2.1 Hominoids and their anatomy

Question 1

What are the major differences between apes and monkeys?

Answer 1

Apes have:

• No tail
• Long, flexible arms
• Larger body size
• Full shoulder rotation

Seperate from Old world monkeys because:

• Broader noses + palates
• Relatively larger brains

Question 2

Describe the defining characteristics of chimpanzees.

Answer 2

• Predominately eat fruit (and birds, eggs, insects)
  
  • Males hunt in groups for moneys
  • Use tools
• Knuckle walking
• Male and demale dimorphism
• Fission-fusion social structure (seperate when food becomes scarce)
• 40y lifespan
• Male bonding + dominant
  
  • Complex hunting pattern
• Females find new tribes

Question 3

Describe the defining characteristics of bonobos

Answer 3

• Vegetarian
• Knuckle walking
• Body dimorphism
• Females bond + are dominant
  
  • Higher food availability
• Sex to avoid conflict
• No aggression

Question 4

Describe the defining characteristics of Gorillas

Answer 4

• High body size dimorphism
• Knuckle walking
• One dominant male
  
  • May kill infants to reassert dominance over females (i.e. mate)
• Make friends, like to play

Question 5

Describe the defining characteristics of orangatangs

Answer 5

• Semi-solitary social organisation
  
  • Females with offspring, solo males
• Male aggression (like gorilla)
• High body dimorphism
• Fruit, bark, leaves, insects
  
  • Small groups
• Fist walking

Question 6

What view is this cranium in?

Answer 6

Frontal/Anterior/Ventral

Question 7

How to the skulls/heads of apes and modern humans differ?

Answer 7

• Humans have:
  
  • Chin
  • Smaller canine
  • Larger cranium
  • No sagittal crest
  • No heavy brow ridge
  • The foramen magnum is positioned more anteriorly due to bipedalism

Question 8

What is the biological species concept?

Answer 8

• Groups that can only breed with themselves

Question 9

recognition species concept?

Answer 9

species recognise each other for mating purposes

Question 10

Ecological species concept

Answer 10

Individuals use a single ecological adaption

Question 11

Morphological species concept

Answer 11

Similar anatomically

• Not super useful - species differ naturally but might be only one that can be used

Question 12

Genetic species concept and evolutionary species concept

Answer 12

Genetic differences

Evolutionary lineages

Question 13

Phylogenic species concept

Question 14

Define hominin, hominid and hominoid.

Answer 14

Hominin: any species after the split from chimpanzees and bonobos

Hominid: Orangatuans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, humans

Hominoid: All aples

Question 15

What is homology? Explain its types.

Answer 15

Homology is similarity due to descent from a common ancestor.

Symplesiomorphology: similarities shared because they were present in a remote common ancestor.

Synapomorphy: similarities shared which appread more recently (derived). Better for phylogenic relationships.

Question 16

What is homology?

Answer 16

• Similarity due to common process
  
  • Parallel - independent evolution in related descendent species
  • Convergent - independent evolution due to functionality

Question 17

What are monophyletic and paraphyletic groups?

Answer 17

Monophyletic: A group containing all known descendants of a common ancestor.

Paraphyletic: A group containing some but not all known descendents.

Question 18

What is a clade?

Answer 18

A group with a common ancestor and all its descendents.