This study investigates occlusal microwear texture patterns of two sequential bioarchaeological populations from sites in western and northern India, each representing a different phase of the same culture: Juna Khatiya (Early Harappan, n = 12) and Rakhigarhi (Mature Harappan, n = 10). These populations, spanning the interval between approximately 3200 BCE and 1900 BCE, were both agro-pastoral, but showed intensified urbanization in the Mature Harappan phase, with concomitant increases craftsmanship and trade. It has been reported that rural peoples in India today consume less processed, more mechanically challenging foods than those living in cities, which has led to the hypothesis that dental microwear may be a useful proxy for tracking settlement pattern in bioarchaeological populations in South Asia. While lower microwear texture complexity was predicted to follow urbanization, recent analysis of two South Indian bioarchaeological populations actually showed the more rural sample to have lower microwear complexity (contra expectation). Here we reevaluate urbanization as a possible driver of microwear texture pattern for agricultural populations in India using two other well-studied populations in different parts of the country. Results indicate that in this case, as predicted, the more urbanized population did have lower microwear texture complexity. This suggests that in some cases, dental microwear texture may be useful as a measure of urbanization but also supports the notion that other factors play an important role in microwear patterning.

It makes intuitive sense that herbivore movements are driven by the nutritional landscapes in which they live. But understanding the details requires we move beyond coarse landcover classifications to considerations of forage quality variation across plant functional types and vegetation communities. Here, we present an example and model linking landcover type, plant functional type, and nutritional composition for the Sattasniemi reindeer herding district in northern Finland. We analyzed 2,645 leaf plant samples (representing 52 taxa from 72 sites spanning nine landcover types), measuring crude protein, acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber using near-infrared spectroscopy calibrated against wet chemistry analyses. Wetlands, particularly forested peatlands and mires, exhibited the highest crude protein content (13.4–15.0%) and moderate fiber levels, making them nutritionally superior to deciduous, mesic, and nutrient-poor dry forests, which did not differ significantly from one another. Among plant functional types, deciduous tall shrubs and trees showed the highest crude protein (> 15%), while bryophytes exhibited exceptionally high fiber content (> 45% ADF). These findings demonstrate that forage quality varies across the landscape in ways not captured by simple landcover classifications. The discrepancy between high forage quality in wetlands and observed reindeer avoidance of some areas suggests that non-nutritional factors such as insect harassment, infrastructure disturbance, or predation risk—may override nutritional considerations in habitat selection. This work provides foundational data for understanding ranging decisions by semi-domesticated reindeer and for informing husbandry decisions by the herders whose livelihoods depend on herd productivity.

Patterns of microscopic wear on fossil teeth often serve as proxies to retrodict diets of extinct species. Dental microwear can also help ecologists monitor food choices in mammals today as they relate to variation in resource availability. Here we considered reindeer from northern Finland in herding districts with varying biomasses of lichen and dwarf shrub, hay and grass pasture to determine whether dental microwear texture pattern follows resource abundance. We examined textures of 179 individuals representing nine districts. All samples fell within the “mixed feeder” to browser range (with caveats), but there was also variation between districts. Results of a generalized mixed model indicated that samples from sites with more lichen had significantly lower microwear texture complexity. This suggests that while relationships between microwear pattern and resource abundance are complex, this approach holds promise as a tool for tracking food choice with varying availability for neontological studies.

