If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.
If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.
. 2019 Jun;169(2):207-226.
doi: 10.1002/ajpa.23815. Epub 2019 Mar 19.
Ashley Remy 2 , Rebecca Van Sessen 1 , John Willman 3 4 , Kristin Krueger 5 , Rachel Scott 6 , Patrick Mahoney 7 , Jeremy Beach 1 , Jaqueline McKinley 8 , Ruggero D'Anastasio 9 , Laura Chiu 1 , Michele Buzon 10 , J Rocco De Gregory 11 , Susan Sheridan 12 , Jacqueline Eng 13 , James Watson 14 , Haagen Klaus 15 16 , Pedro Da-Gloria 17 , Jeremy Wilson 18 , Abigail Stone 5 , Paul Sereno 19 , Jessica Droke 20 , Rose Perash 21 , Christopher Stojanowski 22 , Nicholas Herrmann 23
Affiliations
- PMID: 30888064
- DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23815
Dental microwear texture analysis of Homo sapiens sapiens: Foragers, farmers, and pastoralists
Christopher W Schmidt et al. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2019 Jun.
Abstract
Objectives: The current study seeks to determine if a sample of foragers, farmers, and pastoralists are distinguishable based on their dental microwear texture signatures.
Materials and methods: The study included a sample of 719 individuals from 51 archeological sites (450 farmers, 192 foragers, 77 pastoralists). All were over age 12 and sexes were pooled. Using a Sensofar® white-light confocal profiler we collected dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) data from a single first or second molar from each individual. We leveled and cleaned data clouds following standard procedures and analyzed the data with Sfrax® and Toothfrax® software. The DMTA variables were complexity and anisotropy. Statistics included ANOVA with partial eta squared and Hedges's g. We also performed a follow-up K-means cluster analysis.
Results: We found significant differences between foragers and farmers and pastoralists for complexity and anisotropy, with foragers having greater complexity than either the farmers or the pastoralists. The farmers and pastoralists had greater anisotropy than the foragers. The Old World foragers had significantly higher anisotropy values than New World foragers. Old and New World farmers did not differ. Among the Old World farmers, those dating from the Neolithic through the Late Bronze Age had higher complexity values than those from the Iron Age through the medieval period. The cluster analysis discerned foragers and farmers but also indicated similarity between hard food foragers and hard food farmers.
Discussion: Our findings reaffirm that DMTA is capable of distinguishing human diets. We found that foragers and farmers, in particular, differ in their microwear signatures across the globe. There are some exceptions, but nothing that would be unexpected given the range of human diets and food preparation techniques. This study indicates that in general DMTA is an efficacious means of paleodietary reconstruction in humans.
Keywords: archeology; diet; subsistence; teeth.
© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Similar articles
Dental microwear textural analysis as an analytical tool to depict individual traits and reconstruct the diet of a primate.
Percher AM, Merceron G, Nsi Akoue G, Galbany J, Romero A, Charpentier MJ. Percher AM, et al. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2018 Jan;165(1):123-138. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.23337. Epub 2017 Oct 9. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2018. PMID: 28991380
Dental microwear texture and anthropoid diets.
Scott RS, Teaford MF, Ungar PS. Scott RS, et al. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2012 Apr;147(4):551-79. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22007. Epub 2012 Feb 13. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2012. PMID: 22331579
Applying dental microwear texture analysis to the living: Challenges and prospects.
Correia MA, Foley R, Mirazón Lahr M. Correia MA, et al. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2021 Mar;174(3):542-554. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.24133. Epub 2020 Sep 13. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2021. PMID: 32920867
Tooth form and function: insights into adaptation through the analysis of dental microwear.
Ungar PS. Ungar PS. Front Oral Biol. 2009;13:38-43. doi: 10.1159/000242388. Epub 2009 Sep 21. Front Oral Biol. 2009. PMID: 19828967 Review.
Dental evidence for the diets of Plio-Pleistocene hominins.
Ungar PS. Ungar PS. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2011;146 Suppl 53:47-62. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.21610. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2011. PMID: 22101687 Review.
Cited by
Integrating buccal and occlusal dental microwear with isotope analyses for a complete paleodietary reconstruction of Holocene populations from Hungary.
Hernando R, Gamarra B, McCall A, Cheronet O, Fernandes D, Sirak K, Schmidt R, Lozano M, Szeniczey T, Hajdu T, Bárány A, Kalli A, Tutkovics EK, Köhler K, Kiss K, Koós J, Csengeri P, Király Á, Horváth A, Hajdu ML, Tóth K, Patay R, Feeney RNM, Pinhasi R. Hernando R, et al. Sci Rep. 2021 Mar 29;11(1):7034. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-86369-x. Sci Rep. 2021. PMID: 33782444 Free PMC article.
Multipronged dental analyses reveal dietary differences in last foragers and first farmers at Grotta Continenza, central Italy (15,500-7000 BP).
Nava A, Fiorin E, Zupancich A, Carra M, Ottoni C, Di Carlo G, Vozza I, Brugnoletti O, Alhaique F, Cremonesi RG, Coppa A, Bondioli L, Borić D, Cristiani E. Nava A, et al. Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 19;11(1):4261. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82401-2. Sci Rep. 2021. PMID: 33608594 Free PMC article.
Molecular Mechanism of Functional Ingredients in Barley to Combat Human Chronic Diseases.
Zeng Y, Pu X, Du J, Yang X, Li X, Mandal MSN, Yang T, Yang J. Zeng Y, et al. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2020 Mar 30;2020:3836172. doi: 10.1155/2020/3836172. eCollection 2020. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2020. PMID: 32318238 Free PMC article. Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grant support
- British Academy/Leverhulme Trust/International
- Faculty of Arts Doctoral Award, University of Auckland/International
- H2020-MSCA-IF-2016 No. 749188, AGAUR (Ref. 2017SGR1040) with URV (Ref. 2016PFR-URV-B2-17), and MINECO/FEDER (Ref. CGL2015-65387-C3-1-P)/Leakey Foundation, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions/International
- LUROP Mulcahy Fellowship, Loyola University/International
- BCS-0636066/National Science Foundation/International
- BCS-0820805/National Science Foundation/International
- BCS-0922930/National Science Foundation/International
- BCS-1528698/National Science Foundation/International
- process 2013/00069-0/Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo/International
- GR6698/Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research/International
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
- Wiley