Further away with dental microwear analysis: Food resource partitioning among Plio-Pleistocene monkeys from the Shungura Formation, Ethiopia

摘要: Abstract This study aims at improving dietary discrimination among primates through a new analytic approach of dental microwear texture analysis integrating surface sampling on facets both phase I and II mastication. The is applied these two types molar 104 specimens belonging to four extant cercopithecids, 207 Plio-Pleistocene representing taxa from the Shungura Formation, Ethiopia. species, including Colobus guereza, Theropithecus gelada, Papio hamadryas, Chlorocebus aethiops, compose model covering wide range feeding ecology leaf-eating grass-eating habits opportunistic habits. A principal component built with selection most discriminant variables species as displays that contribute equally dispersion individuals between-species differences. Also, contributing along components are not central values parameters (mean median measured subsurfaces or single value for whole surface) but rather statistics their (percentiles) distribution (kurtosis, skewness). Once fossil inserted into model, large-bodied colobines, Paracolobus Rhinocolobus, found differ one colobines. highlights ecological diversity early African Besides, tracks between-genus well temporal differences between extinct papionins, attesting low overlapping non-theropith notably after 2.4 Ma. No significant difference was T. brumpti, oswaldi, sp. supporting similar present-day least 2.9 Ma onwards.