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dc.contributor.authorMeredith, R.
dc.contributor.authorZhang, G.
dc.contributor.authorGilbert, Thomas
dc.contributor.authorJarvis, E.
dc.contributor.authorSpringer, M.
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-30T13:10:21Z
dc.date.available2017-01-30T13:10:21Z
dc.date.created2015-01-27T20:00:44Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.identifier.citationMeredith, R. and Zhang, G. and Gilbert, T. and Jarvis, E. and Springer, M. 2014. Evidence for a single loss of mineralized teeth in the common avian ancestor. Science. 346 (6215): pp. 1336-1344.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29106
dc.identifier.doi10.1126/science.1254390
dc.description.abstract

Edentulism, the absence of teeth, has evolved convergently among vertebrates, including birds, turtles, and several lineages of mammals. Instead of teeth, modern birds (Neornithes) use a horny beak (rhamphotheca) and a muscular gizzard to acquire and process food. We performed comparative genomic analyses representing lineages of nearly all extant bird orders and recovered shared, inactivating mutations within genes expressed in both the enamel and dentin of teeth of other vertebrate species, indicating that the common ancestor of modern birds lacked mineralized teeth. We estimate that tooth loss, or at least the loss of enamel caps that provide the outer layer of mineralized teeth, occurred about 116 million years ago.

dc.publisherThe American Association for the Advancement of Science
dc.titleEvidence for a single loss of mineralized teeth in the common avian ancestor
dc.typeJournal Article
dcterms.source.volume346
dcterms.source.number6215
dcterms.source.startPage1336
dcterms.source.endPage1344
dcterms.source.issn0036-8075
dcterms.source.titleScience
curtin.departmentDepartment of Environment and Agriculture
curtin.accessStatusOpen access via publisher


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