The reserach unit is united by the common interest in the function and evolution of mammalian dentitions. The great morphological diversity of fossil and extant mammalian dentitions has been described by many authors, but the knowledge of the functional aspect is still very limited. The classical description of the jaw movement as orthal, propalinal or lateral is in many cases inadequate. Starting with the striae on occlusal surfaces of teeth the jaw movement shall be reconstructed.

This approach is chosen, because this excellent source of information is available in teeth of extant as well as fossil mammals. One important aim of the research unit is to understand how the jaw movement and tooth morphology were changed during phylogeny and ontogeny. The efficiency of specific tooth shapes for destroying plant material can be tested under the aspects of biomechanics and energy when selected living herbivorous mammals are fed with standardized plant material.

The mechanical destruction of the plants in the mouth cavity can be regarded as a measurement for the yield of energy. Thus a new approach for the interpretation of evolutionary changes in the mammalian dentition is provided.

For major topics will be studied:

Besides traditional techniques for the investigations of the research group three-dimensional scanning and imaging techniques will be applied in order to understand the interaction of the complex contact areas between upper and lower dentitions.

The virtual simulation of the chewing cycle will yield fundamental new insights into the origin of attrition facets and the understanding of the function of mammalian dentitions.