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The middle Rhône Valley in the south east of France offers an opportunity to address the question of Neandertal mobility and the status of their occupations by comparing a broad corpus of sites in a limited chronological and geographic context. The combined study of occupation levels from ten deposits has revealed three occupation types defined based on the management and use of animal resources (Daujeard, 2008). This diversity is represented by technical choices and diverse tool assemblages. In addition to faunal criteria, this work compares other parameters, such as archaeostratigraphy, lithic artefacts and dental microwear to determine site function and occupation duration. We present the example of unit F at the site of Payre, dated to MIS 8/7 and defined as a recurring short-term camp.

In this article we announce the discovery of the first remains of Megaloceros giganteus found in Catalonia (north-eastern Iberia) from the Late Pleistocene: a fragment of maxillary. Dated between 35,000 and 37,000 cal BP, it is also among the youngest occurrence of this taxon in the Iberian Peninsula, while its last known occurrence is dated to the Neolithic period. Through a comparison with the giant deer of the northern Pyrenees, we analyzed the herbivore guilds in which this taxon was associated to understand the context in which it was able to enter the Iberian Peninsula. By comparing its diet with those of specimens from Northern Europe, we detail the ecological adaptations of this taxon in this new environment. We suggest that Megaloceros accompanied the migrations of cold-adapted species by taking advantage of the opening of corridors on both sides of the Pyrenees during the coldest periods of the Late Pleistocene. The diet of the Iberian individuals, which is oriented towards abrasive plants, suggests an adaptation to a different ecological niche than that found in Northern European individuals. The northern Iberian Peninsula may have been an extreme in the geographical expansion of M. giganteus. More specimens will be needed in the future to establish the variability of the southern Megaloceros populations. ARQ001SOL183-2022 and 2021-SGR-01237; Projects PID2019-103987GB-C31; (CEX2019-000945-M); PID2020-114462GB-I00; PID2019-104949GB-I00; RYC2019-026386-I; CEX2019-000945-M; Grant 101024230 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

In mammals, complex dental microwear textures (DMT) representing differently sized and shaped enamel lesions overlaying each other have traditionally been associated with the seeds and kernels in frugivorous diets, as well as with sclerotized insect cuticles. Recently, this notion has been challenged by field observations as well as in vitro experimental data. It remains unclear to what extent each food item contributes to the complexity level and is reflected by the surface texture of the respective tooth position along the molar tooth row. To clarify the potential of seeds and other abrasive dietary items to cause complex microwear textures, we conducted a controlled feeding experiment with rats. Six individual rats each received either a vegetable mix, a fruit mix, a seed mix, whole crickets, whole black soldier fly larvae, or whole day-old-chicks. These diets were subjected to material testing to obtain mechanical properties, such as Young’s modulus, yield strength, and food hardness (as indicated by texture profile analysis [TPA] tests). Seeds and crickets caused the highest surface complexity. The fruit mix, seed mix, and crickets caused the deepest wear features. Moreover, several diets resulted in an increasing wear gradient from the first to the second molar, suggesting that increasing bite force along the tooth row affects dental wear in rats on these diets. Mechanical properties of the diets showed different correlations with DMT obtained for the first and second molars. The first molar wear was mostly correlated with maximum TPA hardness, while the second molar wear was strongly correlated with maximum yield stress, mean TPA hardness, and maximum TPA hardness. This indicates a complex relationship between chewing mechanics, food mechanical properties, and observed DMT. Our results show that, in rats, seeds are the main cause of complex microwear textures but that hard insect body parts can also cause high complexity. However, the similarity in parameter values of surface textures resulting from seed and cricket consumption did not allow differentiation between these two diets in our experimental approach.

Altres ajuts: European Union "NextGenerationEU / PRTR" program The last European wild equids -Equus ferus and Equus hydruntinus- were among the large mammals (or megafauna) that became extinct during the Late Quaternary Extinction Event disappearing from Europe during the Holocene. The role that the combined action of the major climatic changes of the Pleistocene/Holocene Transition and the human activities played in their extinction is not fully understood. The reduction of steppe-like biomes in Europe following the increase of mean global temperatures during the Holocene is usually regarded as the main event that triggered their disappearance, as both equids display typical morphological adaptations for open grasslands and grass eating. However, E. ferus and E. hydruntinus are found, often even co-occurring, in both warm and cold phases of the Late Pleistocene. Thus, the investigation of their niche occupation can help decipher whether their ecology and specialised dietary adaptations were the main reason of their decline following the early Holocene global warming. Here we investigate the feeding strategies of the two equids by studying their long- and short-term dietary adaptations through examination of their patterns of dental wear. As expected, dental mesowear points to a highly abrasive diet concordant with a grazing feeding behaviour for both E. ferus and E. hydruntinus which is consistent with their specialised morphological adaptations for open habitats. In contrast, dental microwear suggests a somewhat degree of plasticity in diets, as both species display microscopic features commonly recorded in modern mixed feeders. Such a flexibility may be the reason for which they could have persisted even when open grasslands were not the dominant landscape. Our findings provide a new line of evidence supporting the idea that human activities (e.g., competition with the first domestic forms brought from Eurasia and Africa) may have played a larger role in the extinction of some megafauna groups than climate change per se.

Für den Zeitraum der OIS 3 sind im nördlichen Europa (>43°bis 52° nördlicher Breite) viele Fundplätze nachgewiesen, die von Neandertalern und modernen Menschen besiedelt waren. Dabei stellt sich die Frage, auf welcher Nahrungsgrundlage die Hominiden ihr Leben dort gestaltet haben. Waren sie von ständigem Hunger bedroht oder konnten sie ein Leben in Gesundheit mit optimalen Bedingungen für die Fortpflanzung führen? Es wurden die tierischen Ressourcen der OIS 3 für 80 Fundplätze in der o.g. Region und nach folgenden Merkmalen aufgenommen: dominante Tierart, monospezifische Jagd, Vorkommen kleiner Tiere, Skelettteilrepräsentanz, Jagdsaison und anthropogene Spuren. Eine statistische Auswertung ergab, dass die Unterschiede zwischen dem Mittelpaläolithikum und dem Aurignacien kleiner waren, als zwischen dem Aurignacien und dem Gravettien, was bedeutet, dass sich Neandertaler in Bezug auf die tierischen Ressourcen ähnlich verhalten haben wie der AMH des Aurignacien. Die tierischen Ressourcen bildeten die Grundlage zur Berechnung der Bedarfsdeckung an Energie, Makro- und Mikronährstoffen. Darauf aufbauend konnte berechnet werden, welche Mengen an Makro- und Mikronährstoffen, die sich als Defizite (Kohlenhydrate, Calcium, Vitamin D, C, Folsäure) aus einer ausschließlichen Ernährung aus tierischen Ressourcen ergeben, noch durch Pflanzen gedeckt werden mussten. Die Pflanzen der OIS 3 wurden aus der Biomisation, die das Stage 3 Projekt (Davis und van Andel, 2003) zur Verfügung stellte, mit Wildpflanzennährwerten verknüpft. Auf dieser Basis war es möglich, die noch fehlenden Makro- und Mikronährstoffe zu berechnen. Bei erfolgreicher Jagd und Kenntnis der Pflanzenstandorte war es möglich, ausreichend Energie sowie fast alle Makro- und Mikronährstoffe zu konsumieren. Die Auswirkungen der mit dieser auf Proteinen und Fetten beruhenden, veränderten Stoffwechsellage, sowie die Folgen defizitärer Nährstoffe bleiben ungeklärt.

