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The Role of Grass Vs. Exogenous Abrasives in the Paleodietary Patterns of North American Ungulates

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The Role of Grass Vs. Exogenous Abrasives in the Paleodietary Patterns of North American Ungulates Semprebon, G., Rivals, F., & Janis, C. (2019). The role of grass vs. exogenous abrasives in the paleodietary patterns of North American ungulates. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7, [65]. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00065 Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record License (if available): CC BY Link to published version (if available): 10.3389/fevo.2019.00065 Link to publication record in Explore Bristol Research PDF-document This is the final published version of the article (version of record). It first appeared online via Frontiers Media at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2019.00065/full . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher. University of Bristol - Explore Bristol Research General rights This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/pure/about/ebr-terms ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 19 March 2019 doi: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00065 The Role of Grass vs. Exogenous Abrasives in the Paleodietary Patterns of North American Ungulates Gina M. Semprebon 1*, Florent Rivals 2,3,4 and Christine M. Janis 5,6 1 Department of Biology, Bay Path University, Longmeadow, MA, United States, 2 ICREA, Barcelona, Spain, 3 Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Tarragona, Spain, 4 Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Àrea de Prehistòria, Tarragona, Spain, 5 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States, 6 School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom Equids have often been discussed regarding tooth morphological change due to the evolution of highly hypsodont teeth over time, the hyper-grazing habits of modern horses, and an older view that the acquisition of hypsodonty and the widespread appearance of grasslands were synchronous. Many more recent studies, however, have reported asynchrony in the origin of hypsodonty and the widespread appearance of Edited by: grasslands and have considered exposure to exogenous grit as important evolutionary K. Christopher Beard, drivers of hypsodonty in ungulates. We tracked changes in crown height (hypsodonty University of Kansas, United States index), relative abrasion (mesowear), and food and grit scar topography on dental Reviewed by: Mikael Fortelius, enamel (microwear) to examine the relative contributions of grass vs. grit as a University of Helsinki, Finland driving force in ungulate tooth changes during the evolution of North American Nikos Solounias, New York Institute of Technology, Equidae compared to four North American ruminant artiodactyl families (Camelidae, United States Antilocapridae, Dromomerycidae, and Merycoidodontidae). We mirror other studies by *Correspondence: finding that the overall pattern of the timing of the attainment of hypsodonty is inconsistent Gina M. Semprebon with grazing as the main impetus for the “Great Transition” within equids nor within the [email protected] artiodactyl families as highly hypsodont ungulates post-date the spread of widespread Specialty section: grasslands. Mesowear closely mirrored hypsodonty trends in all families. Microwear This article was submitted to patterns, particularly high degrees of enamel pitting (particularly large pits) and unusually Paleontology, a section of the journal coarse scratch textures in all five families, are consistent with exposure to exogenous Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution grit as the main driver of hypsodonty acquisition prior to the consumption of significant Received: 04 January 2019 levels of grass. Equidae exhibited a wider array of dietary behavior than the other families Accepted: 21 February 2019 through most of their evolutionary history. Even so, grass was a much more common Published: 19 March 2019 Citation: dietary item for equids than for the other families, and when combined with exogenous Semprebon GM, Rivals F and grit, which was more accelerated from the early Miocene onward based on more pitting Janis CM (2019) The Role of Grass vs. and coarser scratch textures, may explain the more extreme acquisition of hypsodonty Exogenous Abrasives in the Paleodietary Patterns of North in equids compared to the artiodactyl families studied and set the stage for the Equidae American Ungulates. alone to become hypergrazers in the Recent. Front. Ecol. Evol. 7:65. