Paleodiet and niche partitioning among the easternmost European cave bears based on tooth wear analysis

Ramírez-Pedraza, Iván; Baryshnikov, Gennady; Prilepskaya, Natalya E.; Belyaev, Ruslan I.; Pappa, Spyridoula; Rivals, Florent

doi:10.1080/08912963.2021.1960324

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…No difference in tooth microwear was found between adults and juveniles of Ursus rossicus , a small extinct species of cave bear that lived in the steppe regions of northern Eurasia during the Pleistocene, and Ursus ingressus , an extinct species of cave bear that lived in central Europe during the Late Pleistocene (Baryshnikov & Foronova 2001; Ramirez Pedraza et al . 2022). Although these were different species to the cave bears from Belgium, all three species are closely related, since all three belong to U. spelaeus sensu lato (Gimranov & Kosintsev 2022) (Konyovska et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geometric morphometric assessment of the fossil bears of Namur, Belgium: Allometry and ecomorphology

Heteren

Germonpré

2023

Boreas

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The Namur area in Belgium is useful to study brown (Ursus arctos) and cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) as the assemblage contains little temporal and no geographical variation. Here, we aim to assess ontogenetic allometry within cave bears, as well as ecomorphological differences between adult brown bears (n = 9), adult cave bears (n = 5) and juvenile cave bears (n = 3). Landmarks for 3D digitization of the mandible were chosen based on the taphonomical damage of the specimens. Extant brown bears and extinct Pleistocene brown and cave bears were digitized with a Microscribe G2. Generalized Procrustes superimposition was performed on the coordinates. Allometry was studied using regression analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to assess ecomorphological differences between the groups. 61% of the shape variance within juvenile and adult cave bears was predicted by size (n = 8, p < 0.01). The juvenile cave bears have relatively deep horizontal rami. In adult cave bears, the horizontal ramus is much narrower dorsoventrally. Juvenile cave bears have a small masseteric fossa and a short coronoid process, whereas both are larger, relative to mandible size, in adult cave bears. This made juvenile cave bears likely less effective masticators than fully grown cave bears. In the PCA, principal component (PC) 1 accounts for 45.0% of the total variance and PC2 accounts for 27.6%. Fossil U. arctos from Namur fall within the 95% confidence interval of modern North American U. arctos on both PCs, but are more similar to cave bears than the average extant brown bear. From the similarity of fossil and modern brown bears, it can be deduced that the diet of fossil brown bears was probably also within the range of their modern North American conspecifics, although they might have been more efficient at masticating plant matter.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geometric morphometric assessment of the fossil bears of Namur, Belgium: Allometry and ecomorphology

Heteren

Germonpré

2023

Boreas

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“…The number of pathological deformations of canines in U. ingressus from Shiryaevo 1 Cave (44%, n = 32; Ramírez‐Pedraza et al . 2021) indicates that the frequency of canine breakage in cave bears could be even higher. This raises a question about the reasons for such frequent breakages.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tooth microwear analysis indicates that the feeding habits of cave bears differed greatly from those of extant brown and black bears (Ramírez‐Pedraza et al . 2019, 2021). Isotopic studies of bone collagen ( δ 13 C and δ 15 N values) indicate that cave bears were predominantly vegetarians (Bocherens et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Season‐of‐death and age‐at‐death of the easternmost European cave bears: Cementum and dentine increment analysis provides new insight into the cave bear ecology