Earliest evidence of animal domestication have been found in the northern Levant and are dated to the middle of the 9th millennium cal BC. In southern Levant, pig, cattle and sheep husbandry was probably introduced from northern Levant by the late 8th cal millennium BC, but concerning goat management, the available data are far from clear. The southern Levant is being increasingly considered as another presumed primary centre of goat domestication. However, assessing the status of these animals in this region is hampered by the difficulty of morphologically distinguishing domestic goats from their wild relatives. Diet reconstruction is a powerful approach to address this issue since feeding of managed animals is partially controlled by their owners, unlike free-ranging wild populations. For the first time, we propose to contribute to this question through dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) using confocal microscopy. At first, we built a reference collection of extant wild (Capra pyrenaica) and domestic (Capra hircus) goats, whose origin, period of death and diet are known. Two groups of domestic goats have been chosen: a first group was fed by fodder. The second lived in the Mediterranean mountains and were raised in an extensive breeding system. Secondly, we identi¿¿ied the more discriminant microwear texture parameters (ISO parameters), that allowed distinguishing between domestic and wild goats. Finally, we tested these parameters on goats (Capra format aegagrus) from two key Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites in the southern Levant, Tell Qarassa (Syria) and Kharaysin (Jordan), to characterize their paleodiet.

Experimental approaches are often used to better understand the mechanisms behindand consequences of post-mortem alteration on proxies for diet reconstruction.Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) is such a dietary proxy, using dental wearfeatures in extant and extinct taxa to reconstruct feeding behaviour and mechanicalfood properties. In fossil specimens especially, DMTA can be biased by post-mortemalteration caused by mechanical or chemical alteration of the enamel surface. Herewe performed three different dental surface alteration experiments to assess the effectof common taphonomic processes by simplifying them: (1) tumbling in sedimentsuspension to simulate fluvial transport, (2) sandblasting to simulate mechanicalerosion due to aeolian sediment transport, (3) acid etching to simulate chemicaldissolution by stomach acid. For tumbling (1) we found alteration to be mainlydependent on sediment grain size fraction and that on specimens tumbled with sandfractions mainly post-mortem scratches formed on the dental surface, while specimenstumbled with a fine-gravel fraction showed post-mortem formed dales. Sandblasting(2) with loess caused only negligible alteration, however blasting with fine sand quartzparticles resulted in significant destruction of enamel surfaces and formation of largepost-mortem dales. Acid etching (3) using diluted hydrochloric acid solutions inconcentrations similar to that of predator stomachs led to a complete etching of thewhole dental surface, which did not resemble those of teeth recovered from owl pellets.The experiments resulted in post-mortem alteration comparable, but not identical tonaturally occurring post-mortem alteration features. Nevertheless, this study servesas a first assessment and step towards further, more refined taphonomic experimentsevaluating post-mortem alteration of dental microwear texture (DMT).

Birds are some of the most diverse organisms on Earth, with species inhabiting a wide variety of niches across every major biome. As such, birds are vital to our understanding of modern ecosystems. Unfortunately, our understanding of the evolutionary history of modern ecosystems is hampered by knowledge gaps in the origin of modern bird diversity and ecosystem ecology. A crucial part of addressing these shortcomings is improving our understanding of the earliest birds, the non‐avian avialans (i.e. non‐crown birds), particularly of their diet. The diet of non‐avian avialans has been a matter of debate, in large part because of the ambiguous qualitative approaches that have been used to reconstruct it. Here we review methods for determining diet in modern and fossil avians (i.e. crown birds) as well as non‐avian theropods, and comment on their usefulness when applied to non‐avian avialans. We use this to propose a set of comparable, quantitative approaches to ascertain fossil bird diet and on this basis provide a consensus of what we currently know about fossil bird diet. While no single approach can precisely predict diet in birds, each can exclude some diets and narrow the dietary possibilities. We recommend combining (i) dental microwear, (ii) landmark‐based muscular reconstruction, (iii) stable isotope geochemistry, (iv) body mass estimations, (v) traditional and/or geometric morphometric analysis, (vi) lever modelling, and (vii) finite element analysis to reconstruct fossil bird diet accurately. Our review provides specific methodologies to implement each approach and discusses complications future researchers should keep in mind. We note that current forms of assessment of dental mesowear, skull traditional morphometrics, geometric morphometrics, and certain stable isotope systems have yet to be proven effective at discerning fossil bird diet. On this basis we report the current state of knowledge of non‐avian avialan diet which remains very incomplete. The ancestral dietary condition in non‐avian avialans remains unclear due to scarce data and contradictory evidence in Archaeopteryx. Among early non‐avian pygostylians, Confuciusornis has finite element analysis and mechanical advantage evidence pointing to herbivory, whilst Sapeornis only has mechanical advantage evidence indicating granivory, agreeing with fossilised ingested material known for this taxon. The enantiornithine ornithothoracine Shenqiornis has mechanical advantage and pedal morphometric evidence pointing to carnivory. In the hongshanornithid ornithuromorph Hongshanornis only mechanical advantage evidence indicates granivory, but this agrees with evidence of gastrolith ingestion in this taxon. Mechanical advantage and ingested fish support carnivory in the songlingornithid ornithuromorph Yanornis. Due to the sparsity of robust dietary assignments, no clear trends in non‐avian avialan dietary evolution have yet emerged. Dietary diversity seems to increase through time, but this is a preservational bias associated with a predominance of data from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Lagerstätte. With this new framework and our synthesis of the current knowledge of non‐avian avialan diet, we expect dietary knowledge and evolutionary trends to become much clearer in the coming years, especially as fossils from other locations and climates are found. This will allow for a deeper and more robust understanding of the role birds played in Mesozoic ecosystems and how this developed into their pivotal role in modern ecosystems., Video abstract

The societies living in the region of Empordà and Languedoc during the Iron Age have undergone a series of progressive transformations affecting their economic, social and political structure. Several archaeological evidences suggest the development of an increase of social differentiation, tensions between indigenous elites and an economy devoted to agricultural production. However, the impact of these phenomena over animal husbandry is not completely understood. In this work we propose the study of ‘classical’ zooarchaeology, the analysis of animal diet and the seasonality of pastoral practices on a corpus of five sites (Ullastret, Empúries, Cayla de Mailhac, la Ramasse and Lattara) from the end of the First Iron Age (550-450 BCE) to the beginning of the Second Iron Age (450-325 BCE). The results obtained through these approaches have provided new insights to better understand the impact of the historical context on animal husbandry. The combination of these techniques made possible to support the presence of a local breeding of livestock, probably self-sufficient, and livestock grazing in the environment close to the sites. In addition, probably due to the pressure of agriculture on livestock, shepherds have been forced to lead caprines (sheep and goats) to more marginal areas and less suitable for agriculture. In relation to the possible malnutrition of caprines, they would have benefited from additional supplies of fodder. As for the seasonality of pastoral practices, it was possible to observe slaughter rates according to the food needs of the community, but also according to environmental and/or climatic conditions. Overall, animal husbandry has had to adapt to a series of constraints imposed by the historical context. These findings testify a good biological knowledge, mastery of techniques and husbandry practices that have been adapted to the environmental and socio-economic conditions during the Iron Age.; Los sociétés de la région de l’Empordà et du Languedoc à l’âge du Fer subissent une série de transformations progressives affectant leur structure économique, sociale et politique. Plusieurs indices suggèrent le développement d’une hiérarchisation marquée, d’une société plus inégalitaire, de tensions entre les élites indigènes et d’une économie consacrée à la production agricole. Toutefois, l’impact de l’ensemble de ces phénomènes sur les pratiques d’élevages n’est pas encore complètement compris. Dans ce travail nous proposons l’étude archéozoologique dite classique, l’étude de l’alimentation animale et de la saisonnalité des pratiques pastorales d’un corpus de cinq sites (Ullastret, Empúries, Cayla de Mailhac, la Ramasse et Lattara) de la fin du premier âge du Fer (550-450 av. n. è.) et du début du second âge du Fer (450-325 av. n. è.). Les résultats obtenus par le biais de ces approches permettent d’apporter des éléments inédits de compréhension de l’impact du contexte historique sur l’élevage. Grâce à la combinaison de ces techniques, on a pu soutenir l’hypothèse de la présence d’un élevage local, probablement de type autarcique, et du pâturage dans le milieu proche des sites. En plus, probablement dû à la pression exercée par l’agriculture sur l’élevage, les bergers ont été contraints à conduire les caprinés (moutons et chèvres) dans des aires plus marginales et moins adaptées à l’agriculture. Face à la possible malnutrition des caprinés, ils auraient bénéficié de compléments nutritionnels. Quant à la saisonnalité des pratiques pastorales, il a été possible de constater des rythmes d’abattages selon les besoins alimentaires de la communauté, mais aussi selon les conditions environnementales et/ou climatiques. Globalement, les stratégies d’élevage ont dû s’adapter à une série de contraintes imposées par le contexte historique. Ces constatations témoignent de bonnes connaissances biologiques, d’une maîtrise des techniques et de pratiques d’élevage qui se sont adaptées aux conditions environnementales et à la situation socio-économique à l’âge du Fer.