Grasslands, by definition, are dominated by graminoids. Nevertheless, forbs also make up a substantial part of vascular plant diversity in grasslands and are important resources of mammalian herbivores. However, forb recruitment is constrained by successful dominant graminoids, limiting access to safe sites for germination. Disturbances created by herbivores can reduce graminoid dominance and favor forb recruitment. Here we hypothesize that intense disturbance, such as that caused by megaherbivores, promotes safe sites for forbs in such graminoid‐dominated grasslands, whereas disturbance by today's herbivores, such as small rodents, may not be sufficiently intense. We selected a total of 80 plots with either of four successful graminoid species in tundra grasslands of the Varanger Peninsula, Norway. The graminoid species were silicon‐poor or rich, and of either mat‐ or bunch‐growth form. Plots were further selected in both rodent disturbed and undisturbed areas. We manually removed the dominant graminoid in half of the plots, mimicking megaherbivore disturbance by reducing both shading capabilities and belowground rhizome and root systems. Results show that forb recruitment was significantly enhanced one year following the manual removal of all four graminoids. This effect on forb recruitment was similar among the four graminoids even though they were associated with distinct plant communities. The rodent disturbance did not enhance forb recruitment. In plots with rodent‐disturbed graminoids, the manual removal enhanced forb recruitment only in plots with silicon‐rich graminoids. Forb recruitment was further enhanced by higher levels of initial species richness, initial forb abundance, and soil moisture. Our findings support the hypothesis that intense disturbance, simulating megaherbivore effects on dominant graminoids, significantly enhances forb recruitment.

Arctic rodents influence tundra plant communities by altering species diversity, structure, and nutrient dynamics. These dynamics are intensified during rodent population peaks. Plants are known to induce defenses in response to rodent herbivory. However, changes in plant tissue digestibility may also play a role in deterring rodents or impacting their survival. This study presents a first look at the impacts of rodent herbivory on crude protein (CP) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) of two of the most common graminoid species ( Carex nigra and Deschampsia cespitosa ) and graminoid genus ( Calamagrostis spp . ) in the tundra meadows of the Varanger Peninsula, Norway. We selected 32 experimental plots representing both rodent-disturbed and adjacent, undisturbed control graminoid patches. In the summer of a rodent population peak, the disturbed plots had higher ADF (28.5%) values than less disturbed ones (26.6%), controlling for plant species. We also found differences between species, with Carex nigra having the lowest fiber content (24.3%, ADF) and highest protein content (18.2% CP)—making it the most palatable species. These results show that rodent activity can potentially alter plant food quality, suggesting that increasing fiber content may be a defensive response to herbivory.

Ethiopian fossil sites in the Lee Adoyta basin at Ledi-Geraru and the Maka'amitalu basin at Hadar straddle the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition and have both yielded fossil hominins attributed to early Homo. Faunal remains at these sites hold potential for providing insights into the ecological backdrop of the transition between these epochs in the lower Awash Valley and, by extension, the environments associated with the first appearance of Homo in the fossil record. Herbivore guild composition, ecomorphological study, and isotope analyses suggest that compared with paleoenvironments at earlier sites in the lower Awash, those in the Lee Adoyta basin and at Maka'amitalu had higher abundances of tropical grasses and sedges relative to browse plants. Here we bring another proxy to bear on the environments of the Lee Adoyta basin and Maka'amitalu associated with early Homo, dental microwear texture analysis. Dental microwear has been shown to separate grazing from browsing bovids and, because food choice reflects availability, can by extension provide insights into habitat. We employ texture analysis to infer the diets of bovid individuals from the Lee Adoyta basin (n = 13) and Maka'amitalu (n = 6) that preserve antemortem microwear. High-resolution replicas were scanned with a white-light confocal profiler and texture complexity and anisotropy were calculated for each surface and compared with baseline data for an extant sample of grazers, browsers, and mixed feeders. Values for bovids from the two sites do not differ from one another. Both samples have high anisotropy and low complexity, suggesting a graze-dominated diet and wide availability of grasses at both sites. These results are consistent with conclusions derived from other proxies.

