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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
07:26

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology

Published on: August 22, 2022

Evolution of the mandibular third premolar crown in early Australopithecus.

Lucas K Delezene1, William H Kimbel

  • 1Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-2402, USA. lucas.delezene@asu.edu

Journal of Human Evolution
|April 13, 2011
PubMed
Summary

The Pliocene hominins Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis show significant changes in their third premolar (P(3)) crowns. This study reveals P(3) evolution in early Australopithecus, bridging gaps with younger hominins and extant apes.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
07:26

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology

Published on: August 22, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Paleoanthropology
  • Primate Dental Morphology
  • Hominin Evolution

Background:

  • Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis are key Pliocene hominins potentially representing an anagenetic lineage.
  • Significant dental changes, particularly in the canine and mandibular third premolar (P(3)) crowns, mark the transition between these taxa.
  • The P(3) crown is a crucial element in the canine honing complex of nonhuman catarrhines.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the P(3) crown morphology in Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis.
  • To highlight plesiomorphic and apomorphic features within the P(3) crowns of these early hominins.
  • To investigate temporal and spatiotemporal variations in P(3) morphology and their evolutionary implications.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative morphological analysis of P(3) crowns from fossil hominin samples.
  • Identification and characterization of plesiomorphic (ancestral) and apomorphic (derived) dental features.
  • Examination of variation within and between fossil samples (e.g., Allia Bay and Kanapoi for A. anamensis, and the A. afarensis hypodigm).

Main Results:

  • A. anamensis P(3) crowns exhibit plesiomorphic features, with some individuals showing apomorphic states shared with A. afarensis.
  • A. afarensis P(3) crowns display variability in apomorphic features characteristic of later hominins.
  • Temporal variation is evident, with younger A. anamensis samples showing derived traits not present in older ones.
  • P(3) molarization increased in A. afarensis, evolving independently of postcanine megadontia and canine honing loss.

Conclusions:

  • The evolution of the P(3) crown in early Australopithecus demonstrates a mosaic pattern of trait acquisition.
  • P(3) morphology in A. afarensis shows independent variation in shape, size, and occlusal form.
  • The P(3) crown's evolutionary trajectory in early Australopithecus helps bridge the morphological gap between earlier hominins/apes and geologically younger hominins.