Nanomechanical variability in the early evolution of vertebrate dentition.

ABSTRACT: Conodonts are an extinct group of primitive jawless vertebrates whose elements represent the earliest examples of a mineralized feeding apparatus in vertebrates. Their relative relationship within vertebrates remains unresolved. As teeth, conodont elements are not homologous with the dentition of vertebrates, but they exhibit similarities in mineralization, growth patterns, and function. They clearly represent an early evolutionary experiment in mineralized dentition and offer insight into analogous dentition in other groups. Unfortunately, analysis of functional performance has been limited to a handful of derived morphologies and material properties that may inform ecology and functional analysis are virtually unknown. Here we applied a nanoscale approach to evaluate material properties

SUBMITTER: Shohel M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9205932 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature