Another one bites the dust: Bite force and ecology in three caviomorph rodents (Rodentia, Hystricognathi)

Becerra, Federico; Echeverría, Alejandra Isabel; Casinos, Adriá; Vassallo, Aldo Iván

doi:10.1002/jez.1853

Cited by 50 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…At the same time, the jugal fossa of the fossil is slightly more developed than in non-octodontoids caviomorphs (e.g., Cavia, Dasyprocta, Lagostomus, and Coendou; Woods 1972). Consequently, Prospaniomys would have presented an intermediate degree of development of masseter posterior between that of the octodontoids and nonoctodontoids caviomorphs, which would suggest a relatively moderate force exerted by this muscle (see Becerra et al 2014). Regarding the digastric muscle, it is classified as a mandibular depressor (Hiiemae 1971;Gorniak 1985;LevTov and Tal 1987); a relatively large size of this muscle could be related to a wide and powerful opening of the mandible (as it is related in Carnivora; see Scapino 1976), which could be linked to the type of diet proposed for Prospaniomys (see next paragraph).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Features such as shortened palate, narrower bizygomatic width, orthodont incisors, enlarged incisive foramina, and a shallow mandible could be linked to epigean or fossorial habits, but may indicate the absence of tooth-digging habits, like those displayed by the subterranean Ctenomys and Spalacopus. Tooth-digging requires greater development of the masticatory muscles, especially of the masseter group (see Becerra et al 2014), as well as procumbent incisors suitable to deal with the substrate when excavating their burrows (Stein 2000;Becerra et al 2012). On the other hand, the relative size of the auditory bullae was demonstrated to have a clear association with environmental variation (in terms of vegetal cover and humidity) among caviomorphs (Hautier et al 2012;Álvarez et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First Approach to the Paleobiology of Extinct Prospaniomys (Rodentia, Hystricognathi, Octodontoidea) Through Head Muscle Reconstruction and the Study of Craniomandibular Shape Variation

Álvarez

Arnal

2015

J Mammal Evol

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†Prospaniomys is a basal octodontoid recorded in the early Miocene in Patagonia (Argentina; Colhuehuapian SALMA). Nearly complete cranial and mandibular remains known for this genus provide a unique opportunity to explore its paleobiology. For this, masticatory muscles were reconstructed and craniomandibular shape variation assessed. While such reconstruction indicates that most masticatory muscles would have presented moderate development, both the masseter lateralis and posterior muscles were poorly developed. In contrast, we found that the temporalis muscle was well developed, while conspicuous postorbital constriction, postorbital processes, and superior temporal lines revealed a substantial orbital portion of this muscle. According to geometric morphometric results, craniomandibular shape was interpreted as generalized. Features such as shortened palate, narrower bizygomatic width, orthodont incisors, enlarged incisive foramina, and a shallow jaw could be linked to epigean habits. The moderate development of auditory bullae in Prospaniomys suggests that it is unlikely that it may have lived in extreme arid environments. Additionally, based on its generalized dental morphology, an omnivorous or generalized herbivorous diet that may have included leaves, fruit, and potentially animal matter was inferred. By the early Miocene, Patagonia experienced the initial expansion stage of arid-adapted vegetation, with grasses present in low amounts and abundant forests. Generalized habits and soft and nonabrasive diet suggest that Prospaniomys was possibly associated with more closed environments. Morphology alone cannot be used as an environmental proxy, but it could undoubtedly contribute to the interpretations based on data provided by paleobotanical and geological frameworks in studies on the evolution of environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Approach to the Paleobiology of Extinct Prospaniomys (Rodentia, Hystricognathi, Octodontoidea) Through Head Muscle Reconstruction and the Study of Craniomandibular Shape Variation

Álvarez

Arnal

2015

J Mammal Evol

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“…The ZM is one of the largest masticatory muscles in the springhare (Offermans & De Vree, 1993), which is unusual among rodents; usually the ZM is smaller than the superficial and deep masseters and the IOZM (Turnbull, 1970; Woods, 1972; Cox & Jeffery, 2011; Baverstock, Jeffery & Cobb, 2013; Becerra et al, 2014). Despite its large size, the removal of the ZM from the FE model had very little effect on the efficiency of the masticatory system i.e., the mechanical advantage and joint reaction force remained largely the same.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The jaw is a second-class lever inPedetes capensis(Rodentia: Pedetidae)

