title: Mechanical evidence that Australopithecus sediba was limited in its ability to eat hard foods.
abstract: Australopithecus sediba has been hypothesized to be a close relative of the genus Homo. Here we show that MH1, the type specimen of A. sediba, was not optimized to produce high molar bite force and appears to have been limited in its ability to consume foods that were mechanically challenging to eat. Dental microwear data have previously been interpreted as indicating that A. sediba consumed hard foods, so our findings illustrate that mechanical data are essential if one aims to reconstruct a relatively complete picture of feeding adaptations in extinct hominins. An implication of our study is that the key to understanding the origin of Homo lies in understanding how environmental changes disrupted gracile australopith niches. Resulting selection pressures led to changes in diet and dietary adaption that set the stage for the emergence of our genus.
authors: Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, USA.|Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia.
authors: Justin A
authors: JA
authors: Ledogar
authors: Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, USA.|Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA.
authors: Amanda L
authors: AL
authors: Smith
authors: Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, Ravenna 48121, Italy.|Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Stefano
authors: S
authors: Benazzi
authors: Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors: Gerhard W
authors: GW
authors: Weber
authors: Department of Biology, South Mountain Community College, 7050 South 24th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85042, USA.
authors: Mark A
authors: MA
authors: Spencer
authors: Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA.
authors: Keely B
authors: KB
authors: Carlson
authors: Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, 395 Hubert H. Humphrey Center, 301 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55421, USA.
authors: Kieran P
authors: KP
authors: McNulty
authors: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry, 3302 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75246, USA.
authors: Paul C
authors: PC
authors: Dechow
authors: Department of Mechanical &Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts, 160 Governor's Drive, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-2210, USA.
authors: Ian R
authors: IR
authors: Grosse
authors: Department of Organismal Biology &Anatomy, University of Chicago, 1027 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors: Callum F
authors: CF
authors: Ross
authors: Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.|Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York 10024, USA.
authors: Brian G
authors: BG
authors: Richmond
authors: Department of Anatomy, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, 1750 Independence Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64106-1453, USA.
authors: Barth W
authors: BW
authors: Wright
authors: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry, 3302 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75246, USA.
authors: Qian
authors: Q
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Biology, Mercer University, 1400 Coleman Avenue, Macon, Georgia 31207, USA.
authors: Craig
authors: C
authors: Byron
authors: Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Palaeosciences Centre, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa.|Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.
authors: Kristian J
authors: KJ
authors: Carlson
authors: Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA.|Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Palaeosciences Centre, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa.
authors: Darryl J
authors: DJ
authors: de Ruiter
authors: Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Palaeosciences Centre, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa.
authors: Lee R
authors: LR
authors: Berger
authors: Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, USA.|Department of Biology and Health Sciences, The Sage Colleges, 65 First Street, Troy, New York 12108, USA.
authors: Kelli
authors: K
authors: Tamvada
authors: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry, 3302 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75246, USA.
authors: Leslie C
authors: LC
authors: Pryor
authors: Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.|Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
authors: Michael A
authors: MA
authors: Berthaume
authors: Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, USA.|Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA.
authors: David S
authors: DS
authors: Strait
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001732:Bite Force; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004032:Diet; D005502:Food; D005580:Fossils; D015186:Hominidae; D007568:Jaw / Q000502:physiology*; D008963:Molar; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D057085:Tooth Wear