Dissertation Research : Anterior Dental Microwear and Tooth Use Among Sumatran Anthropoid Primates

近年来，磨牙磨损模式的显微研究 牙齿提供了关于化石食物的有用推论 类人猿 这是第一次尝试重建饮食结构 前牙（门牙）的分析信息。 苏门答腊四种同域分布灵长类动物的中切牙 （食蟹猴、汤马西叶猴、长臂猿和庞戈 将通过扫描电子显微镜检查。 将使用半自动图像分析对特征进行量化 程序，物种将在揭示的基础上进行比较 牙齿微磨损模式。 这些模式将用于 生成关于门齿使用程度的预测，项目 收缩这些牙齿，和进食行为的类型。 将通过观察相同的 四种现存的灵长类动物在它们的自然栖息地， 位于苏门答腊岛北方。 本研究将（1）引入一个 一种精确的快速程序， 微磨损，（2）提供关于切牙微磨损和牙齿使用的数据 （3）确定（1）与（2）之间的关系; 门齿使用和微磨损，以便前者可以预测为 后者 这样的关联将有助于饮食推断 门牙化石

In recent years microscopic study of wear patterns on molar teeth has provided useful inferences on the diet of fossil hominoids. This is the first attempt to reconstruct dietary information from the analysis of anterior (incisor) teeth. Central incisors of four sympatric primate species form Sumatra (Macaca fascicularis, Presbytis thomasi, Hylobates lar, and Pongo pygmaeus) will be examined by scanning electron microscopy. Features will be quantified using a semi-automated image analysis procedure, and species will be compared on the basis of revealed dental microwear patterns. These patterns will be use to generate predictions concerning degree of incisor use, items contracting these teeth, and type of ingestive behavior. Resulting predictions will be evaluated by observing the same four living primate species in their natural habitat at Ketambe, in northern Sumatra. The proposed research will (1) introduce a precise an rapid procedure for the quantification of dental microwear, (2) provide data on incisor microwear and tooth use among Sumatran primates, and (3) determine associations between incisor use and microwear so that the former may be predicted for the latter. Such associations will facilitate dietary inferences for fossil incisors.