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Mechanical evidence that Australopithecus sediba was limited in its ability to eat hard foods.

ABSTRACT: Australopithecus sediba has been hypothesized to be a close relative of the genus Homo. Here we show that MH1, the type specimen of A. sediba, was not optimized to produce high molar bite force and appears to have been limited in its ability to consume foods that were mechanically challenging to eat. Dental microwear data have previously been interpreted as indicating that A. sediba consumed hard foods, so our findings illustrate that mechanical data are essential if one aims to reconstruct a relatively complete picture of feeding adaptations in extinct hominins. An implication of our study is that the key to understanding the origin of Homo lies in understanding how environmental changes disrupted gracile australopith niches. Resulting selection pressures led to changes in diet and dietary adaption that set the stage for the emergence of our genus.

SUBMITTER: Ledogar JA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4748115 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Mechanical evidence that Australopithecus sediba was limited in its ability to eat hard foods.

Ledogar Justin A JA Smith Amanda L AL Benazzi Stefano S Weber Gerhard W GW Spencer Mark A MA Carlson Keely B KB McNulty Kieran P KP Dechow Paul C PC Grosse Ian R IR Ross Callum F CF Richmond Brian G BG Wright Barth W BW Wang Qian Q Byron Craig C Carlson Kristian J KJ de Ruiter Darryl J DJ Berger Lee R LR Tamvada Kelli K Pryor Leslie C LC Berthaume Michael A MA Strait David S DS

Nature communications 20160208

Australopithecus sediba has been hypothesized to be a close relative of the genus Homo. Here we show that MH1, the type specimen of A. sediba, was not optimized to produce high molar bite force and appears to have been limited in its ability to consume foods that were mechanically challenging to eat. Dental microwear data have previously been interpreted as indicating that A. sediba consumed hard foods, so our findings illustrate that mechanical data are essential if one aims to reconstruct a re ...[more]

PMID: 26853550

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Project description:BackgroundGeneralist herbivores are challenged not only by the low nitrogen and high indigestibility of their plant foods, but also by physical and chemical defenses of plants. This study investigated the foods of wild parrots in the Peruvian Amazon and asked whether these foods contain dietary components that are limiting for generalist herbivores (protein, lipids, minerals) and in what quantity; whether parrots chose foods based on nutrient content; and whether parrots avoid plants that are chemically defended.Methodology/principal findingsWe made 224 field observations of free-ranging parrots of 17 species in 8 genera foraging on 102 species of trees in an undisturbed tropical rainforest, in two dry seasons (July-August 1992-1993) and one wet season (January-February1994). We performed laboratory analyses of parts of plants eaten and not eaten by parrots and brine shrimp assays of toxicity as a proxy for vertebrates. Parrots ate seeds, fruits, flowers, leaves, bark, and insect larvae, but up to 70% of their diet comprised seeds of many species of tropical trees, in various stages of ripeness. Plant parts eaten by parrots were rich in protein, lipid, and essential minerals, as well as potentially toxic chemicals. Seeds were higher than other plant materials in protein and lipid and lower in fiber. Large macaws of three species ate foods higher in protein and lipids and lower in fiber compared to plant parts available but not eaten. Macaws ate foods that were lower in phenolic compounds than foods they avoided. Nevertheless, foods eaten by macaws contained measurable levels of toxicity. Macaws did not appear to make dietary selections based on mineral content.Conclusions/significanceParrots represent a remarkable example of a generalist herbivore that consumes seeds destructively despite plant chemical defenses. With the ability to eat toxic foods, rainforest-dwelling parrots exploited a diversity of nutritious foods, even in the dry season when food was scarce for other frugivores and granivores.

Dataset Information

Mechanical evidence that Australopithecus sediba was limited in its ability to eat hard foods.

Publications

Mechanical evidence that Australopithecus sediba was limited in its ability to eat hard foods.

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