Teeth are critical to the functional ecology of vertebrate trophic abilities, but are also used for a diversity of other non-trophic tasks. Teeth can play a substantial role in how animals move, manipulate their environment, positively interact with conspecifics, antagonistically interact with other organisms, and sense the environment. We review these non-trophic functions in an attempt to place the utility of human and all other vertebrate dentitions in a more diverse framework that emphasizes an expanded view of the functional importance and ecological diversity of teeth. In light of the extensive understanding of the developmental genetics, trophic functions, and evolutionary history of teeth, comparative studies of vertebrate dentitions will continue to provide unique insights into multi-functionality, many-to-one mapping, and the evolution of novel abilities.

中文翻译：

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脊椎动物牙齿的非营养功能生态学：综述

牙齿对脊椎动物营养能力的功能生态学至关重要，但也用于其他各种非营养任务。牙齿可以在动物如何移动、操纵环境、与同种生物积极互动、与其他生物对抗互动以及感知环境方面发挥重要作用。我们回顾了这些非营养功能，试图将人类和所有其他脊椎动物牙列的效用置于一个更加多样化的框架中，该框架强调对牙齿的功能重要性和生态多样性的扩展视图。鉴于对牙齿发育遗传学、营养功能和进化史的广泛了解，脊椎动物牙列的比较研究将继续为多功能、多对一映射、