| Incisor microwear of Sumatran anthropoid primates. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 7943190 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Several studies have suggested that incisor microwear reflects diet and feeding adaptations of anthropoids. However, such studies have been largely qualitative, and interpretations have relied on anecdotal references to diet and tooth use reported in the socioecology literature. The current study relates incisor microwear in four anthropoid primates to specific ingestive behaviors and food types. Central incisor casts of wild-shot museum specimens of Hylobates lar, Macaca fascicularis, Pongo pygmaeus, and Presbytis thomasi were examined by scanning electron microscopy, and analyzed using a semiautomated image analysis procedure. Microwear patterns were used to generate predictions regarding diet and anterior tooth use. These predictions were evaluated using data collected during a 1 year study of feeding behavior of these same taxa in the wild (Ungar, 1992, 1994a,b). Results suggest that (1) enamel prism relief is associated with the effectiveness of etching reagents in foods, (2) dental calculus buildup results from a lack of incisor use and perhaps the ingestion of sugar-rich foods, (3) striation density varies with degree of anterior tooth use in the ingestion of abrasive food items, (4) striation breadth is proposed to relate to the ratio of exogenous grit to phytoliths consumed; and (5) preferred striation orientation indicates the direction that food items are pulled across the incisors during ingestion. It is concluded that incisor microwear studies can contribute to the understanding of diets and feeding behaviors of extinct primates. |
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Authors:
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P S Ungar |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. |
Journal Detail:
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Title: American journal of physical anthropology Volume: 94 ISSN: 0002-9483 ISO Abbreviation: Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. Publication Date: 1994 Jul |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 1994-10-27 Completed Date: 1994-10-27 Revised Date: 2006-11-15 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0400654 Medline TA: Am J Phys Anthropol Country: UNITED STATES |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 339-63 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Analysis of Variance Animals Cercopithecidae Dental Calculus / epidemiology, etiology, veterinary Diet* Female Hylobates Incidence Incisor / ultrastructure* Indonesia / epidemiology Macaca fascicularis Male Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Photomicrography Pongo pygmaeus Primate Diseases / epidemiology, etiology, pathology* Seasons Sex Factors Tooth Abrasion / epidemiology, etiology, pathology, veterinary* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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