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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

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  ID Part Object Taxonomy Type Date Added Publication Status  
000553465 lower second molar (cast) dpc:12768 Prolemur simus Mesh 2023-08-27 Open Download  
000553457 lower second molar (cast) dpc:12767 Prolemur simus Mesh 2023-08-27 Open Download  
000553453 lower p4 (cast) dpc:12765 Prolemur simus Mesh 2023-08-27 Open Download  
000553449 lower second molar (cast) dpc:12765 Prolemur simus Mesh 2023-08-27 Open Download  
000553445 lower p4 (cast) dpc:10936A Prolemur simus Mesh 2023-08-27 Open Download  
000553441 lower second molar (cast) dpc:10936A Prolemur simus Mesh 2023-08-27 Open Download  
000553215 lower p4 (cast) dpc:ost:34 Cheirogaleus medius Mesh 2023-08-25 Open Download  
000553214 lower second molar (cast) dpc:ost:34 Cheirogaleus medius Mesh 2023-08-25 Open Download  
000553202 lower p4 (cast) dpc:ost:138 Cheirogaleus medius Mesh 2023-08-25 Open Download  
000553201 lower second molar (cast) dpc:ost:138 Cheirogaleus medius Mesh 2023-08-25 Open Download  
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