Biological Anthropology Lecture Flashcards

Comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering the forces of evolution, primate classification, hominin evolution, race and biological variation, and forensic anthropology.

Evolution

Change in allele frequencies in a population over time.

Allele

A different version of a gene.

Fitness

An individual's ability to survive and reproduce.

Modern Synthesis

The combination of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection and Gregor Mendel's principles of genetics.

Microevolution

Small-scale evolutionary changes occurring within a species from generation to generation.

Macroevolution

Large-scale evolutionary changes accumulated over long periods that can result in the formation of new species.

Speciation

The formation of new species.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species that are close enough geographically to reproduce with each other.

Species

Individuals that can reproduce with each other and produce viable, fertile offspring.

Gene

A section of DNA that codes for a specific function.

Homozygous

Having two identical alleles for a specific gene.

Heterozygous

Having two different alleles for a specific gene.

Genotype

An individual's genetic combination of alleles.

Phenotype

An individual's observable physical characteristics, influenced by genotype and environment.

Natural Selection

A non-random evolutionary force where individuals with traits that aid survival and reproduction pass those traits to offspring.

Genetic Drift

A random evolutionary force causing allele frequencies to change by chance, having a stronger effect in small populations.

Gene Flow

The movement or exchange of genes between populations, usually caused by migration.

Mutation

A random change in DNA that serves as the ultimate source of new genetic variation.

Four Forces of Evolution

The primary forces driving evolutionary change: Natural Selection, Gene Flow, Mutation, and Genetic Drift.

Founder Effect

A type of genetic drift that occurs when a small group leaves an original population to start a new population with different allele frequencies.

Stabilizing Selection

A form of natural selection that favors average traits rather than extreme variations.

Sexual Selection

A form of natural selection where individuals of one sex prefer certain physical characteristics in potential mates.

LUCA

Last Universal Common Ancestor, referring to the common ancestor from which all current life descended.

Homology

An anatomical or structural similarity resulting from shared evolutionary ancestry.

Analogy

A functional similarity between organisms caused by similar environmental pressures rather than shared ancestry.

Ancestral Trait

A feature or trait inherited from a distant evolutionary ancestor.

Derived Trait

A feature or trait that was more recently altered or evolved within a specific lineage.

Generalized Trait

A biological trait that is useful for many different tasks.

Specialized Trait

A biological trait adapted for a specific function.

Life History

The pace at which an organism grows, reproduces, and ages.

Strepsirrhini

A primate suborder characterized by wet noses, longer snouts, and a greater reliance on olfaction.

Haplorrhini

A primate suborder characterized by dry noses, including tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans.

Grooming Claw

A specialized claw found in strepsirrhines used specifically for grooming.

Tooth Comb

Specialized lower front teeth found in strepsirrhines used for grooming fur and feeding.

Platyrrhines vs. Catarrhines

New World primates (Platyrrhines) have broad, outward-facing noses and some prehensile tails, whereas Old World primates (Catarrhines) have narrow, downward-facing noses and non-prehensile tails.

Prehensile Tail

A tail adapted to grasp or hold onto branches and objects.

Cercopithecines

A group of Old World monkeys that primarily eat fruit and typically live in multimale-multifemale groups.

Colobines

A group of Old World monkeys that primarily eat leaves and possess intestinal adaptations for leaf processing.

Male Bimaturism

The occurrence of two distinct adult male physical forms (flanged and unflanged) within orangutans.

Fission-Fusion Social Structure

A social system where group size and composition change frequently as individuals split apart and reunite.

Gracile Australopiths

Early hominins with smaller hind teeth, slender jaws, less-flared cheekbones, and no sagittal crest.

Robust Australopiths

Hominins in the genus Paranthropus featuring large back teeth, thick/strong jaws, flared cheekbones, and a sagittal crest for powerful chewing.

Lomekwian Tools

The oldest recognized classification of stone tools, dating to about 3.3 million years ago in Kenya.

Oldowan Tools

Stone tool technology made of flake and core components, associated with Homo habilis and Homo erectus.

Acheulean Tools

Stone tool industry associated with Homo erectus, featuring bifacially shaped handaxes.

Out of Africa Assimilation Hypothesis

The model proposing Homo sapiens evolved in Africa before expanding into Eurasia and interbreeding with local archaic Homo populations.

Race vs. Ethnicity

Race refers to social categorizations based on perceived physical or phenotypic differences, whereas ethnicity refers to distinctions based on cultural traits and ancestry.

Nonconcordance

The principle that human physical traits are inherited independently from one another rather than in linked racial trait bundles.

Cline

A geographic gradient representing a gradual change in allele frequency or phenotypic trait across different regions.

Neutral Evolutionary Forces

Forces of evolution—including gene flow, genetic drift, and mutation—that alter allele frequencies without selective survival direction.

Human Taxonomy

The biological classification hierarchy of humans from Domain Eukarya to species sapiens.

Forensic Anthropology

The application of osteological analysis to identify human skeletal remains within a legal or criminal investigation.

Taphonomy

The study of environmental and biological processes affecting skeletal remains after death.

Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI)

The lowest possible count of individual organisms represented by a set of skeletal remains.

Biological Profile

An individual's identifying traits determined from skeletal analysis, including sex, age, population affinity, and stature.

Population Affinity

Genetic and environmental variations observed among modern human populations used in forensic identification.

Antemortem Trauma

Injury to living tissue or bone that occurs before death, exhibiting signs of healing.

Perimortem Trauma

Injury to bone or tissue that occurs at or around the time of death.

Postmortem Trauma

Damage occurring to skeletal remains after death.

Bioarchaeology

The scientific study of human skeletal remains recovered from archaeological sites.

NAGPRA

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, a 1990 federal law establishing processes to return Native American human remains and cultural items.

Forensic Anthropology Key Terms

Core terminology used in forensic anthropology, including taphonomy, MNI, biological profile, trauma classifications, bioarchaeology, and NAGPRA.