SFS: Ch.1 and L.1

What type of diet is the Chimp’s diet?

Omnivorous diet

What is the Chimp diet composed of?

• more than 100 plant species, fruits (figs) dominate

• insects

• small mammals

How are parts of the chimps’ diet captured?

• insects: fishing with grass blades

• small mammals: by 2 or more males (50-60% success rate) or females (even when carrying babies)

What do the risks of hunting (in chimp’s diet) lead to?

They lead to a reward because even if they only get a small bit of food they still get nutrition.

In which areas are there usually more chimps?

In fruit-providing areas (2-4 individuals), while in the savannah there are usually fewer than 1 individuals.

What are Hominins?

Hominin diverged from chimps more than 6 million years ago.

What do the Hominin and Early human diets consist of?

• plant tissues dominate and are a necessary part of nutrition

• hunting larger animals

How did Hominins and Early Humans hunt?

• large carnivores did the hunting

• using stone tools, spears, bows and arrows

How did their diet affect their place on the food chain (humans)?

The human position on the food chain changed to high level of carnivory, which peaked in homo erectus and reversed in the late stone age.

What are three changes that were noticed after this movement in the food chain (from humans)?

• higher fat reserves and higher stomach acidity, which lead to a change in gut shape and volume

• reduction of chewing muscles

• earlier weaning (= allattamento)

What was the dietary shift affected by in the Neolithic?

The dietary shift was affected by the extinction of megaherbivores (eg. mammoths) during the new stone age.

What are the two hypotheses explaining the demise in the Neolithic (9000-3000 BCE)?

1. Climate change: the expansion of forests and the retreat of grassland, where the megaherbivores used to live.

2. Overkill: (= extinction caused by the ass-scale killing of large herbivores by groups of prehistoric hunters).

What is an example of an ethnic group that relied on a limited range of simple tools for hunting?

Hadza Hunters and gatherers of Tanzania.

How many individuals are present in small ethnic groups on average?

25 to 30 people.

How many individuals are present in larger ethnic groups on average?

500 people.

Describe the population patterns over history.(?)

Initially, there were 20K to 100K individuals, this increased until the last glacial period, which caused a decline. Then, the number of individuals increased to around 400K by the end of the last ice age.

Describe the “bottleneck” that happened 1.2 million years ago. (?)

Humans were more endangered than “great apes” today.

In the Neolithic, where did individuals live and what was their diet?

• tropical rainforests - diet: plants

• arctic - diet: large fatty marine mammals

What facilitated population growth?

The domestication of crops and animals, which made it possible to support hiegher population densities.

Was the domestication of crops a Neolithic revolution?

No, it was a gradual development.

How was the increase in reliance on planted crops increased (2 ways)?

• by the gathering of wild plant species

• by the killing of wild animals

Today, where is wild food most often harvested by settled populations?

In African and Asian countries.

Why did we start farming?

Surpluses at certain times of the year and the ability to store them for the future is better for the long-term.

What do the most intensive versions of traditional cropping in Asia rely on? (4 factors)

• irrigation

• heavy recycling of organic wastes

• the planting of 1+ crops per year

• complex crop notations

What could happen if the food energy supply is above the actual needs (eg. EU and North America)?

Populations become grossly obese or there is an enormous amount of food waste.

What is an example of a country that is approaching a nationwide famine?

Ethiopia.

What are the 3 factors that we need to have in our diets?

• carbohydrates

• fats

• proteins

What is the function of carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates supplement fats and are the main source of food energy.

What are the (2) functions of proteins?

• enable growth

• repair old body tissues

What happens to proteins when the first 2 macronutrients are in short supply?

Proteins are metabolised to energy.

How many kcal are moderately active adults supposed to consume? (include percentages of C,F,P)

2500 kcal = 45-65% carbs, 20-35% fats, 10-35% proteins

What are lignocellulosic compounds?

They are structural frameworks of plant biomass, primarily composed of 3 polymers (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin).

Why can’t lignocellulosic compounds be consumed by humans?

Because there is a lack of suitable enzymes.

Since humans could not consume lignocellulosic compounds, what was their only other resolution?

Domestication of crops and animals.