Neanderthals are widely known to be a resilient human species that successfully faced constant and strong environmental fluctuations modifying the landscapes they inhabited and the availability of their potential resources. It has been traditionally assumed that environmental features could strongly affect human behaviour due to the stretch relationship between their potential prey and the availability of habitats. Environmental changes would produce a high variability in the settlement patterns of the Neanderthal groups. However, the preponderant influence of environmental conditions on these human groups has recently been strongly questioned. This is especially true for the Iberian Peninsula, where latitudinal position and orographic features supported the persistence of environmental conditions that allowed the permanence of a wide range of biotopes and animal and vegetal resources. In the present study, we reconstruct the Neanderthal settlement patterns (i.e. duration and season) from four archaeological sites located in the Mediterranean area of the Iberian Peninsula: Arbreda Cave (Serinyà, Girona), Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Barcelona), Abric Romaní (Capellades, Barcelona), and El Salt (Alcoy, Alicante). We focus on identifying whether they show a high variability in settlement patterns and check for the existence of local influences, such as the altitude. To reach these objectives, we designed a multi-proxy approach combining tooth wear and dental cementum analysis of the main Neanderthal preys: Cervus elaphus, Equus ferus, Equus hydruntinus, Bos primigenius and Capra pyrenaica. Our results first suggest that local features (i.e. orography, altitude, and environment) appear to be predominant factors determining the main feeding behaviour of the ungulates hunted by Neanderthals. Additionally, seasonal environmental variations seem to have influenced horse migratory behaviour, involving altitudinal movements in search of high-nutritive pastures. Neanderthal survival strategies and settlement patterns seem to have been less affected by environmental particularities and more linked to selective prey procurement based on the seasonal resource availability. Therefore, the duration and seasonality of their settlement patterns and their mobility throughout the landscape indicate they had a high level of knowledge on the territory they inhabited, as well as on the behaviour and availability of their potential preys., This work was supported by research grants from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (grant HAR2016-76760-C3-1-P), the Agencia de Gestio d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR 2017-SGR-836), and the French National Research Agency: Project CemeNTAA (ANR-14-CE31-0011) from the French Research Agency and the CEPAM laboratory (UMR 7264, CNRS, UCA). CSH is supported by a pre-doctoral grant (FPI) from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (BES-C-2014-0034). The CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya funds the research of CS, EC, GC, PS, JR, FR and JV. JRand RB develop their work within the Spanish AEI/FEDER projects CGL2015-65387-C3-1-P and CGL2015-68604-P. The research at Teixoneres Cave is supported by projects CLT009-18-00055 and2017 SGR 836 from the Generalitat de Catalunya, and Project HAR2016-76760-C3-1-P and PID2019-103987 GB-C31 from Spanish AEI. Project IþD HAR2015-68321-P (MEC-FEDER/UE) supported the El Salt shelter research. Excavations at Abric Romaní were performed with the support of the Departament de Cultura (Servei d’Arqueologia i Patrimoni) of the Generalitat de Catalunya (CLT009/18/00054), the Ajuntament de Capellades, the Oficina Patrimoni Cultural - Diputacio de Barcelona, ORROEL SL - Romanya-Valls, Bercontres-Centre de Gestio Medioambiental SL, and the Constructora de Calaf SAU.

Stereoscopic microwear and 3D surface texture analyses on the cheek teeth of ten Upper Triassic to Lower Cretaceous tritylodontid (Mammaliamorpha) taxa of small/medium to large body size suggest that all were generalist feeders and none was a dietary specialist adapted to herbivory. There was no correspondence between body size and food choice. Stereomicroscopic microwear analysis revealed predominantly fine wear features with numerous small pits and less abundant fine scratches as principal components. Almost all analyzed facets bear some coarser microwear features, such as coarse scratches, large pits, puncture pits and gouges pointing to episodic feeding on harder food items or exogenous effects (contamination of food with soil grit and/or dust), or both. 3D surface texture analysis indicates predominantly fine features with large void volume, low peak densities, and various stages of roundness of the peaks. We interpret these features to indicate consumption of food items with low to moderate intrinsic abrasiveness and can exclude regular rooting, digging or caching behavior. Possible food items include plant vegetative parts, plant reproductive structures (seeds and seed-bearing organs), and invertebrates (i.e., insects). Although the tritylodontid tooth morphology and auto-occlusion suggest plants as the primary food resource, our results imply a wider dietary range including animal matter. This research was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG, Award ID KA 1556/6-1 and 7-1 to DCK and MA 1643/16-1 to TM) (www.dfg.de); by the Swedish Research Council (VR, Award ID 2014–5234) (www.vr.se) and by the National Science Foundation (NSF, Award ID 1636625) (www.nsf.gov) to SM

This paper presents the results of a pilot study using dental microwear analysis on 23 sheep and goat teeth dated to the 6th century BC from the Iron Age site of El Turó Font de la Canya (Barcelona, Spain). This study aimed to reconstruct livestock management practices and landscape use. The dental microwear pattern indicates that sheep and goats could have been grazing in the same area where vegetation was composed of shrubs, bushes and nongraminaceous plants on an eroded landscape, although additional supplies of fodder cannot be excluded. This scenario is compatible with the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental data which suggest a possibly increased territoriality, land degradation and an increase of woodland clearance during Iron Age in the North-east of the Iberian Peninsula. Furthermore, we applied two recent microwear approaches which provide more information about mortality events and the possibility of distinguishing between an intensive and extensive management. This paper demonstrates how this method can be used to better understand animal husbandry practices and landscape use in Late Prehistory., The research has been carried out with the financial support of the Departament de Cultura (Servei d’Arqueologia i Paleontologia) of the Generalitat de Catalunya. This project has also been supported by LabEx ARCHIMEDE from “Investissement d’Avenir” programme ANR-11-LABX-0032-01, ERC-Starting Grant ZooMWest (ERC-StG2016-716298), and 2017 SGR-1040 (AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya).

Dietary habits of the extinct Ursus spelaeus have always been a controversial topic in paleontological studies. In this work, we investigate carbon and nitrogen values in the bone collagen and dental microwear of U. spelaeus specimens recovered in Level 4 from Toll Cave (Moia, Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula). These remains have been dated to > 49,000 C-14 BP. The ability of both proxies to provide data on the diet of U. spelaeus at different times in the life-history (isotopes: average diet of life; microwear: last days/weeks before death), allows us to generate high-resolution and complementary data. Our results show lower values (delta C-13 & delta N-15) in cave bears than in strict herbivores (i.e. Cervus elaphus) recovered from the same level of Toll Cave. On the other hand, 12 lower molars (ml) were analysed through low-magnification microwear technique. The cave bears from Toll Cave show a microwear pattern like that of extant bears with omnivorous and carnivorous diets. These data are discussed in the framework of all available data in Europe and add new information about the plasticity of the dietary habits of this species at the southern latitudes of Europe during Late Pleistocene periods. Isotopic samples were prepared at the Biomolecular laboratory of IPHES and measured at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) with technical assistance by Dr. Pau Comes. Some samples were reanalysed at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Dr. C. Tornero acknowledges the Beatriu de Pinos Postdoctoral fellowship (BP-MSCA Cofound code 2016-00346) from the AGAUR, Goverment of Catalonia, Spain. The research at Toll Cave is supported by projects CLT009-18-00055 and 2017 SGR 836 from the Generalitat de Catalunya; and project HAR2016-76760-C3-1-P from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (Spain). Dr. J. Rosell and Dr. R. Blasco develop their work within the Spanish MINECO/FEDER projects CGL2015-65387-C3-1-P and CGL2015-68604-P.

