Date Presented
Spring 5-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Department
Environmental Science
First Advisor
Brooke Haiar, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Takashi Maie, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Nancy Cowden, Ph.D.
Abstract
The food an organism consumes impacts the evolution of its dentition and facial morphology. As the teeth of early hominins are often some of the only parts of the skeleton to be fossilized, their morphological changes throughout time are better documented and understood than many other body parts. A literature review of articles focusing on the evolution of the dentition and mandibular morphology of members of the tribe Homininae was conducted. We deduced the ways in which tool use and cooking directly affected the teeth of hominins from the late Pleistocene to Pliocene from this information. The tangible ways that changing dietary patterns acted as selective forces throughout the course of hominin evolution are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Koelbel, Matthew, "Analysis of the Evolution of the Hominin Jaw & Dentition" (2020). Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects. 170.
https://digitalshowcase.lynchburg.edu/utcp/170