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De Vries et al. 2024 Prosimian premolars (p4s) Project ID: 000552618 Public
236 Media · 118 Specimens · Creator: Dorien de Vries · Managed by: Dorien de Vries

This study tests whether 1) premolar topography of extant “prosimians” (strepsirrhines and tarsiers) successfully predicts diet, and 2) whether the combination of molar and premolar topography yields higher classification accuracy than using either tooth position in isolation. Dental topographic metrics (ariaDNE, RFI, OPCR) were calculated for 118 individual matched-pairs of mandibular fourth premolars (P4) and second molars (M2). The sample represents 7 families and 22 genera. Tooth variables were analyzed in isolation (P4 only; M2 only), together (P4 and M2), and combined (PC1 scores of bivariate principal component analyses of P4 and M2 for each metric). Discriminant function analyses were conducted with and without a measure of size (two-dimensional surface area). When using topography only, “prosimian” P4 shape predicts diet with a success rate that is slightly higher than that of M2 shape. When absolute size is included, premolars and molars perform comparably well. Including both premolar and molar topography (separately or combined) improves classification accuracy for every analysis beyond considering either in isolation. Classification accuracy is highest when premolar and molar topography and size are included. Our findings indicate that molar teeth incompletely summarize the functional requirements of oral food breakdown for a given diet, and that the mechanism selecting for premolar form is more varied than what is expressed by molar teeth. Finally, our findings suggest that fossil P4s (in isolation or with the M2) can be used for meaningful dietary reconstruction of extinct primates. Article DOI: 10.1002/AJPA.24995

Filtering by: Organization NMNH - Division of Mammals Remove constraint Organization: NMNH - Division of Mammals Publication Status Open Download Remove constraint Publication Status: Open Download
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  ID Part Object Taxonomy Type Date Added Publication Status  
000562999 lower p4 (cast) USNM:MAMM:USNM 84381 Varecia variegata variegata Mesh 2023-09-20 Open Download  
000562995 lower second molar (cast) USNM:MAMM:USNM 84381 Varecia variegata Mesh 2023-09-20 Open Download  
000562919 lower p4 (cast) usnm:mammals:084383 Varecia variegata variegata Mesh 2023-09-20 Open Download  
000562915 lower second molar (cast) usnm:mammals:084383 Varecia variegata variegata Mesh 2023-09-20 Open Download  
000561153 lower p4 (cast) USNM:MAMM:USNM 257397 Propithecus verreauxi Mesh 2023-09-17 Open Download  
000561150 lower second molar (cast) USNM:MAMM:USNM 257397 Propithecus deckenii Mesh 2023-09-17 Open Download  
000561138 lower p4 (cast) usnm:mammals:063351 Propithecus diadema edwardsi Mesh 2023-09-17 Open Download  
000561135 lower second molar (cast) usnm:mammals:063351 Propithecus diadema edwardsi Mesh 2023-09-17 Open Download  
000561132 lower p4 (cast) usnm:mammals:063349 Propithecus diadema Mesh 2023-09-17 Open Download  
000561129 lower second molar (cast) usnm:mammals:063349 Propithecus diadema Mesh 2023-09-17 Open Download  
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