Hommes et Caprinés: de la montangne á la steppe, de chasse á l'élevage = Humans and caprines: from mountain to steppe, from hunting to hisbandry. XXXIXe rencontres internationales d'archéologie et d'histoire d'Antibes. Sous la direction de Lionel Gourichon, Camille Daujeard, Jean-Philip Brugal Éditions APOCA, Antibes, 2019, [EN] In this work we present a dental microwear analysis on sheep and goats from two sites of the Empordà region (north-eastem of the lberian Península) : the Greek comptoir of Empúries and the lberian town of Ullastret. This study revealed a high intake of graminaceous plants in both sites and in the two chronological phases studied. This pattem is compatible with a livestock grazing on wetlands. On a more specific level, this analysis also revealed sorne differences in flock's feeding between Ullastret and Empúries., [FR] Dans ce travail nous présentons les résultats de l'analyse de la micro-usure dentaire des moutons et chevres de deme sites de la région de l'Empordà (nord-est de la péninsule lbérique) a l'age du Fer: le comptoir grec d'Empúries et la ville ibérique d'Ullastret. Cette étude a montré un apport élevé en graminées pour tous les caprinés des deme sites et des deme phases chronologiques étudiées. Ce modele pourrait etre compatible avec le paturage des troupeame sur des aires humides. Á un niveau plus spécifique, cette analyse a aussi révélé quelques divergences entre l'alimentation des troupeame d'Ullastret et d'Empúries.

The diet of the extinct European cave bear, Ursus spelaeus, has widely been debated. Diverging from the extant brown bear (Ursus arctos) approximately 1.2 million years ago, the cave bear is one of the most ubiquitous fossil bears occurring in Europe during the middle and Late Pleistocene. Early morphological studies suggested that the cave bear was likely specialized on processing tough and/or abrasive foods, while later two-dimensional low-magnification microwear studies suggested that they were omnivorous and may have consumed more bone than U. arctos. Here, we used dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) to further interpret the diet of the cave bear. Microscopic wear features were assessed and compared to modern ursids, including the cave bears’ closest living relative, U. arctos. Results suggest that U. spelaeus consumed a diet with a diversity of textural properties, similar to most other bears and only distinguishable from the hyper-carnivorous polar bear (Ursus maritimus). Further, only U. maritimus can be distinguished from all bear species here examined (i.e., the giant panda bear, Ailuropoda melanoleuca; sun-bear, Ursus malayanus; spectacled bear, Tremarctos ornatus; American black bear, Ursus americanus; and U. arctos), with significantly greater area-scale fractal complexity (Asfc) of microwear surfaces. The DMTA of A. melanoleuca also has significantly lower Asfc than T. ornatus and U. americanus, consistent with observed dietary behavior. As modern bears vary their diets seasonally and across their range, it may be difficult to characterize the dietary ecology of extinct bears using dental microwear alone. Nevertheless, DMTA here demonstrates that U. spelaeus had a diet distinct from the hyper-carnivorous U. maritimus and instead likely consumed food with textural properties most similar to other herbivorous/omnivorous bears. Lastly, the European cave bear and North American giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) may have had similar diets as evident from DMTA, with U. spelaeus potentially eating tougher food items.

International audience; To better understand the environmental conditions that prevailed in the Plio-Pleistocene Shungura Formation, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, we analyze the feeding preferences of Tragelaphini, the third most common tribe of Shungura bovids. Molar mesowear and dental microwear texture analyses were applied to three species (Tragelaphus rastafari, T. nakuae, and T. gaudryi) and body mass estimates were calculated for the T. rastafari-nakuae lineage to test whether dietary shifts were linked to body mass changes. We compare our results with previous work on stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) of enamel, which indicated that tragelaphins from the Shungura Formation possessed dietary flexibility. We found that the both the T. rastafari-nakuae lineage and T. gaudryi maintained a mixed feeding dietary niche, with varying proportions of C3 versus C4 inputs, from ~3.6 to >2 Ma. Our results show that T. rastafari consumed more browse than its descendant, T. nakuae, which was a mixed feeder consuming a greater proportion of C4 dicots ~ 2.8 Ma. The T. rastafari-T. nakuae dietary shift may reflect environmental changes in the Shungura Formation during this time, but appears to be offset from body mass increases in this lineage, which occurred gradually through the Plio-Pleistocene. This study highlights the importance of a multi-proxy approach to precisely determine the dietary ecologies of extinct bovids and points to how each proxy offers a slightly different perspective on the ecology of fossil organisms.

International audience; Tooth wear and, more specifically, dental microwear texture is a dietary proxy that has been used for years in vertebrate paleoecology and ecology. DMTA, Dental Microwear Texture Analysis, relies on a few parameters related to the surface complexity, anisotropy and heterogeneity of the enamel facets at the micrometric scale. Working with few but physically meaningful parameters helps in comparing published results and in defining levels for classification purposes. Other dental microwear approaches are based on ISO parameters and coupled with statistical tests to find the more relevant ones. The present study roughly utilizes most of the aforementioned parameters in their more or less modified form. But more than parameters, we here propose a new approach: instead of a single parameter characterizing the whole surface, we sample the surface and thus generate 9 derived parameters in order to broaden the parameter set. The identification of the most discriminative parameters is performed with an automated procedure which is an extended and refined version of the workflows encountered in some studies. The procedure in its initial form includes the most common tools, like the ANOVA and the correlation analysis, along with the required mathematical tests. The discrimination results show that a simplified form of the procedure is able to more efficiently identify the desired number of discriminative parameters. Also highlighted are some trends like the relevance of working with both height and spatial parameters, as well as the potential benefits of dimensionless surfaces. On a set of 45 surfaces issued from 45 specimens of three modern ruminants with differences in feeding preferences (grazing, leaf-browsing and fruiteating), it is clearly shown that the level of wear discrimination is improved with the new methodology compared to the other ones.

Recently, dental microwear analysis has been successfully employed to xenarthran teeth. Here, we present new data on use wear features on 16 molariforms of Orophodon hapaloides and Octodontotherium grande. These taxa count among the earliest sloths and are known from the Deseadan SALMA (late Oligocene). Modern phylogenetic analyses classify Octodontotherium and Orophodon within Mylodontoidea with whom they share lobate cheek teeth with an outer layer of cementum and a thick layer of orthodentine. Similar target areas of 100μm2 were analyzed on the orthodentine surface of each tooth by stereomicroscopic microwear and by SEM microwear. Results were unlike those of extant sloths (stereomicroscopic microwear: Bradypus, Choloepus) and published data from fossil sloths (SEM microwear: Acratocnus, Megalonyx, Megatherium, Thinobadistes); thus, both approaches independently indicate a different feeding ecology for the Oligocene taxa. The unique microwear results suggest that both taxa fed on plant material with low to moderate intrinsic toughness (foliage, twigs) but also proposes intake of tougher food items (e.g., seeds). Frequent gouging of the tooth surfaces can be explained by exogenous influence on microwear, such as possible intake of abrasive grit. We suggest an unspecialized herbivorous diet for Octodontotherium and Orophodon utilizing diverse food resources of their habitat. These interpretations support the reconstruction of (1) Deseadan environments as open habitats with spreading savannas/grasslands and (2) both taxa as wide-muzzled bulk feeders at ground level. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10914-017-9405-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Pleistocene Paranthropus robustus fossils from Swartkrans have yielded stable isotope values suggesting some foraging on C4 plants possibly including underground storage organs. Dental microwear texture analysis on P. robustus (SK 6, SK 34 and SK 47) from Swartkrans Member 1 is performed to examine whether tooth surface damage from mastication agrees with prior dietary inferences from carbon isotopes. There is considerable variation in textural characteristics among the P. robustus specimens. Specifically, adult SK 34 stands apart from the two subadult specimens, SK 6 and SK 47, suggesting life history could be reflected in patterns of dental microwear texture characteristics, although seasonality and availability of fallback foods may also explain the variation observed in P. robustus. The fossils all exhibit elevated surface texture complexity, resembling the values for Lophocebus albigena and Cebus apella, and to a lesser extent, Pan troglodytes. Paranthropus robustus is dissimilar to primary folivores, such as Trachypithecus cristatus or folivore-frugivores such as Alouatta palliata suggesting leaves comprised very little of its diet. The textural fill volume of P. robustus differs from that observed in extant primates from tropical forests indicating extreme durophagy, perhaps a function of differences in habitat. Ingestion of extraneous grit on the underground parts of plants and from terrestrial resources, perhaps as fallback foods or as dietary staples, may account for these enamel textural properties and may help explain the mixed C3/C4 isotopic signal in P. robustus.

