Mark A Spencer
Biographic Data
| ID | 80499 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mark A Spencer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mark A |
| FAMILY NAME | Spencer |
| SIGNATURE | SPENCER M A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Colorado Denver |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6209-3113 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 169 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 12 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1993 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Viewpoints
Recent biomechanical analyses examining the feeding adaptations of early hominins have yielded results consistent with the hypothesis that hard foods exerted a selection pressure that influenced the evolution of australopith morphology. However, this hypothesis appears inconsistent with recent reconstructions of early hominin diet based on dental microwear and stable isotopes. Thus, it is likely that either the diets of some australopiths include…
Microwear, mechanics and the feeding adaptations of Australopithecus africanus
A finite element analysis of masticatory stress hypotheses
Understanding how the skull transmits and dissipates forces during feeding provides insights into the selective pressures that may have driven the evolution of primate skull morphology. Traditionally, researchers have interpreted masticatory biomechanics in terms of simple global loading regimes applied to simple shapes (i.e., bending in sagittal and frontal planes, dorsoventral shear, and torsion of beams and cylinders). This study uses finite e…
The feeding biomechanics and dietary ecology of Australopithecus africanus
The African Plio-Pleistocene hominins known as australopiths evolved a distinctive craniofacial morphology that traditionally has been viewed as a dietary adaptation for feeding on either small, hard objects or on large volumes of food. A historically influential interpretation of this morphology hypothesizes that loads applied to the premolars during feeding had a profound influence on the evolution of australopith craniofacial form. Here, we te…
Dental functional morphology
Molar enamel thickness in the Chacma Baboon, Papio ursinus (kerr 1792)
Modern humans exhibit increasing relative enamel thickness from M1 to M3. Some biomechanical (basic lever) models predict that the more distal molars in humans encounter higher occlusal forces, and it has been postulated that this provides a functional explanation for the observed gradient in relative enamel thickness. However, constrained three‐dimensional models and experimental observations suggest that there is a reduction in bite force poten…
Craniofacial morphology, diet and incisor use in three native American populations
It has been difficult to infer behaviours related to anterior tooth use in fossil hominids owing to a lack of broad-based comparative studies of the relationships between front tooth use and craniodental features in modern humans. In this study, we seek to establish such a neontological baseline by exploring aspects of craniodental form among populations of recent humans that are inferred to have differed in habitual levels of ingestive and param…
Craniofacial morphology, diet and incisor use in three native American populations
It has been difficult to infer behaviours related to anterior tooth use in fossil hominids owing to a lack of broad-based comparative studies of the relationships between front tooth use and craniodental features in modern humans. In this study, we seek to establish such a neontological baseline by exploring aspects of craniodental form among populations of recent humans that are inferred to have differed in habitual levels of ingestive and param…
Constraints on masticatory system evolution in anthropoid primates
It is well established that some observed patterns of force production in the primate masticatory system match those predicted by a simplified lever model. This model is also commonly invoked in adaptive explanations of craniodental diversity. However, systematic studies of the predictive power of this model are missing, leaving open the possibility that factors not traditionally included in the model alter the function and evolution of the masti…
Incisor microwear, diet, and tooth use in three Amerindian populations
Incisor microwear patterns have been shown to reflect aspects of diet and ingestive behaviors in a wide range of nonhuman primates. While some studies have suggested that anterior dental microwear might be used to infer unusual front tooth use practices in archaeological populations, quantitative work on modern human incisors has thus far been limited. In this study we examined dental microwear on the maxillary central incisors of three groups of…
Force production in the primate masticatory system
Biomechanical analysis of masticatory system configuration in Neandertals and Inuits
Considerable debate has surrounded the adaptive significance of Neandertal craniofacial morphology. Numerous unique morphological features of this form have been interpreted as indicating an adaptation to intense anterior tooth use. Conversely, it has been argued that certain features related to muscle position imply a reduced mechanical advantage for producing bite forces on the incisors and canines. In this study, hypotheses about morphological…
Viewpoints
Recent biomechanical analyses examining the feeding adaptations of early hominins have yielded results consistent with the hypothesis that hard foods exerted a selection pressure that influenced the evolution of australopith morphology. However, this hypothesis appears inconsistent with recent reconstructions of early hominin diet based on dental microwear and stable isotopes. Thus, it is likely that either the diets of some australopiths include…
Biomechanical analysis of masticatory system configuration in Neandertals and Inuits
Considerable debate has surrounded the adaptive significance of Neandertal craniofacial morphology. Numerous unique morphological features of this form have been interpreted as indicating an adaptation to intense anterior tooth use. Conversely, it has been argued that certain features related to muscle position imply a reduced mechanical advantage for producing bite forces on the incisors and canines. In this study, hypotheses about morphological…
