Anthropology Lecture Notes Review

Flashcards for Anthropology Exam Review

Cultural Anthropology

The study of human societies, especially in a cross-cultural context, focusing on learned behavior. Employs ethnography.

Ethnography

A research method used in cultural anthropology involving collecting information through observation and participation in a society's daily life.

Linguistic Anthropology

The study of language, its history, and its use.

Archaeology

The study of the material culture of past peoples.

Artifacts

Objects studied in archaeology, representing the material culture of past peoples.

Biological Anthropology

The study of human biological evolution and biocultural variation.

Adaptive Radiation

The diversification of an ancestral group of organisms into new forms adapted to specific environmental niches.

Somatic Cells

Body cells (not involved in reproduction); diploid cells that form the organs, tissues, and other parts of an organism's body.

Gametes

Sexual reproductive cells (ova and sperm); haploid cells that unite to form a new organism.

Microevolution

Change in a population's allele frequencies over short time periods; occurs within a single species.

Menarche

A girl's first menstrual period, marking the beginning of reproductive capacity and the onset of puberty.

Melanin

Dark pigment that gives color to the skin and protects it from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Primate Reproduction

Primates tend to have a lower rate of reproduction, with fewer offspring per litter and longer intervals between births, compared to non-primates.

Rhinarium

The moist, hairless skin surrounding the nostrils in many mammals.

Strepsirhines

Lemurs, galagos, and lorises; primates with a damp nose (rhinarium).

Kin Selection

Natural selection in favor of altruistic behaviors that increase the fitness of the donor’s relatives.

Primate Social Organization: Polygyny

One male, multiple females.

Primate Social Organization: Polyandry

One female, multiple males.

Primate Social Organization: Monogamy

An adult male, an adult female, and their offspring.

Primate Social Organization: Solitary

Individual primates foraging alone, often within overlapping territories, with limited social interaction.

Visual Predation Hypothesis

Theory that proposes that certain unique traits of primates, like forward facing eyes and grasping hands, evolved as adaptations for catching insects and other small prey.

Angiosperm Radiation Hypothesis

Theory that proposes that the rapid diversification of flowering plants during the Cretaceous period had a significant impact on the evolution of ecosystems and biodiversity.

Arboreal Hypothesis

A theory about primate evolution that suggest many primate characteristics, like grasping hands and feet, forward facing eyes, and depth perception, evolved as adaptations for life in trees.

Anthropoid eye

fully enclosed eye socket (postorbital plate, not just a bar)

Cause of miocene ape extinction

Cooler weather / Global cooling and increasing aridity led to the decline of forests, creating more seasonal woodlands and grasslands / Environmental shift made it difficult for many ape species to find suitable food and shelter

Diastema

A space or gap between teeth, particularly between the canines and incisors on the upper jaw.

Dental Enamel in Hominins

Thick enamel suited for tougher foods

Hominin Characteristics

Upright posture, Bipedal locomotion, Larger and smarter brains, Specialized tool use, Communication through language

Hominin

Features thicker enamel on teeth to resist fracture related tooth loss while consuming tough foods

Patchy Forest Hypothesis

Theory that a patchy forest environment favored bipedalism in hominids as a more efficient way to traverse the landscape and locate food.

Provisioning Hypothesis

Theory that males evolved to provide resources, particularly food, for their mates and offspring, influencing social coding and reproductive success.

Biped vs quadruped body plan

biped is foramen magnum centered, bowl-shaped pelvis, long legs, while quadrupled is back of skull foramen magnum, narrow pelvis, equal limb length

Benefits of Bipedalism

Increased energy efficiency, the ability to carry tools and infants, improved thermoregulation, enhanced vision, long travel distance

Robust Australopithecines

Characterized by large jaws and teeth, sagittal crest, specialized for chewing.

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Earliest known possible hominin (7 mya), exhibiting a mix of ape and human traits.

Relative Dating

Dating method that focuses on the order of events (older or younger, stratigraphy).

Absolute Dating

Dating method that determine the actual age of an object or event (radiocarbon dating).

Half-life

The time it takes for half of the radioisotopes on a substance to decay: used in various radiometric dating methods

Stratigraphy

The study of rock layers; oldest layers at the bottom

Hominin Climate

Cooler and more variable, influencing adaptations

Ape Environment

Ranges from dense tropical forest to grassland and montane forests; Miocene climates with forests.

Oxygen 16/Oxygen 18 Ratio

Used to infer ancient temperatures and ice volume; more O-18 indicates colder temperatures.

Stone tools and Genus Homo

Homo habilis often linked with oldowan tools

Homo Erectus

Homo erectus brain and body increase linked to diet changes (meat), social complexity, and tool use

First Hominin to Leave Africa

Homo erectus (~1.8 mya)

Control Over Fire

Homo erectus likely the first to control over fire which improved diet, safety, and warmth.

Taphonomy

The study of what happens to the remains of an animal from the time of its death to the time of discovery; study of how organisms decay and become fossilized.

Homo floresiensis

Hobbit hominin from Flores, Indonesia; small brain/body but used tools.

Modern Human Cranium

Characterized by high forehead, rounded skull, small brow ridges, and presence of a chin.

Out of Africa Model

Model that proposes modern humans originated in Africa and replaced archaic humans elsewhere.

Neandertal locations

Europe and western asia

Allen’s Rule

Indicates that humans will have longer limbs in hot environments and shorter limbs in cold environments.

Bergmann’s Rule

Animals in colder climates have larger bodies to conserve heat.

Agriculture Onset

~10,000 years old; led to sedentism and surplus.

Changes to Teeth/Jaws and Bone

Smaller jaws and teeth due to softer diets leading to more dental crowding.

Domestication: Benefits

Food surplus and population growth.

Domestication: Costs

Nutritional deficits, disease, and social inequality.

Uniformitarianism

Processes that occurred in the geologic past are still at work today.

Charles Darwin

Developed the theory of natural selection, emphasizing variation and competition.

Wolff’s Law

Bone adapts to the loads under which it is placed.