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Distribution of Elements in Beaver (Castor fiber) Tooth Enamel as a Sign of Environmental Adaptation: the Special Role of Fe, Co, Mg, and Fluorides (F−)

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the distribution of elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, P, Zn, Na, K, Cu, Cr, Mo, Co, Se) analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and fluorides (F−) determined potentiometrically using an ion-selective electrode in the enamel of European beaver (Castor fiber) teeth. Material for the study was tooth enamel collected from lower jaws from the skulls of the animals borrowed from museum collections (animals inhabited north-western Poland). The results of our study indicate the important role of F− as an element that can affect the hardness and strength of beaver tooth enamel. Critical to the function of beaver teeth (i.e., shearing and crushing wood) is the presence of elements such as Fe in the central incisor labial aspect (orange layer of the incisor enamel), Mg in the inner side of the incisor enamel, and Co and F− in the enamel of the molars. Thanks to the high content of these elements, the enamel is durable and the teeth are adapted to the nutritional and ecological characteristics of this mammalian species. Our study on the distribution of elements in the enamel of beaver teeth may also be important for the understanding of the enamel mineralization processes, determining how elements change the properties of the materials, and exploring the relationship between the environment and life history of the beaver.

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Data will be made available on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the University of Szczecin museum for lending materials for our research.

Funding

This study was supported by the statutory budget of the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Poland.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland

    Anna Machoy-Mokrzyńska

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland

    Patrycja Kupnicka, Jan Korbecki, Dariusz Chlubek & Irena Baranowska-Bosiacka

  3. Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Pomeranian Medical University, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland

    Katarzyna Barczak

  4. Department of Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland

    Izabela Gutowska

  5. Department of Dental Prosthetics, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland

    Ewa Sobolewska

Authors
  1. Anna Machoy-Mokrzyńska
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  8. Irena Baranowska-Bosiacka
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Contributions

A.M.M. writing—review and editing; P.K. investigation; K.B. investigation; J.K. investigation; I.G. investigation; E.S. investigation; D.C. funding acquisition, supervision; I.B.B. writing—original draft, writing—review and editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Irena Baranowska-Bosiacka.

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Machoy-Mokrzyńska, A., Kupnicka, P., Barczak, K. et al. Distribution of Elements in Beaver (Castor fiber) Tooth Enamel as a Sign of Environmental Adaptation: the Special Role of Fe, Co, Mg, and Fluorides (F−). Biol Trace Elem Res 201, 728–738 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-022-03186-7

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