Buccal enamel microwear variability in Cercopithecoidea Primates as a reflection of dietary habits in forested and open savanna environments

Abstract

Dental microwear analysis has proved to be a good indicator of diet and dietary related behaviour in modern humans, fossil hominids and primates. The composition of the diet and the presence of dust and other abrasive particles, are related to microwear rates on the buccal enamel surfaces of molar teeth. Plant food materials such as leaves or stems include phitoliths in larger quantities than fruits or meat. These particles may scratch the enamel surface of teeth during mastication producing a microwear pattern that may be indicative of food choice and food preferences within primate species. In this study we present a dental microwear analysis of extant Cercopithecoidea primates, based on the analysis of more than 200 dental casts obtained from the osteological collection of the National Museum of Kenya (NMK). Specific, sub-specific and also ecological differences are shown to underlie the buccal microwear variability observed within the studied sample.