Early Pleistocene hominin deciduous teeth from the Homo antecessor Gran Dolina‐TD6 bearing level (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

Abstract

This study expands the list of plesiomorphic features of H. antecessor, and provides some information on the evolutionary status of this species. However, the identification of some advanced traits evinces a step towards the derived morphology of European Pleistocene teeth. The study of the deciduous dentition confirms the mosaic pattern of H. antecessor morphology revealed in previous studies of this hominin sample.

Twentieth anniversary of Homo antecessor (1997‐2017): a review

“…52 The upper deciduous canines are also primitive in the expression of distinct mesial and distal cuspules. 49,57 H. antecessor P 3 s have a reduced lingual cusp and a nearly symmetric shape, although these traits are not as marked as in Middle and…”

“…39 Furthermore, the absence of a planum alveolare and the general shape of the ascending ramus in the TD6 mandibles are distinctive features compared with the North -Presence of middle trigonid crest All these features have been studied by some authors. 1,5,23,27,34,35,40,45,46,48,49,54,57,59,63,65,67,123 In these studies, more detailed descriptions and discussions of the polarity of the TD6 features can be found.…”

Comparative Morphological Analysis of Enamel and Dentin Surfaces’ Reconstructions by Means of Automated Digital Odontometry

“…This is due to high resolution 3d imaging which made visible important morphological details of deeper layers of dental structure, previously unavailable for researchers in full geometric volume even after * Corresponding author sectioning. Thus internal, located on the surface of dentin, morphological characteristics can be described and assessed in manner similar to odontological (or dental anthropological, depending on terminological traditions) evaluation of enamel surface (Bermdez de Castro et al, 2017). In line with visual studies a new impetus receives geometric morphometric research.…”

The Ratón Pérez collection: Modern deciduous human teeth at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (Burgos, Spain)

“…In particular, the Ratón Pérez Collection represents a unique opportunity to study different aspects related to infant life history (such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, bottle‐feeding, city/country of residence) as well as a comparative sample in paleoanthropological studies (e.g., morphometric aspects between species, teeth development). Although the collection is still growing, the dental sample has already been used as a comparative sample to study the measurements and the external and internal morphology of the Early Pleistocene hominin deciduous teeth from Homo antecessor (Bermúdez de Castro et al, 2017; Martínez de Pinillos et al, 2017). Moreover, since sexual dimorphism studies also provide information about the life history, the evolution, and behavior of a specific population (Grine, 2005; Plavcan, 2000), this collection was also the focus of one Master's dissertation which analyzed the potential sexual dimorphism based on the tissue proportions of the second lower molars (Hernaiz García, 2017).…”

“…Because teeth are one of the most abundant and well‐preserved fossil remains, the majority of the paleoanthropological studies are based on them (Bermúdez de Castro et al, 2019; Martínez de Pinillos et al, 2020). Thus, the Ratón Pérez Collection will be very useful for the scientific community that will be able to compare this deciduous teeth from Homo sapiens with other extinct humans and get new variables with taxonomic and phylogenetic potential (Bermúdez de Castro et al, 2017; Martínez de Pinillos et al, 2017).…”