EVOLUTION OF MAXILLA 7 EVOLUTION OF MAXILLA KALAISELVI PERUMAL

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EVOLUTION OF MAXILLA 7






Evolution of Maxilla

Kalaiselvi Perumal 1st Year BDS

Saveetha Dental College And Hospitals. Email:[email protected]


















Abstract

The evolution of the animal jaws has shown that different species have acquired different adaptations over time. Through fossil studies, scientists have established differences in jaw structures and sizes in different animal species. The maxilla, which represents the lower jaw bone has evolved in a similar pattern. In humans, the maxilla has evolved to become smaller and weaker compared to non-human mammals and reptiles. This distinction is shown in the tightly packed teeth in human maxilla. In other non-human mammals and species, there are spaces between the teeth. Additionally, the jaws of reptiles and non-human mammals are larger in size and stronger. The reason for these differences in the structure and size of the jaw bone is the changing dietary habits. While humans began to eat softer foods, other species still eat hard foods such as raw leaves and meat. Therefore, reptiles and other non-human mammals still need strong maxilla to chew the hard foods.


Key Words: Maxilla, evolution, adaptation, dietary habits








Introduction


Evolution theory is the focus of many studies. All organisms are considered to have evolved from their ancestral forms through natural selection and other forces. In animals, evolution has taken different routes. The evolution of the jaws of different animal species has shown that certain species have acquired unique features over time. Through archaeological studies, various fossils have been carefully studied and analyzed to reach these conclusions. One area that has received significant focus in terms of evolutionary changes is the structure of the skull, specifically the jawbones. This paper is going to discuss the evolution of the maxilla in humans and other animals.














Materials


For this paper, secondary research will be applied. This entails using various secondary sources. This will include secondary sources such as web articles, books, and other relevant material. The subject of evolution has been the focus of many studies. Therefore, finding relevant secondary sources will be easy. On the other hand, primary research may not be convenient because of various constraints including time, resources, and specialized knowledge. The following secondary sources will be used in this paper.

Author(s)

Publication Date

Title

Fact(s)

King, G. M.

1996

Reptiles and herbivory

Reptiles have larger upper jaws than humans, reptiles upper jaws have spaces between teeth

Moore, J. A.

1999

Science as a way of knowing: The foundations of modern biology

Human maxilla is smaller than those of reptiles

Henderson, D. M., & Weishampel, D. B.

2002

Convergent evolution of the maxilla-dental-complex among carnivorous archosaurs

The jaws of carnivores are larger because of dietary habits

Milsom, C., & Rigby, S.

2009

Fossils at a glance

Human jaws are smaller because of dietary habits

Genden, E. M.

2010

Reconstruction of the mandible and maxilla: The evolution of surgical technique

The maxilla plays a vital role in animal anatomy including supporting nasal cavity, chewing, and facial appearance





Discussion

Maxilla is the upper jaw. The upper jaw supports the nasal cavity and upper teeth. It is also sued in chewing together with the lower jaw (Genden, 2010)[1]. The evolution of the upper jaw has not received much attention like the lower jaw. This is probably because the upper jaw has not evolved significantly as the lower jaw. Additionally, the evolution of the upper jaw has been at par with that of the lower jaw.

In human-like mammals, the maxilla has not evolved significantly. As the lower jaw evolved to become smaller, the upper jaw did not change so much. The main evolutionary change to the upper jaw has been the reduction in size. This can be attributed to the various factors. First, the change in dietary habits caused the maxilla in humans to become smaller. The ancestral species of humans consumed raw meat and vegetables. This made the maxilla and mandible to be bigger and stronger because of chewing the hard foods. However, after the discovery of fire, man changed his diet and started eating softer foods. Therefore, both the maxilla and mandibular became smaller. The teeth in human maxilla are tightly packed compared to reptiles and other non-human mammals. This shows that the maxilla became smaller forcing the teeth to become tightly packed. Milsom & Rigby (2009)[2] and Moore (1999)[3].

In reptile and other non-human mammals, the maxilla is larger. This species continue to consume hard foods such as raw meat. Therefore, they still need to have larger and stronger jaws to chew the hard foods. Moreover, the teeth in the upper jaw in these species are not as tightly packed as in humans. There are spaces between teeth because of the larger size of the jaws Henderson & Weishampel(2002)[4] and King(1996)[5].



Conclusion

The evolution of the maxilla has not been as significant as the mandible. In humans, the maxilla has become smaller because of the change in dietary habits. In reptiles and other non-human animals, the maxilla is larger and stronger because of the hard foods that these species consume. The evolution of the maxilla has received less attention compared to the evolution of the mandible because of the fact that the maxilla has not evolved as much as the mandible.



















References


  1. Genden, E. M. (2010). Reconstruction of the mandible and maxilla: The evolution of surgical technique. Arcives of Facial Plastic Surgery, 12(2), 87-90.

  2. Milsom, C., & Rigby, S. (2009). Fossils at a glance. 2nd ed. John Wiley & Sons.

  3. Moore, J. A. (1999). Science as a way of knowing: The foundations of modern biology. Harvard University Press.

  4. Henderson, D. M., & Weishampel, D. B. (2002). Convergent evolution of the maxilla-dental-complex among carnivorous archosaurs. Senckenbergiana Lethaea, 82(1), 77-91.

  5. King, G. M. (1996). Reptiles and herbivory. Springer.


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Tags: evolution of, convergent evolution, maxilla, evolution, perumal, kalaiselvi