Mammalian Teeth Form and Function

About this book

Teeth are the hardest and most durable parts of the mammalian body. Even after millions of years they provide a wealth of palaeobiologic information. Teeth reflect the interaction of mammals with the environment, as evident from their shape and traces of mastication on their surface. Teeth of fossil and extant mammals provide information on the diet, mode of food processing, biomechanics of mastication, and energy gain. Modern analytical and visualization techniques such as micro-computed tomography, high-resolution surface analysis, and 3D imaging have greatly boosted the research on dental function in recent years. The book Mammalian Teeth: Form and Function offers a comprehensive synopsis of the latest advances in the field of dental function research. It will be of interest not only to palaeontologists and biologists, but also to students and scholars in archaeology, animal nutrition, and dentistry.

Contents

Preface (p. 7)
Authors (p. 7-10)

Occlusion and Wear
1 Julia A. Schultz, Ulrike Anders, Caroline Braune, Janka J. Brinkkötter, Ivan Calandra, Sandra Engels, Eva Findeisen, Juan Pablo Gailer, Jürgen Hummel, Kai R. K. Jäger, Thomas M. Kaiser, Daniela C. Kalthoff, Wighart v. Koenigswald, Ottmar Kullmer, Christina Landwehr, Markus Mau, Ulrike Menz, Irina Ruf, Anne M. Schubert, Ellen Schulz-Kornas, Achim H. Schwermann, Leonie C. Schwermann, Mirella Skiba, Patrick Steuer, Karl-Heinz Südekum, Daniela E. Winkler, and Thomas Martin: A new wear facet terminology for mammalian dentitions (p. 11-24)
2 Ottmar Kullmer, Ulrike Menz, and Luca Fiorenza: Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis (OFA) reveals dental occlusal behavior in primate molars (p. 25-43)
3 Ellen Schulz-Kornas, Thomas M. Kaiser, Ivan Calandra, and Daniela E. Winkler: A brief history of quantitative wear analyses with an appeal for a holistic view on dental wear processes (p. 44-53)

Mastication and Jaw Mechanics
4 Jordi Marcé-Nogué: Mandibular biomechanics as a key factor to understand diet in mammals (p. 54-80)
5 Marcus Mau, Achim Johann, Thomas M. Kaiser, and Karl-Heinz Südekum: Interaction between food, saliva, and tooth surface (p. 81-86)
6 Jürgen Hummel, Marcus Clauss, and Karl-Heinz Südekum: Aspects of food comminution in ungulates and their consequences for energy budget (p. 87-101)

Ontogeny and Heterochrony
7 Irina Ruf, Anne M. Schubert, and Wighart v. Koenigswald: Case studies on functional aspects and constraints in early and late tooth ontogeny (p. 102-124)
8 Daniela E. Winkler, Jordi Marcé-Nogué, and Thomas M. Kaiser: Enamel ridge alignments in ungulates: a cut above (p. 125-170)
9 Wighart v. Koenigswald: Construction and wear of mammalian teeth in terms of heterochrony (p. 171-186)

Evolutionary Changes
10 Thomas Martin, Kai R. K. Jäger, Thorsten Plogschties, Achim H. Schwermann, Janka J. Brinkkötter, and Julia A. Schultz: Molar diversity and functional adaptations in Mesozoic mammals (p. 187-214)
11 Julia A. Schultz, Sandra Engels, Leonie C. Schwermann, and Wighart v. Koenigswald: Evolutionary trends in the mastication patterns in some perissodactyls, cetartiodactyls, and proboscideans (p. 215-230)
12 Daniela Kalthoff: Short review of dental microstructure and dental microwear in xenarthran teeth (p. 231-241)

Index (p. 243-248)

Customer Reviews

Biography

Thomas Martin holds the chair of palaeontology at the University of Bonn. He works on Mesozoic and Paleogene mammalian evolution and ecomorphology.

Wighart von Koenigswald is professor emeritus of paleontology at the University of Bonn. He is an expert on Cenozoic mammals and the function of mammalian dentitions.