期刊
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
卷 118, 期 -, 页码 14-26出版社
ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.02.006
关键词
Australopithecus africanus; Paranthropus robustus; South African Homo; Dental topography; Dietary reconstruction
资金
- National Geographic Society
- National Research Foundation
- Paleontological Scientific Trust
- Lyda Hill Foundation
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Max Planck Society
- Connor Family Faculty Fellowship
- Office of Research and Development at the University of Arkansas
Though late Middle Pleistocene in age, Homo naledi is characterized by a mosaic of Australopithecus-like (e.g., curved fingers, small brains) and Homo-like (e.g., elongated lower limbs) traits, which may suggest it occupied a unique ecological niche. Ecological reconstructions inform on niche occupation, and are particularly successful when using dental material. Tooth shape (via dental topography) and size were quantified for four groups of South African Plio-Pleistocene hominins (specimens of Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus robustus, H. naledi, and Homo sp.) on relatively unworn M(2)s to investigate possible ecological differentiation in H. naledi relative to taxa with similar known geographical ranges. H. naledi has smaller, but higher-crowned and more wear resistant teeth than Australopithecus and Paranthropus. These results are found in both lightly and moderately worn teeth. There are no differences in tooth sharpness or complexity. Combined with the high level of dental chipping in H. naledi, this suggests that, relative to Australopithecus and Paranthropus, H. naledi consumed foods with similar fracture mechanics properties but more abrasive particles (e.g., dust, grit), which could be due to a dietary and/or environmental shift(s). The same factors that differentiate H. naledi from Australopithecus and Paranthropus may also differentiate it from Homo sp., which geologically predates it, in the same way. Compared to the great apes, all hominins have sharper teeth, indicating they consumed foods requiring higher shear forces during mastication. Despite some anatomical similarities, H. naledi likely occupied a distinct ecological niche from the South African hominins that predate it. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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