Force production in the primate masticatory system
Molar enamel thickness in the Chacma Baboon, Papio ursinus (kerr 1792)
Modern humans exhibit increasing relative enamel thickness from M1 to M3. Some biomechanical (basic lever) models predict that the more distal molars in humans encounter higher occlusal forces, and it has been postulated that this provides a functional explanation for the observed gradient in relative enamel thickness. However, constrained three‐dimensional models and experimental observations suggest that there is a reduction in bite force poten…
Microwear, mechanics and the feeding adaptations of Australopithecus africanus
A finite element analysis of masticatory stress hypotheses
Understanding how the skull transmits and dissipates forces during feeding provides insights into the selective pressures that may have driven the evolution of primate skull morphology. Traditionally, researchers have interpreted masticatory biomechanics in terms of simple global loading regimes applied to simple shapes (i.e., bending in sagittal and frontal planes, dorsoventral shear, and torsion of beams and cylinders). This study uses finite e…
Biomechanical analysis of masticatory system configuration in Neandertals and Inuits
Considerable debate has surrounded the adaptive significance of Neandertal craniofacial morphology. Numerous unique morphological features of this form have been interpreted as indicating an adaptation to intense anterior tooth use. Conversely, it has been argued that certain features related to muscle position imply a reduced mechanical advantage for producing bite forces on the incisors and canines. In this study, hypotheses about morphological…
Force production in the primate masticatory system
Constraints on masticatory system evolution in anthropoid primates
It is well established that some observed patterns of force production in the primate masticatory system match those predicted by a simplified lever model. This model is also commonly invoked in adaptive explanations of craniodental diversity. However, systematic studies of the predictive power of this model are missing, leaving open the possibility that factors not traditionally included in the model alter the function and evolution of the masti…
Incisor microwear, diet, and tooth use in three Amerindian populations
Incisor microwear patterns have been shown to reflect aspects of diet and ingestive behaviors in a wide range of nonhuman primates. While some studies have suggested that anterior dental microwear might be used to infer unusual front tooth use practices in archaeological populations, quantitative work on modern human incisors has thus far been limited. In this study we examined dental microwear on the maxillary central incisors of three groups of…
Craniofacial morphology, diet and incisor use in three native American populations
It has been difficult to infer behaviours related to anterior tooth use in fossil hominids owing to a lack of broad-based comparative studies of the relationships between front tooth use and craniodental features in modern humans. In this study, we seek to establish such a neontological baseline by exploring aspects of craniodental form among populations of recent humans that are inferred to have differed in habitual levels of ingestive and param…
Craniofacial morphology, diet and incisor use in three native American populations
It has been difficult to infer behaviours related to anterior tooth use in fossil hominids owing to a lack of broad-based comparative studies of the relationships between front tooth use and craniodental features in modern humans. In this study, we seek to establish such a neontological baseline by exploring aspects of craniodental form among populations of recent humans that are inferred to have differed in habitual levels of ingestive and param…
Dental functional morphology
Molar enamel thickness in the Chacma Baboon, Papio ursinus (kerr 1792)
Modern humans exhibit increasing relative enamel thickness from M1 to M3. Some biomechanical (basic lever) models predict that the more distal molars in humans encounter higher occlusal forces, and it has been postulated that this provides a functional explanation for the observed gradient in relative enamel thickness. However, constrained three‐dimensional models and experimental observations suggest that there is a reduction in bite force poten…
The feeding biomechanics and dietary ecology of Australopithecus africanus
The African Plio-Pleistocene hominins known as australopiths evolved a distinctive craniofacial morphology that traditionally has been viewed as a dietary adaptation for feeding on either small, hard objects or on large volumes of food. A historically influential interpretation of this morphology hypothesizes that loads applied to the premolars during feeding had a profound influence on the evolution of australopith craniofacial form. Here, we te…
A finite element analysis of masticatory stress hypotheses
Understanding how the skull transmits and dissipates forces during feeding provides insights into the selective pressures that may have driven the evolution of primate skull morphology. Traditionally, researchers have interpreted masticatory biomechanics in terms of simple global loading regimes applied to simple shapes (i.e., bending in sagittal and frontal planes, dorsoventral shear, and torsion of beams and cylinders). This study uses finite e…
Microwear, mechanics and the feeding adaptations of Australopithecus africanus
Viewpoints
Recent biomechanical analyses examining the feeding adaptations of early hominins have yielded results consistent with the hypothesis that hard foods exerted a selection pressure that influenced the evolution of australopith morphology. However, this hypothesis appears inconsistent with recent reconstructions of early hominin diet based on dental microwear and stable isotopes. Thus, it is likely that either the diets of some australopiths include…
Biology (10 works) · Primate Behavior and Ecology (10 works) · Medicine (8 works) · Ecology (7 works) · Masticatory force (6 works) · Orthodontics (6 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (6 works) · Anatomy (5 works) · Evolutionary biology (5 works) · Orthodontics (5 works)