Forage silica and water content control dental surface texture in guinea pigs and provide implications for dietary reconstruction

Winkler, Daniela; Schulz‐Kornas, Ellen; Kaiser, Thomas M.; Cuyper, Annelies De; Clauss, Marcus; Tütken, Thomas

doi:10.1073/pnas.1814081116

Cited by 53 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 65 publications

(88 reference statements)

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“…Since grasslands evolved only during the late Cenozoic (Janis 2008), browsing constitutes the more plesiomorphic feeding type. Under the microscope, leaf browsers have a larger variation of pits on the enamel surfaces, while grazers exhibit a larger amount of scratches, as well as large pits, as a result of the more extensive quantity of phytolith and exogenous dust and grit intake (Winkler et al 2019;Ackermans et al 2020). Mixed-feeding taxa fall in between the two main dietary categories because of seasonal and/or regional variation in food preferences (Walker et al 1978;Solounias and Hayek 1993;Solounias and Semprebon 2002;Merceron et al 2004;Merceron et al 2005b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palaeodietary traits of large mammals from the middle Miocene of Gračanica (Bugojno Basin, Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Xafis

Saarinen

Bastl

et al. 2020

Palaeobio Palaeoenv

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Recent excavations at the Gračanica coal mine (Bugojno Basin, Bosnia-Herzegovina) have unearthed numerous skeletal parts of fossil vertebrates, including a noteworthy collection of mammalian remains. Previous palaeoecological investigations of the Dinarides Lake System were established using stratigraphical, palaeofloral, and malacological data. However, large mammal remains have so far not been used to reconstruct the terrestrial palaeoenvironment of this important fossil ecosystem. Here, the palaeodietary preferences of large mammals were investigated, using a multiproxy approach by employing dental microwear and dental mesowear analysis, in order to provide new perspectives on the terrestrial palaeoecology of the Dinarides Lake System. The dental microwear of all available adult mammalian teeth was analysed. Dental mesowear analysis was employed for ungulate and proboscidean taxa, using mesowear scores and mesowear angles, respectively. The analysis reveals the presence of browsing, "dirty browsing", and mixed-feeding herbivorous taxa, with seasonal fruit, or even grass intake. Additionally, the analysis of the carnivores suggests the presence of hyaena-and cheetah-like hypercarnivores, as well as generalists. The palaeodietary traits of the fossil mammals suggest a closed canopy-like environment, which is supported by the fossil plant assemblage. Palaeopalynological data confirm the omnipresence of fleshy fruit-bearing plants, herbaceous taxa, as well as grasses, which justifies the seasonal fruit browsing, the common "dirty browsing", and the occasional grazing behaviour visualized for some of the fossil mammals from Gračanica.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palaeodietary traits of large mammals from the middle Miocene of Gračanica (Bugojno Basin, Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Xafis

Saarinen

Bastl

et al. 2020

Palaeobio Palaeoenv

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“…Consequently, the wear rate in open habitats is accelerated despite the fact that large pits do not override the dietary signal, it should be considered that very small particles could be a major but unrecognized wear agent. Winkler et al (2019) have proposed that the state of hydration of plant tissue may also affect dental abrasion based on a controlled feeding experiment using guinea pigs fed with different types of forage (in both a fresh and dried state). They stress that water content as well as phytolith content may affect plant abrasiveness.…”

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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“…In consequence, a low occlusal profile might have evolved in Hippopotamus pentlandi, suited for feeding from more terrestrial habitat patches. Those would have ultimately featured more external dust and slightly dryer, and therefore more abrasive grass (Winkler et al, 2019). Since the faunal complex H. pentlandi lived in had a strong mainland character, the biggest distinction from Hippopotamus amphibius seems to be habitat size and consequently freshwater access.…”

Section: Occlusal Adaptationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stomach content and faecal analyses of H. amphibius indicate a diet mostly consisting of C 4 grasses (Field, 1970;Scotcher et al, 1978), but it also consumes more C 3 vegetation (browse) than often noted (Boisserie et al, 2011;Cerling et al, 2008;Scotcher et al, 1978), possibly due to the anatomy of its mouth with its broad jaws (Eltringham, 1999). A recent study (Winkler et al, 2019) demonstrated that fresh grasses with high moisture content result in surface textures of similar roughness as those of browsers. The high abrasiveness of grasses that is 9 Fig.…”

Section: Hippopotamus Amphibiusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiproxy dietary trait reconstruction in Pleistocene Hippopotamidae from the Mediterranean islands

Bethune

Kaiser

Schulz‐Kornas

et al. 2019

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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Geographically isolated insular species face energetic restrictions and commonly evolve adaptations that distinguish them from their mainland ancestors. During the Pleistocene, several Mediterranean islands were inhabited by now extinct Hippopotamidae. They underwent diverse changes in locomotion, dentition and body size. Based on these differences, it is supposed that they occupied different ecological niches depending on their respective faunal complexes and available resources. In this paper, we assess the paleoecology of dwarfed hippopotami from Crete, Malta, Sicily and Cyprus using a novel dental multiproxy approach. We applied dental topography analysis (SAGA-GIS) to measure the mean slope of the dental occlusal surface, mirroring dietary adaptations, as well as 3D surface texture analysis (3DST) to quantify the surface of occlusal wear facets, which correlate with dietary abrasiveness. Low slope values were found in the larger, more hypsodont hippopotami, whilst the smaller Phanourios minor displayed the highest occlusal relief with large compression basins. Since Hippopotamus pentlandi exhibited lower mean slope values than the larger, more hypsodont Hippopotamus amphibius, we conclude that lower occlusal reliefs reflect adaptations to lower diet quality and arid environments, which are characteristic of freshwater-limited island habitats. The 3DST analysis revealed distinct ecological niches for the investigated insular hippos. Hippopotamus creutzburgi exhibited enamel surface textures analogous to those of Hippopotamus amphibius, a fresh grass grazer, thus confirming a semiaquatic lifestyle at the upland lake at Katharo, Crete. Hippopotamus pentlandi was bound to a similar niche to the extant form, probably due to the mainland character of its fauna, but experienced more dust intake. Hippopotamus melitensis had to cope with high ingestion of abrasives, seemingly on account of a more generalistic diet in its resource-limited and small habitat. Results point to either Phanourios minor broadening its dietary niche in its almost competition-free habitat, or suggest a dietary shift following a climatic change. The adopted multiproxy approach proved to be useful in identifying dental adaptations and individual foraging strategies linked to energetically restricted habitats, and therefore contributes to a better understanding of basic evolutionary and ecological principles.

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Forage silica and water content control dental surface texture in guinea pigs and provide implications for dietary reconstruction

Cited by 53 publications

References 65 publications

Palaeodietary traits of large mammals from the middle Miocene of Gračanica (Bugojno Basin, Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Palaeodietary traits of large mammals from the middle Miocene of Gračanica (Bugojno Basin, Bosnia-Herzegovina)

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

Multiproxy dietary trait reconstruction in Pleistocene Hippopotamidae from the Mediterranean islands

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