The diet of Australopithecus sediba.
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| Title: | The diet of Australopithecus sediba. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Henry, Amanda G.1, Ungar, Peter S.2, Passey, Benjamin H.3, Sponheimer, Matt4, Rossouw, Lloyd5, Bamford, Marion6, Sandberg, Paul7, de Ruiter, Darryl J.8, Berger, Lee9 |
| Source: | Nature. 7/5/2012, Vol. 487 Issue 7405, p90-93. 4p. |
| Subjects: | Australopithecus sediba, Australopithecines, Phytoliths, Dental calculus, Carbon isotopes |
| Geographic Terms: | South Africa |
| Abstract: | Specimens of Australopithecus sediba from the site of Malapa, South Africa (dating from approximately 2?million years (Myr) ago) present a mix of primitive and derived traits that align the taxon with other Australopithecus species and with early Homo. Although much of the available cranial and postcranial material of Au. sediba has been described, its feeding ecology has not been investigated. Here we present results from the first extraction of plant phytoliths from dental calculus of an early hominin. We also consider stable carbon isotope and dental microwear texture data for Au. sediba in light of new palaeoenvironmental evidence. The two individuals examined consumed an almost exclusive C3 diet that probably included harder foods, and both dicotyledons (for example, tree leaves, fruits, wood and bark) and monocotyledons (for example, grasses and sedges). Like Ardipithecus ramidus (approximately 4.4 Myr ago) and modern savanna chimpanzees, Au. sediba consumed C3 foods in preference to widely available C4 resources. The inferred consumption of C3 monocotyledons, and wood or bark, increases the known variety of early hominin foods. The overall dietary pattern of these two individuals contrasts with available data for other hominins in the region and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Nature is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 77496002 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1038/nature11185 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 4 StartPage: 90 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Australopithecus sediba Type: general – SubjectFull: Australopithecines Type: general – SubjectFull: Phytoliths Type: general – SubjectFull: Dental calculus Type: general – SubjectFull: Carbon isotopes Type: general – SubjectFull: South Africa Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: The diet of Australopithecus sediba. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Henry, Amanda G. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Ungar, Peter S. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Passey, Benjamin H. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sponheimer, Matt – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rossouw, Lloyd – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Bamford, Marion – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sandberg, Paul – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: de Ruiter, Darryl J. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Berger, Lee IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 05 M: 07 Text: 7/5/2012 Type: published Y: 2012 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00280836 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 487 – Type: issue Value: 7405 Titles: – TitleFull: Nature Type: main |
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