Collaborative Research: Integrative analysis of ingestive biomechanics and dental microwear in evolutionary and ecological context

合作研究：在进化和生态背景下摄入生物力学和牙齿微磨损的综合分析

• 批准号: 1440516
• 负责人: David Strait
• 金额: $ 8.12万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Albany
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-09-15 至 2016-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1440516&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Integrative; analysis; ingestive

Modern humans exhibit small teeth, lightly built jaws and weak chewing muscles - anatomical features which have been shaped by evolutionary processes related to dietary intake and the processing of foods. The fossil record demonstrates that our morphology stands in contrast to that of our ancestors, who evolved to have large, strong teeth, massive jaws and powerful chewing muscles. Evolutionary explanations for this change include competing hypotheses as to how natural selection on diet drove adaptation over the course of human evolution. These hypotheses suggest that the presence or absence of either very hard or very tough foods may have been a critical factor influencing the evolution of our ancestors. Alternatively, the hardness or toughness of foods may have been less important than the behaviors (i.e., biting, puncturing, crushing, twisting, grinding) used to process foods of various shape and size with the jaws and teeth. This project will provide evidence to differentiate between these selective scenarios, thereby contributing to a fuller understanding of the evolutionary processes that have shaped this important aspect of modern human anatomy.This research will require focus on a primate model, South American capuchins, which exhibit the relevant diversity in musculoskeletal anatomy and diet requisite to testing hypotheses regarding how food properties (i.e., hardness, toughness) or feeding behaviors influence the evolution of feeding adaptations. The study integrates observations of capuchin feeding behavior in the wild with laboratory experiments, advanced computer modeling using engineering methods, examination of the microscopic damage done to teeth by food and other items (i.e., dental microwear), the determination of the material properties (i.e., hardness, toughness) of food resources in the wild, and the collection and analysis of abrasive particles adhering to those foods (that might be influencing microwear patterns). Collectively, these data in capuchins will allow us to evaluate the assumptions underlying our interpretations of the interrelationships between dietary behavior, food resources, and the biology of our human ancestors, thereby transforming our understanding of human evolutionary history.The broader impacts of this research are considerable. In relation to the public understanding of science, the research provides information that will address a topic of great public interest; namely, our own evolutionary history. As a related benefit, the project illustrates how ecological factors affecting other animals may be equally relevant and impactful for our own species. In terms of STEM training, research training opportunities are provided for high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom are expected (based on past history at the collaborating institutions) to be young female scientists. The project also contributes to environmental awareness by collecting basic ecological data relevant to rainforest conservation. In the process of doing so, it further develops collaborative ties with international counterparts and institutions. Lastly, the project illustrates to the engineering community how their methods can be used to answer evolutionary questions.

现代人类表现出很小的牙齿，易于结的颌骨和较弱的咀嚼肌肉 - 解剖学特征，这些特征是由与饮食摄入量和食物加工有关的进化过程所塑造的。化石记录表明，我们的形态与我们的祖先形成鲜明对比，后者演变成大而强壮的牙齿，大颌骨和强大的咀嚼肌肉。这一变化的进化解释包括关于自然选择在人类进化过程中如何适应的竞争假设。 这些假设表明，存在非常硬或非常坚硬的食物的存在或不存在可能是影响祖先进化的关键因素。 另外，食物的硬度或韧性可能不如行为（即咬人，刺穿，压碎，扭曲，研磨）的行为重要，用于处理各种形状和大小的食物，并用下巴和牙齿处理。该项目将提供证据以区分这些选择性的情景，从而有助于更深入地了解现代人类解剖学的这一重要方面的进化过程。这项研究将需要专注于一种灵长类动物模型，南美尾cauchins，这些模型，这些模型在肌肉骨骼解剖学和饮食中表现出相关的多样性的相关多样性，以涉及智能或饮食的性能，以供您进行智能或富特性。影响喂养适应的演变。 这项研究将野生卷尾卷喂养行为的观察与实验室实验相结合，使用工程方法进行高级计算机建模，检查食物和其他物品对牙齿造成的显微镜损害（即牙齿牙齿）的确定，确定材料特性（即，在野外和分析的食物中的食物中的硬度（即硬度，韧性））（即野生和分析）（可能会影响杂物）模式）。 总的来说，这些数据中的这些数据将使我们能够评估我们对饮食行为，食品资源和人类祖先生物学之间相互关系的解释的基础，从而改变了我们对人类进化史的理解。这项研究的广泛影响是相当大的。 关于公众对科学的理解，该研究提供了将解决一个极大的公共利益话题的信息；即，我们自己的进化史。 作为一个相关的好处，该项目说明了影响其他动物的生态因素如何对我们自己的物种同样相关和影响。 在STEM培训方面，为高中生，本科生，研究生和博士后研究员提供了研究培训机会，其中许多人（基于合作机构的过去历史）将成为年轻的女科学家。 该项目还通过收集与热带雨林保护相关的基本生态数据来促进环境意识。 在这样做的过程中，它进一步发展了与国际同行和机构的合作关系。 最后，该项目向工程社区说明了如何使用其方法来回答进化问题。