Diet is a critical factor of species’ ecology and depends on both individuals’ nutritional needs and availability of their food resources. As such, feeding strategies may vary with age, sex or physiological condition of the individuals but also depend on environmental factors and, in particular, seasonality. In cryptic species and those that are difficult to observe in their natural habitat, diet reconstruction requires the use of proxies with the ability to detect dietary variations over the short term. Analyses of dental microwear patterns along with carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes constitute a relevant approach to discriminate between diets of different species or populations. In the framework of this thesis, we assessed the predictive power of these two proxies on seasonal and inter-individual variations of diet in a natural population of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) for which behavioural data was available. According to the feeding behaviours observed, dental microwear patterns and isotopic signatures vary depending on the season as well as individual’s age and sex. Taken together our results indicate that the large diversity of rarely consumed food items cannot be detected by the proxies analysed, which are however, relevant to identify significant changes in the consumption of major foods such as fruits and leaves. Finally, isotopic signatures vary across females’ reproductive statuses and dominance ranks, indicating that the use of those proxies may allow the highlighting of some aspects of individuals’ physiology not detected by behavioural observations. The results presented in this thesis provide a baseline data essential for dietary reconstruction of extinct species sharing similar traits with mandrills, such as generalist primates from tropical forests.; Le régime alimentaire est un élément clé de l’écologie des espèces et dépend à la fois des besoins nutritionnels des individus et des ressources alimentaires disponibles. Ainsi, les stratégies alimentaires peuvent varier en fonction de l’âge, du sexe ou de l’état physiologique des individus, mais également de paramètres environnementaux et, en particulier, de la saisonnalité. Reconstruire le régime alimentaire d’espèces cryptiques ou difficiles à observer en milieu naturel nécessite l’emploi de marqueurs capables de détecter les variations du régime alimentaire sur le court terme. L’analyse des patrons de micro-usures dentaires et des ratios d’isotopes stables du carbone et de l’azote constitue une approche pertinente pour distinguer le régime alimentaire entre différentes espèces ou entre populations. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous avons évalué le pouvoir prédictif de ces deux types de marqueurs sur les variations saisonnières et interindividuelles du régime alimentaire dans une population naturelle de mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) sur laquelle des données comportementales étaient disponibles. Conformément aux comportements alimentaires observés, les patrons de micro-usures dentaires et les signatures isotopiques varient en fonction de la saison, de l’âge et du sexe des individus. L’ensemble de nos résultats nous indique que la diversité importante d’aliments consommés à faible fréquence par les mandrills ne peut être détectée par les marqueurs analysés qui semblent être, en revanche, pertinents pour identifier des changements significatifs de consommation d’aliments majoritaires tels que les fruits et les feuilles. Enfin, les signatures isotopiques varient en fonction du cycle reproducteur des femelles et de leur rang de dominance, nous indiquant que l’utilisation de tels marqueurs peut permettre la mise en évidence d’aspects de la physiologie des individus non reportés par des observations comportementales. Les résultats présentés dans cette thèse apportent des données de référence essentielles pour la reconstruction du régime alimentaire d’espèces éteintes partageant des traits communs avec le mandrill, telles que des primates généralistes de forêts tropicales.

Diet is a critical factor of species’ ecology and depends on both individuals’ nutritional needs and availability of their food resources. As such, feeding strategies may vary with age, sex or physiological condition of the individuals but also depend on environmental factors and, in particular, seasonality. In cryptic species and those that are difficult to observe in their natural habitat, diet reconstruction requires the use of proxies with the ability to detect dietary variations over the short term. Analyses of dental microwear patterns along with carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes constitute a relevant approach to discriminate between diets of different species or populations. In the framework of this thesis, we assessed the predictive power of these two proxies on seasonal and inter-individual variations of diet in a natural population of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) for which behavioural data was available. According to the feeding behaviours observed, dental microwear patterns and isotopic signatures vary depending on the season as well as individual’s age and sex. Taken together our results indicate that the large diversity of rarely consumed food items cannot be detected by the proxies analysed, which are however, relevant to identify significant changes in the consumption of major foods such as fruits and leaves. Finally, isotopic signatures vary across females’ reproductive statuses and dominance ranks, indicating that the use of those proxies may allow the highlighting of some aspects of individuals’ physiology not detected by behavioural observations. The results presented in this thesis provide a baseline data essential for dietary reconstruction of extinct species sharing similar traits with mandrills, such as generalist primates from tropical forests.; Le régime alimentaire est un élément clé de l’écologie des espèces et dépend à la fois des besoins nutritionnels des individus et des ressources alimentaires disponibles. Ainsi, les stratégies alimentaires peuvent varier en fonction de l’âge, du sexe ou de l’état physiologique des individus, mais également de paramètres environnementaux et, en particulier, de la saisonnalité. Reconstruire le régime alimentaire d’espèces cryptiques ou difficiles à observer en milieu naturel nécessite l’emploi de marqueurs capables de détecter les variations du régime alimentaire sur le court terme. L’analyse des patrons de micro-usures dentaires et des ratios d’isotopes stables du carbone et de l’azote constitue une approche pertinente pour distinguer le régime alimentaire entre différentes espèces ou entre populations. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous avons évalué le pouvoir prédictif de ces deux types de marqueurs sur les variations saisonnières et interindividuelles du régime alimentaire dans une population naturelle de mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) sur laquelle des données comportementales étaient disponibles. Conformément aux comportements alimentaires observés, les patrons de micro-usures dentaires et les signatures isotopiques varient en fonction de la saison, de l’âge et du sexe des individus. L’ensemble de nos résultats nous indique que la diversité importante d’aliments consommés à faible fréquence par les mandrills ne peut être détectée par les marqueurs analysés qui semblent être, en revanche, pertinents pour identifier des changements significatifs de consommation d’aliments majoritaires tels que les fruits et les feuilles. Enfin, les signatures isotopiques varient en fonction du cycle reproducteur des femelles et de leur rang de dominance, nous indiquant que l’utilisation de tels marqueurs peut permettre la mise en évidence d’aspects de la physiologie des individus non reportés par des observations comportementales. Les résultats présentés dans cette thèse apportent des données de référence essentielles pour la reconstruction du régime alimentaire d’espèces éteintes partageant des traits communs avec le mandrill, telles que des primates généralistes de forêts tropicales.

WOS: 000399027500010, Change in Mediterranean grinding technology during the Hellenistic/Roman period affected the pattern of dental microwear since external grit particles were finer when flour was prepared using large rotary querns. Therefore, it is possible to detect the technological change through the analysis of human dentition. Here, the sample of teeth from Kultepe (ancient Kanesh), Turkey, is investigated to determine if the grinding technology changed at this site between the Middle Bronze Age (n = 12) and Hellenistic/Roman period (n = 4). A Hellenistic/Roman sample from Assos (n = 7) is also included for comparative purposes. The proportions and size of linear and nonlinear features did not differ significantly between periods or sites, which indicates that in spite of technical advances, old grinding technologies were still used in the Hellenistic/Roman period in Anatolia.

