#1 Flashcards
Primatology
Study of NHP
2 Main groups of Primatology
- STREPSIRRHINES (lemurs, lorises, galagos)
2. HAPLORHINES (tarsiers, OWM, NWM, lesser & greater apes, Humans)
4 Main complexes of Primate Pattern
- Grasping hands + feet
- Visual System
- Large Complex Brains and Associated Behaviour
- Skeletal and Dental Features
True or False:
Primates possess a combination of primitive AND derived traits
TRUE
2 main reasons to studying primates in anthro?
- Humans are social animals
2. Our close evolutionary and genetic relationship to primates
How close are humans to NonHuman Primates (NHP)?
- we shared a common ancestor with chimpanzees and bonobos about 4-7mya
- Share over ~98% of our genetic material with chimpanzees, bonobos (only ~1% different from humans)
What are 3 possible shared traits between humans and great apes?
A) Language and Cognition
B) Capacity to Transform ones environment
C) Transmission of knowledge and the emergences of cultural traditions
Derived Traits
things that make humans different
-i.e. habitual bipedalism in humans
Homoplasy
A trait found in 2 or more species that has evolved independently in each
Parallel or Convergent Evolution
How do Homoplasies arise?
Parallel Evolution
Convergent Evolution
Parallel Evolution
- How homoplasy arises
- two closely related species (diverged from a common ancestor) that didn’t exhibit the trait, may end up having the trait because they face similar ecological divergence
Convergent Evolution
- How homoplasy arises
- two distant related species converge on a similar solution to the same ecological pressures
What is used to establish phylogenetic relationships
Homologous traits
What kind of trait is Knuckle-walking in chimps and gorillas?
Homologous Trait
Derived Trait
what makes us uniquely human VS. what traits we share with our primate relatives
(i.e. habitual bipedalism)
Proximate VS Ultimate
PROXIMATE –> Asking what are the underlying neural, chemical, physiological or immediate causes for a particular behaviour
ULTIMATE –> (Ultimate/evolutionary/functional) functional approaches address the question of why primates have been selected to behave as they do under particular conditions
NHP Model
used to predict early human behavior
Referential Model
the use of a particular species for drawing analogies with others
-the use of chimps because they are genetically close to humans
Strategic Model
emphasize the evolutionary and ecological processes that affect behaviour
Sexual Dimorphism
morphological differences between males and females
what does it mean if early humans were sexually dimorphic?
suggests that if a species of early humans was markedly sexually dimorphic it is likely males were involved in aggressive conflicts
