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

近年来，对磨牙磨损模式的显微研究为类人猿化石的饮食提供了有用的推断。这是第一次尝试通过分析前（门牙）牙齿来重建饮食信息。本文将用扫描电子显微镜研究苏门答腊四种同域灵长类动物的中门牙（Macaca fascicularis, Presbytis thomasi， hyloates lar和Pongo pygmaeus）。特征将使用半自动图像分析程序进行量化，物种将根据显示的牙齿微磨损模式进行比较。这些模式将被用来预测门牙的使用程度，收缩这些牙齿的物品，以及进食行为的类型。结果的预测将通过在苏门答腊岛北部Ketambe的自然栖息地观察同样的四种现存灵长类物种来评估。提出的研究将(1)引入一种精确而快速的牙齿微磨损量化程序，(2)提供苏门答腊灵长类动物门牙微磨损和牙齿使用的数据，(3)确定门牙使用和微磨损之间的关系，以便前者可以预测后者。这种关联将有助于对化石门齿的饮食进行推断。

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.