Dental microwear texture analysis along reptile tooth rows: complex variation with non-dietary variables.

ABSTRACT: Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) is a powerful technique for reconstructing the diets of extant and extinct taxa. Few studies have investigated intraspecific microwear differences along with tooth rows and the influence of endogenous non-dietary variables on texture characteristics. Sampling teeth that are minimally affected by non-dietary variables is vital for robust dietary reconstructions, especially for taxa with non-occlusal (non-chewing) dentitions as no standardized sampling strategies currently exist. Here, we apply DMTA to 13 species of extant reptile (crocodilians and monitor lizards) to investigate intraspecific microwear differences along with tooth rows and to explore the influence of three non-dietary variables on exhibited differences: (i) tooth position, (ii) mecha

SUBMITTER: Bestwick J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8074666 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature