Differential mesowear in occluding upper and lower molars: opening mesowear analysis for lower molars and premolars in hypsodont horses.
Abstract: A new approach of reconstructing ungulate diet, the mesowear method, was recently introduced by Fortelius and Solounias ([2000] Am Mus Novitat 3301:1-36). Mesowear is based on facet development on the occlusal surfaces of the teeth. Restricting mesowear investigation to maxillary cheek teeth would allow mesowear investigation only in assemblages of large numbers of individuals and therefore would generally restrict this method to relatively few assemblages of recent and fossil ungulates. Most of the fossil, subfossil, and recent ungulate osteological assemblages that may be assigned to a single taxon have smaller numbers of individuals. This results in a demand to extend the mesowear method to further tooth positions in order to obtain stable dietary classifications of fossil taxa. The focus of this article is to test if a consistent mesowear classification is obtainable for mandibular as well as for maxillary teeth. For statistical testing, large assemblages of isolated cheek teeth of the Vallesian hipparionine horse Hippotherium primigenium and of the recent zebra Equus burchelli were employed as models. The upper tooth positions P4, M1, M2, and M3 as suggested by Kaiser and Solounias (2003) as the model for the "extended" mesowear method and the lower tooth positions P4-M3 were tested for their consistency in classification of the mesowear variables. We found a considerable shift of the mesowear signature towards the grazing edge of the mesowear continuum in lower cheek teeth. In order to adjust the signal of lower teeth to the signal of the upper teeth, a calibration factor was introduced which allowed incorporation of lower cheek teeth into the same model of mesowear investigation together with upper cheek teeth. We propose that this model is particularly suited for the reconstruction of paleodiets in hypsodont hipparionine and equine equids. We further investigated the functional relation between the mesowear profiles and the distribution of dental tissues along the course of the occlusal contact. We therefore correlated mesowear profiles with enamel distribution profiles and found the mesowear profile to be strongly controlled by the attritional environment encountered by a given apex area. The differential signal observed in cusp apex morphology between upper and lower cheek teeth was found to be more closely related to attrition by the antagonistic tooth than to the distribution of dental tissues in the tooth under consideration. The results suggest a general extension of the mesowear method of paleodiet reconstruction and a basic scenario for the evolution of anisodont dentitions.
Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Publication Date: 2003-08-09 PubMed ID: 12905535DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10125Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article presents a novel application of the mesowear method, previously used primarily on maxillary (upper) teeth, to mandibular (lower) teeth for a deeper understanding of the dietary habits of extinct and existing ungulates. It also explores the relationship between mesowear profiles and the distribution of dental tissues.
Overview of Mesowear Method
- The mesowear method involves analyzing the wear and tear on teeth surfaces to determine the dietary habits of an animal – whether it was more of a grazer or a browser.
- Traditionally, this method has been confined to maxillary or upper teeth, and as such, it could only be applied on large collections of individuals, restricting its use largely to fossil and recent ungulates.
The Need for Extension
- The researchers express an interest in extending the mesowear method to other tooth positions for a more inclusive dietary classification of different taxa. The focus is on seeing if consistent classification can be secured for both mandibular and maxillary teeth.
- For this expansion, the research uses large sets of isolated cheek teeth from the Ellesian hipparionine horse Hippotherium primigenium and the recent zebra Equus burchelli as models.
Findings and Conclusion
- The study found a significant alteration in the mesowear indicators towards the grazing edge in lower teeth.
- To harmonize these signals between the lower and upper teeth, a calibration factor was implemented, allowing the study of both using the mesowear method.
- The research concludes that this method is particularly effective in rebuilding paleodiets in hypsodont hipparionine and equine equids.
- The research also explores the functional relationship between the mesowear profiles and the dental tissues’ distribution along the tooth’s wear path, concluding that the mesowear profile is heavily influenced by a given apex area’s attritional environment.
Implications of the Research
- The findings could revolutionize the use of the mesowear method as a universally accepted method for dietary reconstruction across all tooth types and not just maxillary teeth.
- It also suggests that an extension of the mesowear method is plausible and could provide insight into the evolution of anisodont dentitions.
Cite This Article
APA
Kaiser TM, Fortelius M.
(2003).
Differential mesowear in occluding upper and lower molars: opening mesowear analysis for lower molars and premolars in hypsodont horses.
