Cutting food in terrestrial carnivores and herbivores

Sanson, Gordon Drummond

doi:10.1098/rsfs.2015.0109

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…This is the only biomechanical parameter we measured where one model was superior regardless of food item stiffness. The damage inflicted to a food item may be easier for selection to act upon because it has a direct relationship to the amount of useable energy that can be extracted from the food item [16,34,35]. The transition to complex teeth improved the ability to inflict damage on a food item that transcends the biomechanical variables we measured here.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

The functional significance of morphological changes in the dentitions of early mammals

Conith

Imburgia

Crosby

et al. 2016

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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The Mesozoic marked a time of experimentation in the tooth morphology of early mammals. One particular experiment involved the movement of three points, or cusps, on the surface of a molar tooth from a line into a triangle. This transition is exemplified by two extinct insectivorous mammals, (cusps in a line) and (cusps in a triangle). Here we test whether this difference in cusp arrangement, alongside cusp heights and angles between cusps, is associated with differences in the ability of the teeth to fracture proxy-insect prey. We gathered measurements from molar teeth of both species and used them to create physical models. We then measured the force, time and energy at fracture and peak force, and the amount of damage inflicted by the models on hard and soft gels encased in a tough film that mimicked the material properties of insects. The model required less force and energy to fracture hard gels and reach peak force compared with required a similar time, force and energy to fracture soft gels but reduced the time, force and energy to reach peak force. More importantly, also inflicted more damage to both the hard and the soft gels. These results suggest that changes in dental morphology in some early mammals was driven primarily by selection for maximizing damage, and secondarily for maximizing biomechanical efficiency for a given food material property.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

The functional significance of morphological changes in the dentitions of early mammals

Conith

Imburgia

Crosby

et al. 2016

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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“…Similar OEC is seen in specialized grazing bovids, such as Bos (Bovini), Hippotragus (Hippotragini), and Connochaetes (Alcelaphini). For mechanical reasons, OEC can only be a feature of teeth that have a flat occlusal surface, and Sanson (2016) considers that this dental pattern is related to food manipulation on this surface. A flat occlusal surface in bovids is seen only among grazers, while it is a characteristic feature of the Equinae, even though other dental parameters (microwear, mesowear, hypsodonty index) indicate that many of these species were not grazers (especially among the Hipparionini).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Grass vs. Exogenous Abrasives in the Paleodietary Patterns of North American Ungulates

2019

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Equids have often been discussed regarding tooth morphological change due to the evolution of highly hypsodont teeth over time, the hyper-grazing habits of modern horses, and an older view that the acquisition of hypsodonty and the widespread appearance of grasslands were synchronous. Many more recent studies, however, have reported asynchrony in the origin of hypsodonty and the widespread appearance of grasslands and have considered exposure to exogenous grit as important evolutionary drivers of hypsodonty in ungulates. We tracked changes in crown height (hypsodonty index), relative abrasion (mesowear), and food and grit scar topography on dental enamel (microwear) to examine the relative contributions of grass vs. grit as a driving force in ungulate tooth changes during the evolution of North American Equidae compared to four North American ruminant artiodactyl families (Camelidae, Antilocapridae, Dromomerycidae, and Merycoidodontidae). We mirror other studies by finding that the overall pattern of the timing of the attainment of hypsodonty is inconsistent with grazing as the main impetus for the "Great Transition" within equids nor within the artiodactyl families as highly hypsodont ungulates postdate the spread of widespread grasslands. Mesowear closely mirrored hypsodonty trends in all families. Microwear patterns, particularly high degrees of enamel pitting (particularly large pits) and unusually coarse scratch textures in all five families, are consistent with exposure to exogenous grit as the main driver of hypsodonty acquisition prior to the consumption of significant levels of grass. Equidae exhibited a wider array of dietary behavior than the other families through most of their evolutionary history. Even so, grass was a much more common dietary item for equids than for the other families, and when combined with exogenous grit, which was more accelerated from the early Miocene onward based on more pitting and coarser scratch textures, may explain the more extreme acquisition of hypsodonty in equids compared to the artiodactyl families studied and set the stage for the Equidae alone to become hypergrazers in the Recent.

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“…There is little evidence to support the fundamental assumption that grass is intrinsically tougher than nongrass diets. The limited data we have suggest that grass toughness falls within and at the lower part of the range of dicotyledonous leaf toughness ( 7 ). The complex enamel ridges in opposing upper and lower molars are conventionally thought of as providing more cutting actions when the ridges meet during chewing and are somehow more effective, but as noted, browse can be tougher and more fibrous.…”

mentioning

confidence: 89%

Reassessing assumptions about the evolution of herbivore teeth

Sanson

2023

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Cutting food in terrestrial carnivores and herbivores

Cited by 10 publications

References 58 publications

The functional significance of morphological changes in the dentitions of early mammals

The functional significance of morphological changes in the dentitions of early mammals

The Role of Grass vs. Exogenous Abrasives in the Paleodietary Patterns of North American Ungulates

Reassessing assumptions about the evolution of herbivore teeth

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