En este artículo presentamos un estudio sobre la gestión alimentaria que se realizó del ganado ovino durante el periodo romano en el Empordà (noreste peninsular). Usando la técnica del micro desgastedentario, hemos analizado noventa y nueve dientes de ovejas de Empúries, Mas Gusó y Tolegassos. Esta nos ha proporcionado datos acerca de las últimas ingestas que realizaron los animales estudiados.Los resultados permiten proponer un sistema de explotación ganadero del medio, que se complementaría con la agricultura, haciendo uso de la vegetación asociada a las marismas del Empordà. Este modelo de explotación es inédito, ya que no es mencionado en los tratados romanos., In this paper, we use a zoo archaeological approach to study the management of the ovine herdsduring the Roman period in the Empordà plain (northeast of the Iberian Peninsula). Using the dental microwear technique, we analysed ninety-nine tooth remains of sheep from Empúries, Mas Gusóand Tolegassos. This provided us with information about the last food intake of the animals studied.The results allowed us to propose an exploitation system of the environment for livestock that complemented agriculture, making use of the vegetation associated with wetlands in the Empordàplain. This exploitation system has never been documented before, as is not mentioned in the Romantreatises.

URL: http://www.raco.cat.sabidi.urv.cat/index.php/Pyrenae/article/view/322743 DOI: 10.1344/Pyrenae2017.vol48num1.4 Filiació URV: SI Afegir al títol: [Pastando en las marismas. Una aproximación desde la técnica del microdesgaste dentario a la alimentación del ganado ovino en el Empordà romano (noreste de la Península Ibérica)] ENLLAÇ DE L'ARTICLE VIA RACO:http://www.raco.cat/index.php/Pyrenae/article/view/322743/413369. L'ARTICLE S'HA DE CONSULTAR A TRAVÉS DE L'ENLLAÇ In this paper, we use a zooarchaeological approach to study the management of the ovine herds during the Roman period in the Empordà plain (northeast of the Iberian Peninsula). Using the dental microwear technique, we analysed ninety-nine tooth remains of sheep from Empúries, Mas Gusó and Tolegassos. This provided us with information about the last food intake of the animals studied. The results allowed us to propose an exploitation system of the environment for livestock that complemented agriculture, making use of the vegetation associated with wetlands in the Empordà plain. This exploitation system has never been documented before, as is not mentioned in the Roman treatises.

Dynamic evolution of surface roughness and influence of initial roughness (S-a=0.282-6.73 mu m) during friction and wear processes has been analyzed experimentally. The mirror polished and rough surfaces (28 samples in total) have been prepared by surface polishing on Ti-6Al-4V and AISI 1045 samples. Friction and wear have been tested in classical sphere/plane configuration using linear reciprocating tribometer with very small displacement from 130 to 200 mu m. After an initial period of rapid degradation, dynamic evolution of surface roughness converges to certain level specific to a given tribosystem. However, roughness at such dynamic interface is still increasing and analysis of initial roughness influence revealed that to certain extent, a rheology effect of interface can be observed and dynamic evolution of roughness will depend on initial condition and history of interface roughness evolution. Multiscale analysis shows that morphology created in wear process is composed from nano, micro, and macro scale roughness. Therefore, mechanical parts working under very severe contact conditions, like rotor/blade contact, screws, clutch, etc. with poor initial surface finishing are susceptible to have much shorter lifetime than a quality finished parts. SCANNING 36:30-38, 2014. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dynamic evolution of surface roughness and influence of initial roughness (S-a=0.282-6.73 mu m) during friction and wear processes has been analyzed experimentally. The mirror polished and rough surfaces (28 samples in total) have been prepared by surface polishing on Ti-6Al-4V and AISI 1045 samples. Friction and wear have been tested in classical sphere/plane configuration using linear reciprocating tribometer with very small displacement from 130 to 200 mu m. After an initial period of rapid degradation, dynamic evolution of surface roughness converges to certain level specific to a given tribosystem. However, roughness at such dynamic interface is still increasing and analysis of initial roughness influence revealed that to certain extent, a rheology effect of interface can be observed and dynamic evolution of roughness will depend on initial condition and history of interface roughness evolution. Multiscale analysis shows that morphology created in wear process is composed from nano, micro, and macro scale roughness. Therefore, mechanical parts working under very severe contact conditions, like rotor/blade contact, screws, clutch, etc. with poor initial surface finishing are susceptible to have much shorter lifetime than a quality finished parts. SCANNING 36:30-38, 2014. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Altres ajuts: SYNTHESYS Project http://www.synthesys.info/, financed by European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the FP6 "Structuring the European Research Area" (DE-TAF-2273)i(FR-TAF-2323) Finite element analyses (FEA) were applied to assess the lower jaw biomechanics of cingulate xenarthrans: 14 species of armadillos as well as one Pleistocene pampathere (11 extant taxa and the extinct forms Vassallia, Eutatus and Macroeuphractus). The principal goal of this work is to comparatively assess the biomechanical capabilities of the mandible based on FEA and to relate the obtained stress patterns with diet preferences and variability, in extant and extinct species through an ecomorphology approach. The results of FEA showed that omnivorous species have stronger mandibles than insectivorous species. Moreover, this latter group of species showed high variability, including some similar biomechanical features of the insectivorous Tolypeutes matacus and Chlamyphorus truncatus to those of omnivorous species, in agreement with reported diets that include items other than insects. It remains unclear the reasons behind the stronger than expected lower jaw of Dasypus kappleri. On the other hand, the very strong mandible of the fossil taxon Vassallia maxima agrees well with the proposed herbivorous diet. Moreover, Eutatus seguini yielded a stress pattern similar to Vassalia in the posterior part of the lower jaw, but resembling that of the stoutly built Macroeuphractus outesi in the anterior part. The results highlight the need for more detailed studies on the natural history of extant armadillos. FEA proved a powerful tool for biomechanical studies in a comparative framework.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V6R-4K8SC9K-3&_user=10&_coverDate=11%2F14%2F2006&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=941fa6219b71220a7d0fde44d04bc2f9; International audience; A multi proxy approach was performed to characterize vegetation in southwestern Bulgaria during the end of the Early and the Middle Turolian (8.7–7.0 Ma). This period was marked by eustatic fluctuations in the Mediterranean Sea that are well documented. In order to estimate the impact of these marine events on continental landscapes, dental microwear and stable isotope profiles in enamel were used to characterize feeding habits of extinct bovids, and in turn vegetation. Analyses were made on permanent molars of fossil bovids from two Late Miocene localities: Hadjidimovo-1 (Early/Middle Turolian) and Kalimantsi (Middle Turolian). Carbon isotopes profiles of Tragoportax rugosifrons and Miotragocerus gaudryi from the Hadjidimovo-1 indicate a pure C3-based diet for the two boselaphini. Large inter-individual differences in absolute δ18O values were found for M. gaudryi suggesting little reliance on drinking water due to a browsing diet. Dental microwear shows that none of the bovid species exclusively grazed. In Hadjidimovo-1, microwear evidence suggests mixed feeding habits for Tragoportax rugosifrons, Gazella sp., and Palaeoreas lindermayeri and a leaf browsing diet for Miotragocerus gaudryi. Palaeoreas lindermayeri from Hadjidimovo-1 has a bimodal pattern indicating that its feeding preferences were tied to seasonal food availabilities. At Kalimantsi, Miotragocerus gaudryi show variations between individuals whereas Tragoportax cf. amalthea was an exclusive browser. Palaeoreas lindermayeri and Gazella sp. were also mixed feeders in Kalimantsi. Our combined approach shows no evidence for dense forested environments during the Early and Middle Turolian, and then supports previous hypotheses based on faunal analyses. Our results rather suggest that southwestern Bulgaria was dominated by open wooded landscapes where C3 graminoids grew in abundance among the herbaceous layer. Finally, microwear data suggest that the proportion of dicotyledons such as forbs, bushes or shrubs was probably higher in the plant communities of Kalimantsi than in those of Hadjidimovo-1.

