Skip to main content
Kent Academic Repository

Aspects of molar form and dietary proclivities of African colobines

Guatelli-Steinberg, Debbie, Schwartz, Gary T., O'Hara, Mackie C., Gurian, Kaita, Rychel, Jess, Dunham, Noah, Cunneyworth, Pamela M K, Donaldson, Andrea, McGraw, W Scott (2023) Aspects of molar form and dietary proclivities of African colobines. Journal of Human Evolution, 180 . Article Number 103384. ISSN 0047-2484. (doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103384) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:101491)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided. (Contact us about this Publication)
Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103384

Abstract

This study investigates aspects of molar form in three African colobine species: Colobus polykomos, Colobus angolensis, and Piliocolobus badius. Our samples of C. polykomos and P. badius are from the Taï Forest, Ivory Coast; our sample of C. angolensis is from Diani, Kenya. To the extent that protective layers surrounding seeds are hard, we predicted that molar features related to hard-object feeding would be more pronounced in Colobus than they are Piliocolobus, as seed-eating generally occurs at higher frequencies in species of the former. We further predicted that among the colobines we studied, these features would be most pronounced in Taï Forest C. polykomos, which feeds on Pentaclethra macrophylla seeds encased within hard and tough seed pods. We compared overall enamel thickness, enamel thickness distribution, absolute crown strength, cusp tip geometry, and flare among molar samples. Sample sizes per species and molar type varied per comparison. We predicted differences in all variables except overall enamel thickness, which we expected would be invariant among colobines as a result of selection for thin enamel in these folivorous species. Of the variables we examined, only molar flare differed significantly between Colobus and Piliocolobus. Our findings suggest that molar flare, an ancient feature of cercopithecoid molars, was retained in Colobus but not in Piliocolobus, perhaps as a result of differences in the seed-eating proclivities of the two genera. Contrary to predictions, none of the aspects of molar form we investigated tracked current dietary differences in seed-eating between the two Colobus species. Finally, we explored the possibility that molar flare and absolute crown strength, when analyzed together, might afford greater differentiation among these colobine species. A multivariate t test of molar flare and absolute crown strength differentiated C. polykomos and P. badius, possibly reflecting known niche divergence between these two sympatric Taï Forest species.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103384
Uncontrolled keywords: Hard-object feeding, Folivory, Teeth, Enamel thickness, Absolute crown strength
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology
H Social Sciences
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation
Funders: National Science Foundation (https://ror.org/021nxhr62)
SWORD Depositor: JISC Publications Router
Depositing User: JISC Publications Router
Date Deposited: 06 Jun 2023 09:44 UTC
Last Modified: 07 Jun 2023 09:36 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/101491 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.