Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Division Mechanical Engineering and Design, London South Bank University, London, UK.
Sci Rep. 2022 Jun 2;12(1):9203. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-12488-8.
Size and shape variation of molar crowns in primates plays an important role in understanding how species adapted to their environment. Gorillas are commonly considered to be folivorous primates because they possess sharp cusped molars which are adapted to process fibrous leafy foods. However, the proportion of fruit in their diet can vary significantly depending on their habitats. While tooth morphology can tell us what a tooth is capable of processing, tooth wear can help us to understand how teeth have been used during mastication. The objective of this study is to explore if differences in diet at the subspecies level can be detected by the analysis of molar macrowear. We analysed a large sample of second lower molars of Grauer's, mountain and western lowland gorilla by combining the Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis method with other dental measurements. We found that Grauer's and western lowland gorillas are characterised by a macrowear pattern indicating a larger intake of fruit in their diet, while mountain gorilla's macrowear is associated with the consumption of more folivorous foods. We also found that the consumption of herbaceous foods is generally associated with an increase in dentine and enamel wear, confirming the results of previous studies.
灵长类动物臼齿冠的大小和形状变化在理解物种如何适应环境方面起着重要作用。大猩猩通常被认为是食叶性灵长类动物，因为它们具有锋利的锯齿状臼齿，适合处理纤维状的叶子食物。然而，它们饮食中水果的比例会根据栖息地的不同而有很大的差异。虽然牙齿形态可以告诉我们牙齿能够处理什么，但牙齿磨损可以帮助我们了解牙齿在咀嚼过程中的使用情况。本研究的目的是探索亚种水平的饮食差异是否可以通过分析臼齿宏观磨损来检测。我们通过将咬合指纹分析方法与其他牙齿测量方法相结合，对 Grauer 大猩猩、山地大猩猩和西部低地大猩猩的大量第二下臼齿进行了分析。我们发现 Grauer 大猩猩和西部低地大猩猩的宏观磨损模式表明它们的饮食中摄入了更多的水果，而山地大猩猩的宏观磨损模式则与食用更多的植物性食物有关。我们还发现，草本食物的摄入通常与牙本质和牙釉质磨损的增加有关，这证实了之前研究的结果。