J Morphol, 258(1), 67-83.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10125 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University Greifswald, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany. Kaiser@uni-greifswald.de
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bicuspid / anatomy & histology
- Cluster Analysis
- Dental Occlusion
- Diet
- Equidae / classification
- Fossils
- Molar / anatomy & histology
- Paleodontology
- Phylogeny
Citations
This article has been cited 20 times.- Bañuls-Cardona S, Blasco R, Rosell J, Rufà A, Vallverdú J, Rivals F. New quantitative method for dental wear analysis of small mammals. Sci Rep 2022 Dec 23;12(1):22231.
- Hohl CJM, Codron D, Kaiser TM, Martin LF, Müller DWH, Hatt JM, Clauss M. Chewing, dental morphology and wear in tapirs (Tapirus spp.) and a comparison of free-ranging and captive specimens. PLoS One 2020;15(6):e0234826.
- Ackermans NL. The history of mesowear: a review. PeerJ 2020;8:e8519.
- Steinfort S, Obach-Schröck C, Röcken M, Theiss F, Failing K, Vogelsberg J, Staszyk C. The Equine Gingiva: A Gross Anatomical Evaluation. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:322.
- Sánchez-Hernández C, Gourichon L, Pubert E, Rendu W, Montes R, Rivals F. Combined dental wear and cementum analyses in ungulates reveal the seasonality of Neanderthal occupations in Covalejos Cave (Northern Iberia). Sci Rep 2019 Oct 4;9(1):14335.
- DeSantis LRG, Alexander J, Biedron EM, Johnson PS, Frank AS, Martin JM, Williams L. Effects of climate on dental mesowear of extant koalas and two broadly distributed kangaroos throughout their geographic range. PLoS One 2018;13(8):e0201962.
- Fraser D, Haupt RJ, Barr WA. Phylogenetic signal in tooth wear dietary niche proxies. Ecol Evol 2018 Jun;8(11):5355-5368.
- Domingo MS, Cantero E, García-Real I, Chamorro Sancho MJ, Martín Perea DM, Alberdi MT, Morales J. First Radiological Study of a Complete Dental Ontogeny Sequence of an Extinct Equid: Implications for Equidae Life History and Taphonomy. Sci Rep 2018 May 31;8(1):8507.
- Kirillova IV, Chernova OF, Kukarskikh VV, Shidlovskiy FK, Zanina OG. The first finding of a rhinoceros of the Genus Stephanorhinus in Arctic Asia. Dokl Biol Sci 2016 Nov;471(1):300-303.
- de Winter NJ, Snoeck C, Claeys P. Seasonal Cyclicity in Trace Elements and Stable Isotopes of Modern Horse Enamel. PLoS One 2016;11(11):e0166678.
- Winkler DE, Kaiser TM. Structural Morphology of Molars in Large Mammalian Herbivores: Enamel Content Varies between Tooth Positions. PLoS One 2015;10(8):e0135716.
- Winkler DE, Kaiser TM. Uneven distribution of enamel in the tooth crown of a Plains Zebra (Equus quagga). PeerJ 2015;3:e1002.
- Smirnov NG, Kropacheva JE. Patterns of lateral wear facets on molar teeth of voles (Arvicolinae). Dokl Biol Sci 2015;460:20-2.
- Schultz JA, Martin T. Function of pretribosphenic and tribosphenic mammalian molars inferred from 3D animation. Naturwissenschaften 2014 Oct;101(10):771-81.
- Taylor LA, Kaiser TM, Schwitzer C, Müller DW, Codron D, Clauss M, Schulz E. Detecting inter-cusp and inter-tooth wear patterns in rhinocerotids. PLoS One 2013;8(12):e80921.
- Tütken T, Kaiser TM, Vennemann T, Merceron G. Opportunistic feeding strategy for the earliest old world hypsodont equids: evidence from stable isotope and dental wear proxies. PLoS One 2013;8(9):e74463.
- Kropacheva JE, Smirnov NG, Markova EA. Individual age and odontologic characteristics of root vole. Dokl Biol Sci 2012 Sep-Oct;446:302-5.
- DeMiguel D, Fortelius M, Azanza B, Morales J. Ancestral feeding state of ruminants reconsidered: earliest grazing adaptation claims a mixed condition for Cervidae. BMC Evol Biol 2008 Jan 18;8:13.
- Malherbe M, Pickering R, Stynder D, Haeusler M. The large mammal fossil fauna of the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa: a review. PeerJ 2025;13:e18946.
- Schulz-Kornas E, Skiba MH, Kaiser TM. Prey size reflected in tooth wear: a comparison of two wolf populations from Sweden and Alaska. Interface Focus 2024 Jun;14(3):20230070.
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