Biological Anthropology

Anthropology

the holistic study of the human species, its past, present, its biology, its culture, its language

Biological Anthropology

an interdisciplinary and historical science

Evolution

a theory, "change over time"

European World View

a world in stasis, fixity of species, Great Chain of Being, no notion of Deep Time

Great Chain of Being

a way to explain where every living thing fit into the ladder of relationships with everything else

Deep Time

the essential concept donated by geology that stated that the earth was old enough for biological evolution to be a possibility

Fixity of Species

the idea that living things are as God initially created them, and that they never changed i

James Ussher

wanted to know the age of the earth; October 23, 4004 BC

Count Buffon

Uniformitarianism and deeper time

James Hutton

Uniformitarianism

Charles Lyell

Earth evolves by uniform processes; geologist

John Ray

concept of species and genus

Carolus Linnaeus

first taxonomy of plants and animals by physical appearance

Catastophism

fossil evidence indicate multiple extinctions and multiple catastrophies

Uniformitarianism

gradual forces shaped the planet which are still at work today

Jean Baptiste Lamark

Inhertitance of Acquired Characteristics-interaction between organisms and their environment, changes in trait are inherited (giraffe scenario)

Thomas Malthus

most living things produce more offspring than can be expected to survive; competition for food and resources

Darwin's Postulates

1) There is the a "struggle for existence" b/c a population grows faster than its food supply

2) There is differential success to survive and reproduce

3) Variation in a population is present and is heritable

Natural Selection

AKA: Differential Survival and Reproduction; when the environment changes, organisms that have characteristics that enable them to survive will do so and reproduce offspring with the same characteristics

Darwin vs Lamark

Lamark: requires variation to arise when needed

Darwin: variation already exists and nature selects those with advantageous characteristics according to their environment

Old ideas of inheritence

blending of parents' traits, traits in blood, examples in breeding

Gregor Mendel

Father of Genetics

Pea Plants

inheritance

Law of Segregation

traits are inherited as discrete units; frequent units=dominant, less frequent units=recessive

Genes

codes for a particular trait

Alleles

a pair of genes

Genotype

combination of alleles

Homozygous

same alleles

Heterozygous

different alleles

Phenotype

physical expression of trait

Polygenetic Inheritance

two or more genes work together to effect a single pheotypic trait (eg. skin color); strongly affected by the environment in which they develop

Chromosomes

where genes are located; humans :46 , 23 pairs

Gametes

sex cells; where significant evolutionary changes occur

Population

A group of individuals that can and do interbreed

Evolution

A challenge in allele frequency from one generation to the next

Fitness

an individual's reproductive success

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

assumes no gene flow, mutation, genetic drift, or natural selection

Homologies

traits which are similar in form in two species due to common ancestry

Analogies

Similarities between organisms based only on common function with no regard to common evolutionary descent. Structures look/act alike because they exploit the same opportunities, like wings and flight.

Punctuated Equilibrium

The idea that long periods of stasis are followed by short periods of rapid evolutionary change

Bergman's Rule

organisms in cold climates tend to have stockier bodies

Allen's Rule

Stipulates that in warmer climates, the limbs of the body are longer relative to body size to dissipate body heat

Law of Segregation

Mendel; "particles" were separated into gametes that joined together during recombination, generating continuing variation

Modern Synthesis

combination between Natural Selection and Mendelian genetics

PTC

inability to taste is b/c it's a homozygous recessive genotype

Human taxonomy

animalia-Primates-Hominidae-Homo-sapiens

Genetic drift

random fluctuations of gene frequencies

Gene flow

exchange of genes between populations, keeping them similar

Mutation

introduce new traits into a population

Founder effect

the random changes that occur when a small group splits off from a large population

Fission

the splitting of one population into two

In a population of pea plants there are 10,000 individuals; 7,000 have genotype TT, 2000-Tt, 1000-tt. The tall trait is dominant. Compute the genotype, phenotype, and allele frequencies for the initial population

Genotype frequencies: TT=.7, Tt=.2, tt=.1

Phenotype frequencies: Tall/medium=.9, short= .1

Allele frequencies: T=.8, t=.2

In a population of pea plants there are 10,000 individuals; 7,000 have genotype TT, 2000-Tt, 1000-tt. The tall trait is dominant. Compute the expected frequencies of the 3 genotypes and phenotypes

Genotype frequencies: TT=.25, Tt=.5, tt=.25

Phenotype frequencies: Tall/medium=.75, short=.25

In a cross breeding of pure breeding tall pea plants (TT) with pure breeding short plants (tt) in which the alleles are co-dominant. What are the genotyp and phenotype frequencies in the F1 generation

Genotypes(TT=0, Tt=100%, tt=0), Phenotypes (Tall/medium=100%, short=0)

In a cross breeding of pure breeding tall pea plants (TT) with pure breeding short plants (tt) in which the alleles are co-dominant. What are the genotype and phenotype frequencies in the F2 generation. F1: Genotypes(TT=0, Tt=100%, tt=0), Phenotypes (Tall/medium=100%, short=0)