Reconstructions of the diets of individual fossil species can help us better understand the adaptive radiations of higher-level primate taxa. Some researchers have posited that folivory was key to the divergence of cercopithecoids from the catarrhine stem, with bilophodonty reflecting an adaptation for leaf consumption. Others have questioned this model, suggesting that dental functional morphology and wear patterns are more consistent with frugivory and perhaps hard-object consumption. Here, we present new microwear texture data (n 1/4 22) that might contribute to the discussion. Specimens were sampled from Buluk (-17 Ma, Early Miocene, Noropithecus bulukensis) and Lothagam (-8e4 Ma, Late Miocene to Early Pliocene, Parapapio lothagamensis/sp. indet and fossil Colobinae) in the Turkana Basin, Kenya, and compared with a select group of extant taxa. Point clouds were generated from highresolution replicas of molar teeth using a white light confocal profiler and analyzed using scale-sensitive fractal analysis. Results of dental microwear texture analyses for both fossil samples align with those of extant grass (Theropithecus) and leaf (Trachypithecus) eaters and differ significantly from those of frugivores/generalists (Macaca, Papio) and hard-object specialists (Cercocebus). While both Noropithecus and Parapapio postdate the divergence of the cercopithecoid clade from other catarrhines, these results are largely consistent with previous work on the dietary ecology of the early papionin Parapapio from Lothagam and the traditional 'tough-food' model of leaves/grasses. Some previous Noropithecus dietary reconstructions indicated a diet of harder objects or fruits. Thus, the discrepancy between the microwear results and previous dietary reconstructions for N. bulukensis is unexpected. These results raise hypotheses that may help provide new context and insights into the radiation of this important superfamily of primates. (c) 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

OBJECTIVES:This study focuses on a dental microwear texture analysis of European pliopithecids and dryopithecins from the Miocene primate site of Rudabánya, Hungary. The goal is to determine whether these taxa, found in part together in the same deposits, differed in their food preferences, or at least consumed, on a daily basis, in a manner that might have facilitated sympatry. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Here we report on a molar surface texture analysis of all available fossil primates from Rudabánya that preserve antemortem microwear. This includes both Anapithecus hernyaki (n = 14) and Rudapithecus hungaricus (n = 5, including one from Alsótelekes). Scanning confocal profilometry was used to generate point clouds, and texture complexity and anisotropy values were compared between the fossil taxa and contextualized with published data for an extant baseline series. RESULTS:Texture complexity and anisotropy values for both samples fall within the range of extant frugivorous primates. Further, while anisotropy does not differ between the fossil taxa, Rudapithecus has a significantly higher complexity average than Anapithecus. DISCUSSION:The difference in microwear texture complexity suggests that Rudapithecus individuals studied here consumed harder foods on average than did Anapithecus individuals did. This is consistent with the notion that dietary differences may have played a role in the niche separation of these taxa.

Recent findings have transformed our thinking about early hominin diets. Most notably, evidence from dental microwear, carbon isotopes, and dental chipping has challenged notions of hard object feeding in “Nutcracker Man”, Paranthropus boisei Leakey, 1959. Less attention has been paid to its likely ancestor, Australopithecus afarensis Johanson, White & Coppens, 1978. Yet, there are reasons to suspect that disruptive ideas about P. boisei diet are highly relevant for Lucy and her kin. These reasons include: 1) the dental microwear of Au. afarensis and P. boisei is virtually identical, and shows no evidence of variation linked to habitat change; 2) the carbon isotope ratios of Au. afarensis are similar to those of early Paranthropus Broom, 1938 in the Omo; and 3) Au. afarensis manifests an early stage of a masticatory trend that reaches its quintessence in P. boisei, making it reasonable to argue that these taxa experienced similar selective pressures regarding diet. In this paper, we discuss the dietary ecology of Au. afarensis in light of lessons gleaned from its highly derived and enigmatic descendant P. boisei.

