Ultramicrostructural reductions in teeth: implications for dietary transition from non-avian dinosaurs to birds

Background Tooth morphology within theropod dinosaurs has been extensively investigated and shows high disparity throughout the Cretaceous. Changes or diversification in feeding ecology, i.e., adoption of an herbivorous diet (e.g., granivorous), is proposed as a major driver of tooth evolution in Paraves (e.g., Microraptor , troodontids and avialans). Here, we studied the microscopic features of paravian non-avian theropod and avialan teeth...