Buccal dental microwear variability in extant African Hominoidea: taxonomy versus ecology

Primates volume 50, pages221–230(2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Buccal microwear patterns on teeth are good indicators of the abrasiveness of foodstuffs and have been used to trace the dietary habits of fossil species, including primates and hominids. However, few studies have addressed the variability of this microwear. The abrasiveness of dietary components depends not only on the hardness of the particles ingested, but also on the presence of dust and other exogenous elements introduced during food processing. These elements are responsible for the microwear typology observed on the enamel surfaces of primate teeth. Here we analyzed the variability of buccal microwear patterns in African Great Apes (Gorilla gorilla and Pan troglodytes), using tooth molds obtained from the original specimens held in several osteological collections. Our results suggest that ecological adaptations at subspecies or population level account for differences in microwear patterns, which are attributed to habitat and ecological conditions within populations rather than differences between species. The findings from studies on the variability of buccal dental microwear in extant species will contribute to a better understanding of extinct hominids’ diet and ecology.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Spanish CGL2004-00775/BTE and CGL-200760802 projects and was supported by the “Departament d’Educació i Universitats de la Generalitat de Catalunya––Beatriu de Pinós 2006.” We thank the institutions that granted permission to study the extant primate specimens and Dr. Peter S. Ungar (University of Arkansas) for lending us his Hominoidea molds taken in the Royal Museum for Central Africa (MRAC) in Tervuren (Belgium). We also thank Núria Garriga (Universitat de Barcelona) and Dr. Alejandro Romero (Universidad de Alicante) for their help in plot generation. Furthermore, thanks go to the two anonymous referees for their reviews and useful comments. All SEM images were obtained at the “Serveis Cientificotècnics” of the Universitat de Barcelona.

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  1. Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    Jordi Galbany

  2. Secc. Antropologia, Dept. Biologia Animal, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Jordi Galbany, Ferran Estebaranz, Laura M. Martínez & Alejandro Pérez-Pérez

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  1. Jordi Galbany
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Galbany, J., Estebaranz, F., Martínez, L.M. et al. Buccal dental microwear variability in extant African Hominoidea: taxonomy versus ecology. Primates 50, 221–230 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-009-0139-0

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Keywords

  • Dental microwear
  • SEM
  • Pan troglodytes
  • Gorilla gorilla