Certain graminoids can be successful in grasslands to the extent it is a phenomenon called "the Viking Syndrome". Nevertheless, forbs also make up a substantial part of vascular plant diversity in grasslands and are important resources of mammalian herbivores. Here we assess the hypothesis that forb recruitment is constrained by dominant graminoids, limiting access to safe sites for germination. We report on a disturbance experiment of plots with four different graminoid species in tundra grasslands of the Varanger Peninsula, Norway. Plots were selected to sample both rodent-disturbed and undisturbed areas. The dominant graminoids in each plot were removed, reducing their shading capabilities and belowground rhizome and root systems. Results show that forb recruitment one year following disturbance was significantly enhanced by manual graminoid removal. Dominant graminoid type, small rodent disturbance, initial forb abundance, and abiotic conditions had no effect on forb recruitment, whereas initial species richness had a positive relationship. Furthermore we found that manual disturbance had low impact on the species exchange ratio based on richness (SERr), suggesting that disturbance did not reduce the capacity of species to reside and move within the grassland. Our findings support the hypothesis that forb recruitment is limited by dominant graminoids. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Science, engineering, and society increasingly require integrative thinking about emerging problems in complex systems, a notion referred to as convergence science. Due to the concurrent pressures of two main stressors-rapid climate change and industrialization, Arctic research demands such a paradigm of scientific inquiry. This perspective represents a synthesis of a vision for its application in Arctic system studies, developed by a group of disciplinary experts consisting of social and earth system scientists, ecologists, and engineers. Our objective is to demonstrate how convergence research questions can be developed via a holistic view of system interactions that are then parsed into material links and concrete inquiries of disciplinary and interdisciplinary nature. We illustrate the application of the convergence science paradigm to several forms of Arctic stressors using the Yamal Peninsula of the Russian Arctic as a representative natural laboratory with a biogeographic gradient from the forest-tundra ecotone to the high Arctic.

Reconstructions of food choices of species in the past can help us understand ecological relationships between ancient populations and their environments and contextualize recent anthropogenic impacts on those species to inform wildlife management practices today. Przewalski's gazelles ( Procapra przewalskii), for example, were ubiquitous on the Tibetan Plateau during the Early and Middle Holocene but today are limited to a small, endangered population in the Qinghai Lake Basin. Environmental conditions have changed dramatically since the end of the Pleistocene, and recent human activity has also had noticeable impacts on the population dynamics of these gazelles. This study employs isotope analyses and dental microwear to reconstruct the diets of P. przewalskii specimens from the Epipaleolithic archaeological site, 151, in the Qinghai Lake Basin (dated to 8900-7900 cal. BP). Microwear textures are compared with modern Przewalski's gazelles from the basin and with a baseline of bovids with diets ranging from obligate browse to obligate graze. Stable isotopes confirm a diet for the archaeological samples dominated by C3 plants, which is unsurprising given a drop in C4 grass availability since the Early Holocene and a diet of both browse and C3 grasses for modern P. przewalskii in the basin. The microwear textures of the archaeological (n = 10) and modern (n = 5) P. przewalskii specimens are consistent with a graze-dominated diet, as reported in the literature for recent Przewalski's gazelles. While P. przewalskii has been a target prey species for people in the basin since the Paleolithic, the gazelle population has only recently declined to near-extinction level, due largely to the intensification of human activities. This decline has evidently not been driven by a change in feeding behavior despite dramatic habitat change, hunting pressure, and competition with domesticated animals. Understanding this can help governments to develop more suitable and effective strategies to protect this endangered species.

Camera traps are a powerful, practical, and non-invasive method used widely to monitor animal communities and evaluate management actions. However, camera trap arrays can generate thousands to millions of images that require significant time and effort to review. Computer vision has emerged as a tool to accelerate this image review process. We propose a multi-step, semi-automated workflow which takes advantage of site-specific and generalizable models to improve detections and consists of (1) automatically identifying and removing low-quality images in parallel with classification into animals, humans, vehicles, and empty, (2) automatically cropping objects from images and classifying them (rock, bait, empty, and species), and (3) manually inspecting a subset of images. We trained and evaluated this approach using 548,627 images from 46 cameras in two regions of the Arctic: “Finnmark” (Finnmark County, Norway) and “Yamal” (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Russia). The automated steps yield image classification accuracies of 92% and 90% for the Finnmark and Yamal sets, respectively, reducing the number of images that required manual inspection to 9.2% of the Finnmark set and 3.9% of the Yamal set. The amount of time invested in developing models would be offset by the time saved from automation after 960 thousand images have been processed. Researchers can modify this multi-step process to develop their own site-specific models and meet other needs for monitoring and surveying wildlife, balancing the acceptable levels of false negatives and positives.