A Novel Method for Assessing Enamel Thickness Distribution in the Anterior Dentition as a Signal for Gouging and Other Extractive Foraging Behaviors in Gummivorous Mammals.

dc.contributor.author

Selig, Keegan R

dc.contributor.author

López-Torres, Sergi

dc.contributor.author

Hartstone-Rose, Adam

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Nash, Leanne T

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Burrows, Anne M

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Silcox, Mary T

dc.date.accessioned

2022-09-21T00:35:26Z

dc.date.available

2022-09-21T00:35:26Z

dc.date.issued

2020-01

dc.date.updated

2022-09-21T00:35:25Z

dc.description.abstract

Gummivory poses unique challenges to the dentition as gum acquisition may often require that the anterior teeth be adapted to retain a sharp edge and to resist loading because they sometimes must penetrate a highly obdurate substrate during gum extraction by means of gouging or scraping. It has been observed previously that the enamel on the labial surface of the teeth used for extraction is thicker relative to that on the lingual surface in taxa that extract gums, while enamel is more evenly distributed in the anterior teeth of taxa that do not regularly engage in extractive behaviors. This study presents a quantitative methodology for measuring the distribution of labial versus lingual enamel thickness among primate and marsupial taxa in the context of gummivory. Computed microtomography scans of 15 specimens representing 14 taxa were analyzed. Ten measurements were taken at 20% intervals starting from the base of the crown of the extractive tooth to the tip of the cutting edge across the lingual and labial enamel. A method for including worn or broken teeth is also presented. Mann-Whitney U tests, canonical variates analysis, and between-group principal components analysis were used to examine variation in enamel thickness across taxa. Our results suggest that the differential distribution of enamel thickness in the anterior dentition can serve as a signal for gouging behavior; this methodology distinguishes between gougers, scrapers, and nonextractive gummivores. Gouging taxa are characterized by significantly thicker labial enamel relative to the lingual enamel, particularly towards the crown tip. Examination of enamel thickness patterning in these taxa permits a better understanding of the adaptations for the extraction of gums in extant taxa and offers the potential to test hypotheses concerning the dietary adaptations of fossil taxa.

dc.identifier.issn

0015-5713

dc.identifier.issn

1421-9980

dc.identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/25734

dc.language

eng

dc.publisher

Brill

dc.relation.ispartof

Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology

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10.1159/000502819

dc.subject

Dental Enamel

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Animals

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Marsupialia

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Callithrix

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Saguinus

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Lorisidae

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Diet

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Feeding Behavior

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X-Ray Microtomography

dc.title

A Novel Method for Assessing Enamel Thickness Distribution in the Anterior Dentition as a Signal for Gouging and Other Extractive Foraging Behaviors in Gummivorous Mammals.

dc.type

Journal article

duke.contributor.orcid

Selig, Keegan R|0000-0001-5850-4779

pubs.begin-page

365

pubs.end-page

384

pubs.issue

4

pubs.organisational-group

Duke

pubs.organisational-group

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

pubs.organisational-group

Evolutionary Anthropology

pubs.publication-status

Published

pubs.volume

91

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