borrero-Lopez Oscar Borrero-Lopez Brian R. Lawn |
spellingShingle |
Paul Joseph Constantino Oscar Borrero-Lopez Oscar Borrero-Lopez Brian R. Lawn Mechanisms of tooth damage and Paranthropus dietary reconstruction Biosurface and Biotribology biomechanics microorganisms zoology dentistry P. boisei P. robustus Paranthropus dietary reconstruction fracture record hominin genus dietary diversity hominin genera feeding behaviour hominin diet macrowear microwear contact mechanics models enormous postcanine teeth tooth damage |
author_facet |
Paul Joseph Constantino Oscar Borrero-Lopez Oscar Borrero-Lopez Brian R. Lawn |
author_sort |
Paul Joseph Constantino |
title |
Mechanisms of tooth damage and Paranthropus dietary reconstruction |
title_short |
Mechanisms of tooth damage and Paranthropus dietary reconstruction |
title_full |
Mechanisms of tooth damage and Paranthropus dietary reconstruction |
title_fullStr |
Mechanisms of tooth damage and Paranthropus dietary reconstruction |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mechanisms of tooth damage and Paranthropus dietary reconstruction |
title_sort |
mechanisms of tooth damage and paranthropus dietary reconstruction |
publisher |
Wiley |
series |
Biosurface and Biotribology |
issn |
2405-4518 |
publishDate |
2018-10-01 |
description |
According to the current fossil record, the extinct hominin genus Paranthropus and the genus Homo both first appeared ∼2.7 million years ago. Despite this similarity in geological age, Paranthropus evolved enormous postcanine teeth with very thick enamel while Homo evolved smaller teeth. Results from contact mechanics models derived from multiple scales of tooth damage (microwear, macrowear, and fracture) are reviewed to examine this evolutionary divergence and the role that diet may have played in it. Each scale of investigation reveals different kinds of evidence that can be combined into a more complete picture of hominin diet and feeding behaviour. Microwear reveals information about recent feeding events, while macrowear and fracture record longer-term trends. The synthesis of all three levels of evidence exposes significant dietary diversity, not only between these two hominin genera but within them as well. Within Paranthropus, the eastern and southern African species (P. boisei and P. robustus, respectively) were morphologically similar but appear to have been functionally different. Whereas P. boisei apparently used its teeth to consume large quantities of low quality vegetation, P. robustus had a more varied diet that included harder objects, possibly items such as seeds, nuts, or underground storage organs. |
topic |
biomechanics microorganisms zoology dentistry P. boisei P. robustus Paranthropus dietary reconstruction fracture record hominin genus dietary diversity hominin genera feeding behaviour hominin diet macrowear microwear contact mechanics models enormous postcanine teeth tooth damage |
url |
https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/journals/10.1049/bsbt.2018.0017 |
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