Signs of nonalimentary tooth use were observed on the dentition of an adult male from a single burial excavated in an area close to the Uan Muhuggiag rock shelter (Tadrart Acacus, Libya), dated to more than 7800 uncalibrated years BP, that represents the most ancient human remain found in the Libyan Sahara, and provides a first glimpse of human adaptation in the early Holocene of this region. The wear pattern shows large grooves running across the occlusal surfaces of maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth and premolars. The results of macroscopic and microscopic observation, together with scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination and experimental tests, suggest that the microdamage might be due to repeated friction of vegetal fibers, probably as a consequence of basket making, net production, or mat processing. Further data are needed to allow us to distinguish among plant-oriented activities related to food acquisition (e.g., rope and net processing), food storage (e.g., basket making), or domestic handicraft (e.g., mat processing), whose implications may generate different interpretations of sexual division of labor.

Inference of feeding adaptation in extinct species is challenging, and reconstructions of the paleobiology of our ancestors have utilized an array of analytical approaches. Comparative anatomy and finite element analysis assist in bracketing the range of capabilities in taxa, while microwear and isotopic analyses give glimpses of individual behavior in the past. These myriad approaches have limitations, but each contributes incrementally toward the recognition of adaptation in the hominin fossil record. Microwear and stable isotope analysis together suggest that australopiths are not united by a single, increasingly specialized dietary adaptation. Their traditional (i.e., morphological) characterization as "nutcrackers" may only apply to a single taxon, Paranthropus robustus. These inferences can be rejected if interpretation of microwear and isotopic data can be shown to be misguided or altogether erroneous. Alternatively, if these sources of inference are valid, it merely indicates that there are phylogenetic and developmental constraints on morphology. Inherently, finite element analysis is limited in its ability to identify adaptation in paleobiological contexts. Its application to the hominin fossil record to date demonstrates only that under similar loading conditions, the form of the stress field in the australopith facial skeleton differs from that in living primates. This observation, by itself, does not reveal feeding adaptation. Ontogenetic studies indicate that functional and evolutionary adaptation need not be conceptually isolated phenomena. Such a perspective helps to inject consideration of mechanobiological principles of bone formation into paleontological inferences. Finite element analysis must employ such principles to become an effective research tool in this context. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Extensive oral processing of food through dental occlusion and orbital mandibular movement is often cited as a uniquely mammalian trait that contributed to their evolutionary success. Save for mandibular translation, these adaptations are not seen in extant archosaurs or lepidosaurs. In contrast, some ornithischian dinosaurs show evidence of precise dental occlusion, habitual intraoral trituration and complex jaw motion. To date, however, a robust understanding of the diversity of jaw mechanics within non-avian dinosaurs, and its comparison with other vertebrates, remains unrealized. Large dental batteries, well-developed dental wear facets, and robust jaws suggests that neoceratopsian (horned) dinosaurs were capable chewers. But, biomechanical analyses have assumed a relatively simple, scissor-like (orthal) jaw mechanism for these animals. New analyses of dental microwear, presented here, show curvilinear striations on the teeth ofLeptoceratops. These features indicate a rostral to caudal orbital motion of the mandible during chewing. A rostrocaudal mandibular orbit is seen in multituberculates, haramiyid allotherians, and some rodents, and its identification inLeptoceratops gracilisis the first evidence of complex, mammal-like chewing in a ceratopsian dinosaur. The term circumpalinal is here proposed to distinguish this new style of chewing from other models of ceratopsian mastication that also involve a palinal component. This previously unrecognized complexity in dinosaurian jaw mechanics indicates that some neoceratopsian dinosaurs achieved a mammalian level of masticatory efficiency through novel adaptive solutions.

La dieta es un problema general de la antropología. Diferentes perspectivas como la Biométrica, Etnobotánica y Bioquímica han tratado de comprender con mayor solidez los procesos bio-culturales que cobijan el desarrollo de las costumbres asociadas a la dieta en las sociedades antiguas. La dieta antigua puede ser estudiada desde el desgaste dental usando una perspectiva morfo-funcional debido a que la relación establecida entre el sistema masticatorio y los componentes de la comida compromete la pérdida progresiva de esmalte y su relación con las costumbres alimenticias de una población. MATERIALES: Este artículo presenta los resultados de investigación sobre el desgaste dental de una muestra de 12 individuos con edades entre 20 y 40 años de una sociedad prehispánica del sur occidente colombiano de tradición cultural Sonso (Cementerio de Guacanda). MÉTODOS: Se tomaron micrografías digitales con un SEM con un aumento de 300x. Sobre las imágenes se aplicó la metodología de Lalueza et al (1996) para la descripción del tamaño, ancho y cantidad de estrías y agujeros en las superficies bucales del protocónido e hipocónido. Se compararon los resultados entre individuos de la muestra con otras series de América aplicando el coeficiente de distribución t Student. Para comparaciones con series americanas se uso Componentes Principales, Escalamiento Multidimensional y Clúster. Para la medición de las estrías se usó el software Micromanager 1.3 y para la ayuda en el análisis estadístico se usó el programa de Software Past 1.78. RESULTADOS: Distribución similar de estrías y agujeros en ambos conos. Valores diferentes comparados con series arqueológicas del Precerámico, Formativo, tardío y Post-conquista americano. Diet is a general problem of anthropology. Different perspectives as Biometrics, Ethnobotany and Biochemistry have tried to understand more solid bio-cultural processes that shelter the development of diet-related customs in ancient societies. The diet can be studied from ancient tooth wear using a morpho-functional perspective because the relationship established between the masticatory system and the components of food undertakes progressive loss of enamel and its relation to the dietary habits of a population. MATERIALS: This article presents the results of research on tooth wear in a sample of 12 individuals aged between 20 and 40 years of a society in Southwestern Colombia: Hispanic cultural tradition Sonso (Guacanda Cemetery). METHODS: digital micrographs taken with an SEM with a magnification of 300x. On Images methodology was applied Lalueza et al (1996) to describe the size, width and number of grooves and holes in the buccal surfaces of the protoconid and hypoconid. The results were compared between individuals in the sample with other American series using the Student t distribution coefficient. For comparisons with American series was used principal components, multidimensional scaling and cluster. For measuring grooves micromanager software was used 1.3 and for assistance in the statistical analysis program was used Software Past 1.78. RESULTS: Similar distribution of grooves and holes in both cones. Different values compared with Preceramic archaeological series, Formative, Late and Post-American conquest. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Mixed diet, increased pressure and abrasion hypoconid, lithic technology and fine ceramics little abrasive for food processing, food tradition late Preceramic and Formative differential in North America. 61-92 cadavid98@hotmail.com cuatrimestral

