Institut de Paléoprimatologie, Paléontologie Humaine: Evolution et Paléoenvironnements, UMR-CNRS INEE - Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2012 Jun;295(6):1017-26. doi: 10.1002/ar.22482. Epub 2012 May 2.
The reconstruction of paleo-diets is an important task in the study of fossil primates. Previously, paleo-diet reconstructions were performed using different methods based on extant primate models. In particular, dental microwear or isotopic analyses provided accurate reconstructions for some fossil primates. However, there is sometimes difficult or impossible to apply these methods to fossil material. Therefore, the development of new, independent methods of diet reconstructions is crucial to improve our knowledge of primates paleobiology and paleoecology. This study aims to investigate the correlation between tooth root apical morphology and diet in primates, and its potential for paleo-diet reconstructions. Dental roots are composed of two portions: the eruptive portion with a smooth and regular surface, and the apical penetrative portion which displays an irregular and corrugated surface. Here, the angle formed by these two portions (aPE), and the ratio of penetrative portion over total root length (PPI), are calculated for each mandibular tooth root. A strong correlation between these two variables and the proportion of some food types (fruits, leaves, seeds, animal matter, and vertebrates) in diet is found, allowing the use of tooth root apical morphology as a tool for dietary reconstructions in primates. The method was then applied to the fossil hominoid Khoratpithecus piriyai, from the Late Miocene of Thailand. The paleo-diet deduced from aPE and PPI is dominated by fruits (>50%), associated with animal matter (1-25%). Leaves, vertebrates and most probably seeds were excluded from the diet of Khoratpithecus, which is consistent with previous studies.
古食谱重建是化石灵长类动物研究中的一项重要任务。以前，古食谱重建是基于现生灵长类动物模型使用不同的方法进行的。特别是，牙齿微磨损或同位素分析为一些化石灵长类动物提供了准确的重建。然而，有时很难或不可能将这些方法应用于化石材料。因此，开发新的、独立的饮食重建方法对于提高我们对灵长类动物古生物学和古生态学的认识至关重要。本研究旨在探讨灵长类动物牙齿根尖形态与饮食之间的相关性及其在古食谱重建中的潜力。牙齿根部由两部分组成：表面光滑且规则的萌出部分和显示不规则波纹表面的根尖穿透部分。在这里，计算这两部分之间形成的角度（aPE）和穿透部分占总根长的比例（PPI），为每个下颌牙齿根部。发现这两个变量与饮食中某些食物类型（水果、叶子、种子、动物物质和脊椎动物）的比例之间存在很强的相关性，这使得使用根尖形态作为灵长类动物饮食重建的工具成为可能。然后将该方法应用于泰国晚中新世的化石人科动物 Khoratpithecus piriyai。从 aPE 和 PPI 推断出的古食谱主要以水果为主（>50%），并伴有动物物质（1-25%）。叶子、脊椎动物和最有可能的种子被排除在 Khoratpithecus 的饮食之外，这与以前的研究一致。
