Anthropology and Non-Human Primates

Flashcards covering essential vocabulary related to anthropology, evolutionary theory, and non-human primates.

Anthropology

The study of humans, their behaviors, biology, and cultural variations.

Holistic approach

An approach that considers the whole of human experience, integrating biological, cultural, historical, and linguistic perspectives.

Evolutionary Theory

A scientific explanation for the diversity of life, proposing that species change over time through processes such as natural selection.

Darwin's theory of natural selection

The principle that individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits to the next generation.

Pre-Darwinian scholars

Scientists before Darwin who contributed to evolutionary thought, including Lamarck and Lyell.

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

A pre-Darwinian scholar known for his theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics, suggesting that traits acquired during an organism's lifetime could be passed to offspring.

Charles Lyell

A pre-Darwinian geologist who proposed uniformitarianism, the idea that the same geological processes observed today have been at work throughout Earth's history, influencing Darwin's thinking on gradual change.

Genes

Units of heredity that carry genetic information.

Alleles

Different forms of a gene that can result in varying traits.

Punnett Square

A diagram used to predict the genetic outcome of a cross between two individuals.

Mendel’s Laws

Principles of inheritance discovered by Gregor Mendel, including the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment.

Gregor Mendel

An Augustinian friar and scientist known as the 'father of modern genetics' for his work on pea plants, which established the fundamental laws of inheritance.

Non-Mendelian inheritance

Patterns of genetic inheritance that do not follow Mendel's laws, such as incomplete dominance and co-dominance.

Adaptation

A characteristic or trait that enhances the survival and reproductive success of an organism.

Mechanisms of evolution

The processes by which evolution occurs, including natural selection, mutation, gene flow, and genetic drift.

Mutation

A random change in the DNA sequence, which is the ultimate source of new genetic variation.

Gene flow

The movement of genes (alleles) between populations, which can introduce new genetic variation or change allele frequencies.

Genetic drift

Random fluctuations in allele frequencies in a population due to chance events, particularly significant in small populations.

Adaptation types

The four types of adaptation: physiological, developmental, cultural, and genetic.

Population genetics

The study of genetic variation within populations and how this variation changes over time.

Clinal variation

Gradual changes in the frequency of phenotypes or genotypes over geographical space.

Species concept

Different perspectives on how to define a species, including the biological, morphological, and phylogenetic species concepts.

Paleospecies

An extinct species defined based on morphological characteristics from fossil evidence.

Speciation

The evolutionary process where new biological species arise.

Adaptive radiation

A rapid evolutionary diversification when a single ancestral species gives rise to multiple new forms adapted to various environments.

Gradistics

A method of classification based on shared physical traits and ancestral lineage.

Cladistics

A classification system based on the branching of evolutionary lineages.

Primate locomotion

The ways in which primates move, including brachiation, knuckle-walking, and vertical clinging and leaping.

Primate behavior research

The scientific study of nonhuman primate behavior, including social structures and communication methods.

Social groups in primates

The structures in which primates live, necessary for protection, mating, and resource sharing.

Dominance hierarchy

The social ranking within primate groups that influences access to resources and mating opportunities.

Tool-use in primates

The use of objects by nonhuman primates to obtain food or solve problems, indicative of cognitive abilities.

Cultural behaviors in primates

Behavior patterns in nonhuman primates that appear to be transmitted socially and vary between groups.