Cette étude porte sur l’analyse de la micro-usure dentaire de 71 Pascuans ayant vécu entre le XIIIe et le XXe s. et dont les squelettes sont conservés au Musée Sebastián Englert (île de Pâques) ainsi qu’à l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique. La face vestibulaire des premières et secondes molaires définitives a été examinée au microscope électronique à balayage à un grossissement de 178 fois. L e nombre de micro-stries, leur longueur et leur orientation ont été relevés dans une aire circulaire de 300 μm de diamètre à l’aide du logiciel Microware 4.02 de P. Ungar. Le pattern de micro-usure des Pascuans indique une nourriture peu abrasive principalement d’origine végétale que l’on peut attribuer à la place prépondérante qu’occupait la patate douce dans leurs repas quotidiens. Une comparaison avec d’autres populations étudiées précédemment (des Médiévaux et des Néolithiques de Belgique) montre que le pattern de micro-usure des Pascuans présente le plus de similitudes avec les cisterciens de l’abbaye des Dunes de Coxyde chez qui la consommation de poisson marin est attestée. Des différences en fonction du sexe ou de l’âge au décès n’ont pas été observées. Notre étude montre néanmoins que le clan dit « royal » se distinguait des autres clans par sa micro-usure dentaire. Une plus grande consommation de produits d’origine animale dans le groupe socialement favorisé pourrait être à l’origine de cette distinction. This study concerns the analysis of the dental microwear of 71 Easter Islanders who lived between the 13th and the 20th centuries and whose skeletons are housed in the Sebastian Englert Museum (Easter Island) as well as the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium. The vestibular surface of the first and second permanent molars was examined by electron scanning microscope, at an enlargement of 178 times. The number of micro-striations, their length and their orientation were recorded in a circular area of 300 μm diameter using the Microware 4.02 program of P. Ungar. The pattern of microwear of the Easter Islanders indicates consumption of food which was not very abrasive, mainly of plant origin, which can be attributed to the important place held by sweet potatoes in their daily diet. A comparison with other populations previously studied (medieval and Neolithic populations in Belgium) indicates that the pattern of dental microwear of the Easter Islanders presents the most similarities with that of the Cistercians of the abbey of Dunes de Coxyde who consumed marine fish. Differences according to sex and age at death were not observed. Our study shows nevertheless that the so-called “royal” clan is distinguished from the other clans by its dental microwear. More consumption of products of animal origin by the socially privileged group could be the reason for this distinction.

Summary. — Different observation methods of dental microwear have already been proposed. After a review of the known micro lesions and those usually studied, this article describes their modes of onset which indicate which dental surfaces are to be studied. Known methods are described, the more recent ones being based on electron microscopy. We then propose our own method which, using ordinary chemicals and optical microscopy, allies simplicity and low cost for only a slight loss of precision in normal cases. Results can be compared directly to those of other authors. The method can be applied to all types of observations and can notably be used to compare living subjects and remains of ancient humans., Résumé. — Plusieurs méthodes d'observations de la micro-usure dentaire ont déjà été proposées. Après une revue des diverses micro-lésions connues, et de celles qui sont habituellement étudiées, nous rappelons leur mode de formation, dont découle un choix raisonné des surfaces dentaires à étudier. Nous revenons rapidement sur les méthodologies antérieures, dont les plus récentes privilégient la microscopie électronique. Nous proposons la nôtre, utilisant des produits courants et la microscopie optique ; elle allie simplicité et faible coût, pour une perte de précision peu importante dans les travaux courants. Les résultats peuvent se comparer directement à ceux des autres auteurs. La méthode est applicable à tous les types d'observations et permet notamment la comparaison des sujets vivants et des restes humains anciens., Gambarotta Jean-Pierre. Les micro-traces d'usure présentes sur les molaires humaines : méthode d'observation. In: Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, Nouvelle Série. Tome 7 fascicule 3-4, 1995. pp. 139-158.

Summary. — Dental microwear is an indicator of the masticatory movements and the foods that produced them. We have observed, in Northern Marocco, these traces on actual populations living in various environments and also on prehistoric populations belonging to different cultures. We have studied the guiding surface (type I) and the compression surface (type II) of the inferior molars. Type I and type II surfaces always have very different functions. The number of pits is always superior on type I surface than on type II. This number is an indicator of the applied forces and the resistance of the foods. Grooves are more numerous on type I surface than on type II and also globally in the ancient populations. This parameter indicates the abrasive power of the foods. Grooves are longer on type I surface than on type II, but of comparable size between ancient and contemporary populations; they are not related to the quality of the foods. In general, the ancient populations had a harder and more abrasive diet than the contemporary ones. Bruxism partially rubs out mastication grooves, and creates supplementary pits through compression and fatigue of the enamel. We propose an index that relates the average number of grooves to the degree of macroscopic microwear., Résumé. — Les micro-traces d'usure dentaire portent la trace des mouvements masticatoires et des aliments qui les ont produites. Nous avons observé, dans le Nord du Maroc, ces micro-traces sur des populations actuelles vivant dans des conditions diverses, ainsi que sur des populations préhistoriques appartenant à des cultures différentes. L'observation a porté sur des facettes de guidage (type I) et de compression (type II) de molaires inférieures. Les résultats sont en accord avec d'autres travaux sur l'homme et d'autres primates. Dans tous les cas les facettes de type I et II ont des fonctions très différentes. Le nombre des puits est toujours plus fort sur les facettes II que sur les facettes I. Ce nombre est un indicateur des forces appliquées et de la résistance des aliments. Les stries sont plus nombreuses sur les facettes I que sur les facettes II ; elles sont globalement plus nombreuses sur les populations anciennes. Ce paramètre indique la charge abrasive des aliments. Les stries sont plus longues sur les facettes I que sur les facettes II. Les longueurs sont comparables chez les anciens et les contemporains; elles ne sont pas liées à la qualité de l'alimentation. Les groupes anciens avaient, dans l'ensemble, une nourriture plus dure et plus abrasive que les contemporains. Le bruxisme efface partiellement les stries de mastication, et crée des puits supplémentaires par compression et fatigue de l'émail. Nous avons établi un indice qui relie la quantité moyenne de striation et le degré d'usure macroscopique., Gambarotta Jean-Pierre. Nombre, densité et dimensions des micro-traces d'usure dentaire chez des populations anciennes et actuelles du nord du Maroc. In: Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, Nouvelle Série. Tome 7 fascicule 3-4, 1995. pp. 159-176.

Microscopic features on scanning electron micro-graphs of epoxy-replicas of the second molars of nine wild-caught adult female Japanese monkeys, Macaca fuscata, from Oita Takasakiyama, Kyushu, were measured using a digitizer. These monkeys had been fed a monkey-diet during three or four days of captivity before replicas were made. Six of these specimens showed such heavily worn second molars that narrow peripheral enamel bands surrounded large dentin exposures and the cusps of the others had been worn off. Microwear measurements from sites near facet 9 were compared with those of facet 9 of three kinds of hard-object feeding primates from the literature. The mean percentage of pits among all features (pits and scratches) in these samples was almost equal to those that have been reported previously for Pongo pygmaeus and Cebus apella, but tended to be smaller than those of Cercocebus albigena. The mean pit width of these specimens was larger than that of Pongo pygmaeus and was almost equal to those of Cercocebus albigena and Cebus apella. The mean scratch width of these samples was larger than those of Cebus apella and Pongo pygmaeus. These features and the significant differences between these samples and the nonhard-object eaters such as Colobus guereza place these Macaca samples in the category of hard-object feeders. Additional directly observed seasonal feeding behaviors that would confirm the dietary contribution to these features is now needed.

Neanderthals have been traditionally described to be at the very top of the food chain, with a diet consisting almost exclusively of meat. On the other hand, anatomically modern humans (AMH) are thought to be a more flexible species with the exploitation of various food sources. Here we analyze dental macrowear of a large sample of Neanderthal and AMH postcanine teeth from different chronological and geographical areas of Europe and the Near East, applying a well-established method called Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis (OFA). This digital approach is based on the identification and analysis of attrition and abrasive occlusal wear facets (defined as polished homologous areas with well-defined borders) with the aim to reconstruct the jaw movements responsible for their formation. Thus, it enables to obtain information on dietary and non-dietary habits of these populations. Wear facet size and distribution seem to correlate well with diet, showing a large variation within Neanderthals and AMH, which mostly depends on the habitats they inhabited. We found ecomorphological signals distinguishing populations who lived in cold habitats from those who inhabited warm climatic conditions, suggesting an increase in meat consumption at the northern latitudes. In contrast, wear facet inclination is strongly influenced by the environmental abrasiveness accidentally introduced in the mouth through food preparation methods. In addition, we have also identified non-dietary wear on the postcanine dentition in Mediterranean populations that suggests the use of teeth as tools for daily task activities.