Glossary
Tribology:
Tribology is the science of studying the phenomena that can occur between two material systems in contact, whether stationary or in motion. The term covers friction, wear, interfaces and lubrication.
Paleontology:
Paleontology is the science of studying fossils of past organisms.
Photo of a Colobus guereza by Duncan Wright (User: Sabine’s Sunbird) — Personal work, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikipedia)
Primates:
(Definition from PALEVOPRIM’s glossary)
Order (monophyletic group; sharing a common ancestor) of mammals that appeared at the beginning of the Cenozoic and includes today several hundred species. Primates are generally rare in fossiliferous sites. Often associated with tropical forested habitats, their diets are diversified (insectivorous, frugivorous, folivorous, omnivorous).
Hominins:
(Definition from PALEVOPRIM’s glossary)
A group of primates that appeared at the end of the Miocene and includes Homo sapiens and all species closer to Homo sapiens than chimpanzees. From the common ancestor we share with chimpanzees, two evolutionary branches have emerged: that of chimpanzees and that of humans.
Paranthropus boisei by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen — Own work by uploader, http://bjornfree.com/galleries.html, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikipédia)
Ruminants:
Herbivorous mammals that “ruminate”, i.e. masticate food after ingestion. In concrete terms, this corresponds to the return of food from the rumen (1st “stomach”) to the mouth, where it is chewed and impregnated with saliva.
Tooth organization:
Hypsodont:
A term that refers to a denture with teeth having a “high” crown such as in equids.
Brachyodont:
A term that refers to a denture with teeth having a “low” crown such as in hominids.
Bunodont:
A term that refers to a tooth with rounded cusps.
Lophodont:
A term that refers to a molar with transversal crests.
Dental patterns of upper molars of placental mammals. Size differences have not been taken into account. Modified after © Jean-Louis Hartenberger
Dental micro-wear:
Dental microwear is the study of microscopic marks resulting from dental abrasion with food particles during mastication process. Microwear textures vary depending on the diet.
Isotope:
Isotopes of certain chemical elements are atoms whose nucleus shares the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. For example, carbon-14 has two more neutrons than the element carbon, carbon-12.
Isotope ratio:
Isotope ratio refers to the ratio of the number of atoms of two isotopes from a same sample, such as tooth enamel.
Biodiversity hotspot:
A biodiversity hotspot is characterized by a high level of endemism (at least 1,500 vertebrate species and vascular plants, i.e. more than 5 % of endemic species worldwide!). Its endangered biodiversity also characterizes it: in hotspots, 70 % or more of natural habitats have already been destroyed. Thirty-four biodiversity hotspots are identified on the Earth’s surface.
Photo of a Cervus timorensis (rusa deer) by Fayez — https://www.flickr.com/photos/kaizat/3468859789/, CC BY 2.0 (Wikipedia)
Endemic species:
An endemic species is found only in one region of the globe. If such a species were to disappear from the region where it is found, it would be lost forever.
Invasive species:
An invasive species is one that, being outside its native range, is able to adapt to its new environment, proliferate in an uncontrolled manner and even modify the natural environment, impacting other animal and plant species. This is the case of the rusa deer (above) in New Caledonia. After habitat destruction, invasive species are recognized as the second most significant cause of biodiversity loss!
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