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Teeth on trial: What can dental morphology really tell us about hominin phylogeny?

Bailey, Shara E., Delezene, Lucas K, Moggi-Cecchi, Jacopo, Skinner, Matthew M. (2018) Teeth on trial: What can dental morphology really tell us about hominin phylogeny? In: Annual Meeting of the American Association for Physical Anthropologists, 11-14 Apr 2018, Austin, USA. (Unpublished) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository.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:77913)

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)

Abstract

Results of studies on cusp homology, experimental studies of dental growth and development and the dental morphology of new fossil hominins like Homo floresiensis and H. naledi force us to re-examine to what extent we can rely on dental morphological data to reconstruct evolutionary relationships. H. floresiensis has primitive deciduous lower canines and primitive permanent lower third and fourth premolars. However, its small, four-cusped lower molars are morphologically derived towards H. sapiens. Rather than indicating a unique phylogenetic link with H. sapiens, it is possible that the simplified molars of H. floresiensis are a result of diminutive tooth size, similar to that seen in the Middle Pleistocene hominins from Sima de los Huesos. But what about the opposite end of the spectrum? The talonid expansion observed in Paranthropus lower deciduous molars and lower permanent premolars and molars has been traditionally understood as derived characters that link P. robustus and P. boisei into a monophyletic clade. However, certain dental morphological characteristics of H. naledi force us to question this interpretation. The permanent lower third premolar and six out of nine deciduous teeth represented by that

sample show greatest morphological similarity to P. robustus and/or A. africanus (ui1, li2, lc, udm1, ldm1 and ldm2). Yet, a number of other morphological traits are derived towards later Homo (e.g., lack of upper and lower molar accessory cusps) or unique within the hominin clade (upper molar cusp height and spacing). Here we present alternative ways to interpret these conflicting signals.

Item Type: Conference or workshop item (Paper)
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation
Depositing User: Matthew Skinner
Date Deposited: 27 Oct 2019 09:16 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Feb 2021 14:08 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/77913 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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