Genotypes: TT=.25, Tt=.5, tt=.25

Phenotypes: Tall= .25, medium=.5, short=.25

http://msjensen.cehd.umn.edu/webanatomy/skeletons_skulls/skull_lateral_3.jpeg

Identify #3, #3 hole under skull, #6 lower part though

occipital lobe, foramen magnum, mandible

http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/upload/a2079613.jpg

Identify E, G, L

sacrum, Innominate, pubic symphisis

http://anatomycorner.com/main/wp-content/images/ulna_unlabeled.jpg

Identify bone and following parts:

coronoid process, semilunar notch, olecranon, styloid process

Single-Male/Multi-Female Society

related females, sub-adult males don't reproduce, considerable sexual dimorphism, eg. Gorillas

Multi-Male/Multi-Female Society

dominancy hierarchy amongst males, several males reproduce, some sexual dimorphism, eg. Baboons

Monogamous Pairs Society

single male/single female, least common among primates, minimal sexual dimorphism, not found among great apes

Polyandry Society

one female/2 males, males are usual brothers, fairly rare, minimal sexual dimorphism, some new world monkeys

Solitary Society

quite rare, eg. orangutans

Arboreal Hypothesis

agility and grasping, vison (stereoscopic vision and color), big brain

Visual Predation Hypothesis

Primates' adaptations suited for seeing and preying on small animals in branches; requires visual acuity and grasping hands

Platyrrhines

New World Monkeys, almost exclusively arboreal

Catarrhines

Old World Monkeys, Apes, Humans

Subfamilies of OWM

Colobines: colubus monkeys, langurs (infanticide)

Cercopiths: very diverse, macaques and vervets

Baboons

diverse, omnivorous, multi-male/female, *adapted to same environment as our ancestors*, terrestrial, sexually dimorphic

Apes/Hominoids

larger body size, no tail, shortened trunk, suspensory locomotion, complex behavior and cognitive abilities, increased period of infant development

Families of Apes/Hominoids

Hylobatidae: Gibbons and Siamangs

Pongidae: orangutan, gorilla, chimps, bonobos

Hominidae: genus Homo

Gibbons and Siamangs

brachiation (long arms, permanently curved fingers, short thumbs), monogamous pairs, little sexual dimorphism

Orangutans

solitary, females+young=stability, very sexually dimorphic

Gorillas

single male-multi female, sexually dimorphic

Chimpanzees

less sexually dimorphic-ratio close to humans

Rank

learned behavior, infants observe mothers

Mother-Infant Relation

type of relationship that is the core grouping

Arboreal

Type of Social Behavior: includes Gibbons, NWM; smaller groups, territorial between groups, little in-group aggression

Social Behavior-Terrestrial

Baboons; larger groups and territory, less aggression between groups, more in-group aggression

Eugene Debois

interested in finding fossil human ancestors; Java, Indonesia: Pithecanthropus erectus

Problems with P. erectus

1) It was believed that a large brain size was a characteristic of our ancestors

2) Europeans believed that we must have originated in Europe

Piltdown Man

Darwin, fit preconceptions (intelligent, found in Europe), modern-looking cranium and ape-like jaws--> actually a fraud (modern human skull, orangutan jaw)

Raymond Dart

found Australopithecus africanus-Taung Child (S. Africa), teeth not apelike (no diastema), foramen magnum underneath

Importance of Skulls

1) evidence of bipedalism (foramen magnum)

2)evidence for diet

3) evidence of brain size

4) similarities btw apes and humans

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

blends apelike and human characteristics, 6-7mya, early development of bipedalism

Orrorin tugensis

"orignial man", NW Kenya

Ardipithecus kadabba

Ethiopia; mandible, teeth, hand, and foot bones; toe=bipedialism

Ardipithecus ramidus

Ethiopia; skull=foramen magnum; grasping big toe= upright walker; limb proportions more monkey

Australopithecines

bipedal, brain slightly larger than chimps, size reduction of front teeth, size increase of molars

Australopithecus anamensis

Kenya; diastema, thicker enamel, small front teeth, bipeds, leg bones+hallux=bipedalism

Australopithecus afarensis

Ethiopia, Tanzania; Lucy; gorilla>canine teeth>modern human; massive jaw+flaring cheek bones=ate hard fibrous food; brain slightly larger than chimp; funnel shaped rib cage; Laetoli footprints=bipedal; children had slow maturation rates

Kenyanthropus platyops

flat faced from Kenya

Benefits of Bipedalism

safer scavenging, carrying things (efficiency), thermal regulation

Australopithecus africanus

Raymond Dart, Taung Child; sexually dimorphic; "gracile"

The common ancestor had these characteristics...

vocal communication, complex social interactions, expressive faces, tactical deception, manipulated objects, slept in arboreal nests

USOs

available in all seasons in woodlands, useful food source, hard to get, tooth wear-->thicker enamel

Paranthropus

heavy build, massive face, sagittal crest, slightly larger brain than Australopithecus

Paranthropus aethiopicus

small brain, 2.5mya (Paranthropus), ancestor to specialized hominines?, coarse diet

P. boisei

"Hyperrobust", Kenya, Tanzania, sexually dimorphic

Olduwan

very old form of stone tool, suggests good planning and understanding of stones, associated with Homo habilis