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Science 29 November 1996:
Vol. 274. no. 5292, pp. 1489 - 1492
DOI: 10.1126/science.274.5292.1489
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Reports

Molar Tooth Diversity, Disparity, and Ecology in Cenozoic Ungulate Radiations

Jukka Jernvall, John P. Hunter, * Mikael Fortelius dagger

A classic example of adaptive radiation is the diversification of Cenozoic ungulates into herbivore adaptive zones. Their taxonomic diversification has been associated with changes in molar tooth morphology. Analysis of molar crown types of the Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla, and archaic ungulates ("Condylarthra") shows that the diversity of genera and crown types was high in the Eocene. Post-Eocene molars of intermediate crown types are rare, and thus the ungulate fauna contained more taxa having fewer but more disparate crown types. Taxonomic diversity trends alone give incomplete descriptions of adaptive radiations.

J. Jernvall, Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Ecology and Systematics, Post Office Box 56, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland, and Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA.
J. P. Hunter, Department of Anatomical Sciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8081, USA.
M. Fortelius, Palaeontology Division, Finnish Museum of Natural History, Post Office Box 11, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.
*   Present address: Department of Anatomy, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA.

dagger    Present address: Division of Geology and Palaeontology, Department of Geology, University of Helsinki, Post Office Box 11, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.

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