- Titre du projet
- Investigation of the capabilities and utilization of theropod teeth with Finite Element Analysis
- Descriptif du projet
- Theropod teeth are very common in the fossil record and have, for the moment, mainly been used for taxonomic studies. However, teeth shape is highly correlated with the ecology of the animal. For the PhD project called “A morpho-functional approach to understand the paleoecology and evolution of theropod dinosaurs”, we aim to investigate theropod teeth capabilities using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Few studies have investigated theropod ecology through this method and so far, in very limited datasets and always without considering the enamel layer of the tooth [e.g. 1]. Enamel layer in theropod is very thin, usually between 50 and 200 μm [2]. However, our first results in the application of FEA in 2D models indicate that this thin layer seems to shield the tooth from stress [3]. Furthermore, the necessity of such study on dinosaur teeth is evocated since 2010 [4].
The first study wants to investigate the enamel layer thickness in theropods and the effect it has on FEA results. Theropod teeth of other collections will be used to study the classical ziphodont shape of theropods. The data of the teeth from the MNHN collections (Spinosauridae indet. from Gadoufaoua and Sarchosuchus) will allow to study its impact on the very specialized teeth of Spinosauridae and compared it with crocodilians. This study is necessary prior to all other studies.
The second study will allow to focus on the teeth capabilities and food intake in spinosaurid teeth from Gadoufaoua. The later from the MNHN collections present three clear morphotypes presenting differences in the curvature, cross-section shape and position of the carinae. Numerous studies investigated the piscivorous diet in Spinosauridae with a wide range of methodologies. However, the teeth have been somehow neglected, including their heterodonty and mechanical implications that have never been studied. The use of FEA on these teeth will allow to shed lights on the utility of this different morphotypes and compare it with crocodilians, and notably the giant and sympatric Sarchosuchus.
Finally, the third study will focus on abelisaurid’s ecology evolution. Abelisauridae are a group of diverse theropods present from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous, with an abundant fossil record in Gondwana, but also relatively well represented in different European landmasses. Through the use of FEA we aim to study the ecology of these theropods and its evolution based on their teeth. While abelisaurid teeth are known in the Cretaceous of Europe, notably in Spain with the Cenomanian site of Algora [5] or the Campanian-Maastrichtian site of Poyos [6], abelisaurid remains are rare in Africa. The unpublished Abelisauridae from the Chott Tigri and found by the PalOriental mission in 2022 will allow to get data on the dentition of the Uppermost Cretaceous of Africa. The data will also be used to illustrate the ongoing publication of this new material.
[1] Torices, A., Wilkinson, R., Arbour, V. M., Ruiz-Omeñaca, J. I., & Currie, P. J. (2018). Puncture-and-Pull Biomechanics in the Teeth of Predatory Coelurosaurian Dinosaurs. Current Biology, 28(9), 1467-1474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.03.042
[2] Hwang, S. H. (2011). The evolution of dinosaur tooth enamel microstructure. Biological Reviews, 86(1), 183-216. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-185X.2010.00142.x
[3].Maggia, B., Marcé-Nogué, J., Ortega, F. & Malafaia, E. (2024). Preliminary study on the impact of considering tooth enamel in the Finite Element Analysis of theropod teeth. XXXIX Jornadas de la Sociedad Española de Paleontología, 72.
[4] Reichel, M. (2010). A model for the bite mechanics in the herbivorous dinosaur Stegosaurus (Ornithischia, Stegosauridae). Swiss Journal of Geosciences, 103, 235-240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00015-010-0025-1
[5] Pérez-García, A., Bardet, N., Fregenal-Martínez, M.A., Martín-Jiménez, M., Mocho, P., Narváez, I., Torices, A., Vullo, R., & Ortega, F. (2020). Cenomanian vertebrates from Algora (central Spain): New data on the establishment of the European Upper Cretaceous continental faunas. Cretaceous Research, 115, 104566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104566
[6] Malafaia, E., Coria, R.A., Escaso, F., & Ortega, F. (2023). Abelisaurid teeth from the Upper Cretaceous of Poyos (Guadalajara, Spain). 20th EAVP Conference, 155.
Travaux réalisés par la plateforme AST-RX