Prilepskaya

Bachura

Baryshnikov

2022

Boreas

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Cementum and dentine increment analysis was used for the first time to study the remains of cave bears from European Russia, the Urals and the Caucasus. This study analysed 12 canines belonging to 12 different individuals (five males and seven females) from genetically different lineages of cave bears. The increment analysis showed that all studied cave bears belong to the categories adults and old animals (from 10 to 32.5 years). The enamel crowns of all 12 canines were broken and/or had wear facets. Seven canines studied were severely broken (more than one-third of a canine crown missing). Significant damage to dental crowns may indicate old age, conflict between males and/or high food abrasion. The absence of significant differences in the extent of canine breakage between the youngest and the oldest animals, as well as between the males and the females, may indicate a significant role of food abrasiveness in the process of the grinding of canines. Until now, the question of whether these animals visited caves year-round or stayed there mainly for overwintering remained open. The increment analysis showed different seasons of the bears' death. Six individuals died in the warm season and four individuals died in the cold season. In all of the studied caves (excluding Medvezhiya Cave) the animals died in the warm season as well as in the cold season. All of the studied females perished either during the cold season or at the very beginning of the warm season. On the contrary, almost all of the examined males perished in the warm season. Thus, the cave bears visited the caves year-round. This study raises new questions in the study of the ecology of cave bears from different parts of their range.

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“…Dental wear analysis has not yet been examined on the placodonts. Dental wear studies (2D and 3D) are a suitable method to detect major differences in the type of the food consumed (e.g.DeSantis, 2016 ; DeSantis et al, 2012 ; Pedraza et al, 2022 ; Solounias & Hayek, 1993 ) and to interpret their possible spatial and temporal changes in an evolutionary context. Although these examinations are most commonly used for mammals, they also work well for reptiles (Ősi & Weishampel, 2009 ; Mallon & Anderson, 2014 ; Ősi et al, 2017 ; Winkler et al, 2019 ) and fishes (Purnell & Darras, 2016 ; Purnell et al, 2012 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex dental wear analysis reveals dietary shift in Triassic placodonts (Sauropsida, Sauropterygia)

Gere,

Nagy,

Scheyer

et al. 2024

Swiss J Palaeontol

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Placodonts were durophagous reptiles of the Triassic seas with robust skulls, jaws, and enlarged, flat, pebble-like teeth. During their evolution, they underwent gradual craniodental changes from the Early Anisian to the Rhaetian, such as a reduction in the number of teeth, an increase in the size of the posterior palatal teeth, an elongation of the premaxilla/rostrum, and a widening of the temporal region. These changes are presumably related to changes in dietary habits, which, we hypothesise, are due to changes in the type and quality of food they consumed. In the present study, the dental wear pattern of a total of nine European Middle to Late Triassic placodont species were investigated using 2D and 3D microwear analyses to demonstrate whether there could have been a dietary shift or grouping among the different species and, whether the possible changes could be correlated with environmental changes affecting their habitats. The 3D analysis shows overlap between species with high variance between values and there is no distinct separation. The 2D analysis has distinguished two main groups. The first is characterised by low number of wear features and high percentage of large pits. The other group have a high feature number, but low percentage of small pits. The 2D analysis showed a correlation between the wear data and the size of the enlarged posterior crushing teeth. Teeth with larger sizes showed less wear feature (with higher pit ratio) but larger individual features. In contrast, the dental wear facet of smaller crushing teeth shows more but smaller wear features (with higher scratch number). This observation may be related to the size of the food consumed, i.e., the wider the crown, the larger food it could crush, producing larger features. Comparison with marine mammals suggests that the dietary preference of Placochelys, Psephoderma and Paraplacodus was not exclusively hard, thick-shelled food. They may have had a more mixed diet, similar to that of modern sea otters. The diet of Henodus may have included plant food, similar to the modern herbivore marine mammals and lizards.

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Paleodiet and niche partitioning among the easternmost European cave bears based on tooth wear analysis

Cited by 11 publications

References 33 publications

Geometric morphometric assessment of the fossil bears of Namur, Belgium: Allometry and ecomorphology

Geometric morphometric assessment of the fossil bears of Namur, Belgium: Allometry and ecomorphology

Season‐of‐death and age‐at‐death of the easternmost European cave bears: Cementum and dentine increment analysis provides new insight into the cave bear ecology

Complex dental wear analysis reveals dietary shift in Triassic placodonts (Sauropsida, Sauropterygia)

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