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00065 Keywords: ungulates, microwear, mesowear, hypsodonty, paleodiet Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution | www.frontiersin.org 1 March 2019 | Volume 7 | Article 65 Semprebon et al. The Dietary Road to Grazing INTRODUCTION dietary preference operating alone in determining the degree of hypsodonty acquisition? Recent studies have revealed a lack Horse evolution has often been presented as a standard example of synchronicity between the appearance of hypsodonty in the of evolution. This proclivity is not surprising given: (1) well- Miocene and the appearance of grasslands. Some of the latest documented evolutionary changes, particularly in the late early evidence comes from recent research on phytoliths (Strömberg, Miocene, (i.e., greater body size, somewhat higher-crowned 2004, 2005, 2011; Strömberg et al., 2016) that has revealed that cheek teeth, and more cursorially-adapted limbs) that have been grass was available for forage in the North American Great perceived for a long time to echo higher-latitude environmental Plains region by ∼22 million years ago (earliest Miocene), but shifts through time (i.e., adaptations to shifts from living in possibly by even about 26 million years ago (latest Oligocene– tropical forests to eventual occupation of open grasslands) (Janis, Strömberg, 2011) about 6 million years before the appearance 2007) and (2) the expansive fossil record of North American of the genus Merychippus. Merychippus represents the first horses (especially in the Miocene) where the bulk of horse hypsodont horse even though some members of the genus evolution and diversification (Equidae) occurred despite several Parahippus showed a slight enhancement in crown height and successive dispersals to the Old World (MacFadden, 1992; Janis, evidence of profound dental wear (MacFadden and Hulbert, 2007). Despite these dispersals to the Old World, the Equidae 1988; Strömberg, 2006; Damuth and Janis, 2011; Mihlbachler apparently evolved in isolation in North America from the et al., 2011). Merychippus represents an important milestone in middle of the Eocene through the late Oligocene (MacFadden, the evolution of horses due to its relatively high crowned cheek 1992). During the mid-Cenozoic, horses were very widespread teeth, but also due to the first appearance of well-developed in North America—reaching their maximum diversification and cementum between lophs and with the similar positioning of abundance in the late Miocene with individual fossil localities its tooth cusps to modern horses. A change in the shape of often accommodating up to eight equid species (MacFadden, the angle of the jaw, indicating a more horizontally-oriented 1992; Hulbert, 1993). angle of insertion of the masseter muscle was also seen in Because food acquisition is so imperative to an animal’s Merychippus (Stirton, 1947; Simpson, 1951; Turnbull, 1970; survival, paleontologists have long been interested in adaptations MacFadden and Hulbert, 1988; Bernor et al., 1989, 1997; Prothero that facilitate acquiring and comminuting food items as well as and Schoch, 1989; Hulbert and MacFadden, 1991; MacFadden, those that help to deal with an enhanced rate of tooth wear 1992; Spaan et al., 1994). Even so, highly hypsodont equines induced by food that is abrasive (e.g., grass) or due to exogenous did not appear until about 14 Ma (late middle Miocene), well substances possibly adhering to food (e.g., grit). Hummel et al. after the apparent availability of open grasslands (Damuth and (2011) tested the relationship of total silica ingested (from plant Janis, 2011), a trend echoed by certain artiodactyl clades such phytoliths and exogenous grit) and hypsodonty by investigating as antilocaprids (pronghorns) and camelids that also developed the correlation between fecal silica content and hypsodonty hypsodonty in the late middle Miocene. In addition, a moderate and demonstrated a considerable influence of ingested silica on amount of hypsodonty was attained by some artiodactyls hypsodonty in large herbivores. The evolution of high-crowned in the Oligocene and many families of mostly burrowing teeth (i.e., hypsodonty) has particularly intrigued paleontologists rodents at least 7 million years earlier (Jardine et al., 2012). (Osborn, 1910; Stirton, 1947; Simpson, 1953; White, 1959; However, these hypsodont artiodactyls (stenomyline camelids, Webb, 1983; Fortelius, 1985; Janis, 1988; Solounias et al., 1994; leptauchinine oreodonts, and hypisodine hypertragulids) went MacFadden, 2000a,b; Williams and Kay, 2001; Mihlbachler and extinct in the late Oligocene/early Miocene not giving rise to later Solounias, 2006; Strömberg, 2006; Jardine et al., 2012; Lucas hypsodont artiodactyls. et al., 2014). The potential correlation of crown height with Another important factor to consider is that researchers habitat, climate, and dietary shifts has also been the subject have suspected for some time that grass phytoliths may not of intensive study (Webb, 1983; Janis, 1988, 2008; Janis et al., have been the only evolutionary driver in the development 2000, 2002, 2004; Williams and Kay, 2001; Semprebon
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