Cox

2017

PeerJ

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The mammalian jaw is often modelled as a third-class lever for the purposes of biomechanical analyses, owing to the position of the resultant muscle force between the jaw joint and the teeth. However, it has been proposed that in some rodents the jaws operate as a second-class lever during distal molar bites, owing to the rostral position of the masticatory musculature. In particular, the infraorbital portion of the zygomatico-mandibularis (IOZM) has been suggested to be of major importance in converting the masticatory system from a third-class to a second-class lever. The presence of the IOZM is diagnostic of the hystricomorph rodents, and is particularly well-developed in Pedetes capensis, the South African springhare. In this study, finite element analysis (FEA) was used to assess the lever mechanics of the springhare masticatory system, and to determine the function of the IOZM. An FE model of the skull of P. capensis was constructed and loaded with all masticatory muscles, and then solved for biting at each tooth in turn. Further load cases were created in which each masticatory muscle was removed in turn. The analyses showed that the mechanical advantage of the springhare jaws was above one at all molar bites and very close to one during the premolar bite. Removing the IOZM or masseter caused a drop in mechanical advantage at all bites, but affected strain patterns and cranial deformation very little. Removing the ZM had only a small effect on mechanical advantage, but produced a substantial reduction in strain and deformation across the skull. It was concluded that the masticatory system of P. capensis acts as a second class lever during bites along almost the entire cheek tooth row. The IOZM is clearly a major contributor to this effect, but the masseter also has a part to play. The benefit of the IOZM is that it adds force without substantially contributing to strain or deformation of the skull. This may help explain why the hystricomorphous morphology has evolved multiple times independently within Rodentia.

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“…Becoming semi-fossorial, fossorial, or even subterranean, could be one strategy for some small mammals to protect from predators in open environments (Ebensperger and Blumstein, 2006). These small mammals usually show chisel hypselodont incisors specific for digging in different soil textures (Becerra et al, 2014). Therefore, dust and grit ingestion for fossorial mammals could have an effect on the appearance, on the selection, and/or on the development of hypsodonty in small mammal lineages without strong relationship with the animal diet, but rather with the long-lasting properties of the tooth to compensate from wearing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Evo-Devo perspective on ever-growing teeth in mammals and dental stem cell maintenance

Renvoisé

Michon

2014

Front. Physiol.

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A major challenge for current evolutionary and developmental biology research is to understand the evolution of morphogenesis and the mechanisms involved. Teeth are well suited for the investigation of developmental processes. In addition, since teeth are composed of hard-mineralized tissues, primarily apatite, that are readily preserved, the evolution of mammals is well documented through their teeth in the fossil record. Hypsodonty, high crowned teeth with shallow roots, and hypselodonty, ever-growing teeth, are convergent innovations that have appeared multiple times since the mammalian radiation 65 million years ago, in all tooth categories (incisors, canines, premolars, and molars). A shift to hypsodonty, or hypselodonty, during mammalian evolution is often, but not necessarily, associated with increasingly abrasive diet during important environmental change events. Although the evolution of hypsodonty and hypselodonty is considered to be the result of heterochrony of development, little has been known about the exact developmental mechanisms at the origin of these morphological traits. Developmental biologists have been intrigued by the mechanism of hypselodonty since it requires the maintenance of continuous crown formation during development via stem cell niche activity. Understanding this mechanism may allow bioengineered tooth formation in humans. Hypsodonty and hypselodonty are thus examples of phenotypic features of teeth that have both impacts in understanding the evolution of mammals and holds promise for human tooth bioengineering.

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Another one bites the dust: Bite force and ecology in three caviomorph rodents (Rodentia, Hystricognathi)

Cited by 50 publications

References 68 publications

First Approach to the Paleobiology of Extinct Prospaniomys (Rodentia, Hystricognathi, Octodontoidea) Through Head Muscle Reconstruction and the Study of Craniomandibular Shape Variation

First Approach to the Paleobiology of Extinct Prospaniomys (Rodentia, Hystricognathi, Octodontoidea) Through Head Muscle Reconstruction and the Study of Craniomandibular Shape Variation

The jaw is a second-class lever inPedetes capensis(Rodentia: Pedetidae)

An Evo-Devo perspective on ever-growing teeth in mammals and dental stem cell maintenance

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