Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 3, 2025
07:57
Sampling and Pretreatment of Tooth Enamel Carbonate for Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Analysis
Published on: August 15, 2018
14.2K
Post-mortem enamel surface texture alteration during taphonomic processes-do experimental approaches reflect natural
Katrin Weber1, Daniela E Winkler1,2,3, Ellen Schulz-Kornas2,4,5
1Applied and Analytical Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
Peerj
|February 17, 2022
Summary
This study experimentally simulated post-mortem alteration on teeth to understand its impact on dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) for diet reconstruction. Results show taphonomic processes like tumbling, sandblasting, and acid etching create distinct alterations, crucial for interpreting fossil data.
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Geology
- Archaeology
Background:
- Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) reconstructs feeding behaviors and food properties from dental wear.
- Fossil DMTA can be inaccurate due to post-mortem enamel alteration from mechanical or chemical processes.
- Understanding taphonomic effects is vital for reliable dietary reconstructions from fossil teeth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally assess the impact of simplified taphonomic processes on dental enamel.
- To evaluate how fluvial transport, aeolian erosion, and acid etching affect dental microwear texture.
- To determine the comparability of experimental alterations to natural post-mortem features.
Main Methods:
- Simulated fluvial transport via sediment tumbling (varying grain sizes).
- Simulated aeolian erosion using sandblasting (loess and quartz).
- Simulated chemical dissolution through acid etching (diluted hydrochloric acid).
Main Results:
- Tumbling effects depended on sediment grain size, creating scratches or dales.
- Sandblasting with quartz caused significant enamel destruction and large post-mortem dales.
- Acid etching resulted in complete surface etching, unlike natural owl pellet specimens.
Conclusions:
- Experimental taphonomic alterations are comparable, though not identical, to natural post-mortem features.
- This study provides a foundational assessment for refining experiments on dental microwear texture alteration.
- Further research is needed to fully understand and account for post-mortem effects in DMTA.
