Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, 97403, USA.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2011 Jul;145(3):446-51. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.21525. Epub 2011 May 3.
This article uses data on the dental eruption pattern and life history of Tarsius to test the utility of Schultz's rule. Schultz's rule claims a relationship between the relative pattern of eruption and the absolute pace of dental development and life history and may be useful in reconstructing life histories in extinct primates. Here, we document an unusual eruption pattern in Tarsius combining early eruption (relative to molars) of anterior replacement teeth (P2 and incisors) and relatively late eruption of the posterior replacement teeth (C, P3, and P4). This eruption pattern does not accurately predict the "slow" pace of life documented for Tarsius [Roberts: Int J Primatol 15 (1994) 1-28], nor aspects of life history directly associated with dental development as would be expected using Schultz's rule. In Tarsius, the anterior teeth and M1 erupt at an early age and therefore are not only fast in a relative sense but also fast in an absolute sense. This seems to be related to a developmental anomaly in the deciduous precursor teeth, which are essentially skipped. This decoupling among dental eruption pattern, dental eruption pace, and life history pace in Tarsius undermines the assumptions that life histories can accurately be described as "fast" or "slow" and that dental eruption pattern alone can be used to infer overall life history pace. The relatively and absolutely early eruption of the anterior dentition may be due to the utility of these front teeth in early food acquisition rather than with the pace of life history.
本文利用跗猴的牙齿萌出模式和生活史数据来检验舒尔茨定律的实用性。舒尔茨定律声称牙齿萌出模式与绝对牙齿发育速度和生活史之间存在关系，并且可能有助于重建已灭绝灵长类动物的生活史。在这里，我们记录了跗猴中一种不寻常的萌出模式，即前替换牙（P2 和门齿）的早期萌出（相对于臼齿）和后替换牙（C、P3 和 P4）的相对较晚萌出。这种萌出模式并不能准确预测跗猴所记录的“缓慢”生活节奏[罗伯茨：国际灵长类学杂志 15（1994）1-28]，也不能准确预测与牙齿发育直接相关的生活史方面，这与舒尔茨定律的预期不符。在跗猴中，前牙和 M1 很早就萌出了，因此不仅在相对意义上而且在绝对意义上都很快。这似乎与乳牙的发育异常有关，乳牙基本上被跳过了。跗猴中牙齿萌出模式、牙齿萌出速度和生活史速度之间的这种分离，削弱了以下假设，即生活史可以准确地描述为“快”或“慢”，并且牙齿萌出模式本身可以用于推断整体生活史速度。前牙的相对和绝对早期萌出可能是由于这些前牙在早期获取食物中的实用性，而不是与生活史的速度有关。
