(Ch. 8) Primate Evolution

Question 1

What is Taphonomy?

Answer 1

The study of what happens to a corpse between when it dies and when it is recovered as a fossil.
(was it moved, was it trampled on, etc.)

Question 2

Differentiate between Trace Fossils and True Fossils.

Answer 2

Trace Fossils- a surviving impression left by a creature
(ex. footprints)
True Fossils- petrified and hard remains of a creature
(ex. bones)

Question 3

During what era did mammals originate?

Answer 3

The Mesozoic Era.
(The age of dinosaurs)

Question 4

During what era did Plesiadapiforms originate?

Answer 4

The Paleocene Era.
(Right after all the dinosaurs went extinct.)

Question 5

What are Plesiadapiforms?

Answer 5

This is a classification of a primitive group of mammals from which all primates originated.
They did not resemble current-day primates, looking more like rodents.

Question 6

The Paleocene Era was a period of primate development. What about this period made it so apt for said development?

Answer 6

During this era was when flowers and fruit began to evolve as well. This was good for two reasons.
1. More insects evolved to feed on the flowers, which meant more insects to eat.
2. Fruit is now a consistent form of food.

Question 7

What are the two universally excepted original primates?

Answer 7

1. Adapoids (diurnal)
2. Omomyids (nocturnal)

Question 8

What is an Adapoid?

Answer 8

• One of the first primates, and the ancestor to all Strepsirrhines.
  -They were arboreal quadrupeds that ate fruit and leaves.

Question 9

What is an Omomyoid?

Answer 9

-One of the first primates, and the ancestor to all Haplorhines.
-They were nocturnal arboreal quadrupeds that ate fruit and leaves.

Question 10

Strepsirhines and Haplorhines at one point had a common ancestor. Why did they diverge so drastically?

Answer 10

1. Strepsirhines evolved to eat and digest leaves. They retained their good sense of smell.
2. Haplorhines evolved to eat insects and fruits. They evolved better vision.
   (They were competing for different food sources and thus could both comfortably coexist.)

Question 11

How do the below traits differ from Strepsirhines & Haplorhines?
1. Eye orbit
2. Face length
3. Mandible fusion

Answer 11

1. (H) Fully enclosed orbit
   (S) None enclosed orbit, but had a postorbital bar
2. (H) Shorter face
   (S) Longer face
3. (H) Fused mandible
   (S) Unfused mandible

Question 12

What are Chronometric dating techniques?

Answer 12

These are techniques that provide the exact age of an object.

Question 13

What are Relative dating techniques?

Answer 13

These are techniques that find the RELATIVE age of an object.

Question 14

What is Stratigraphy? What kind of dating technique is it?

Answer 14

1. The dating of objects based on layers, if it’s lower than it’s probably older.
2. Relative Dating

Question 15

What does Provenience mean?

Answer 15

The exact location in which a fossil has been found.

Question 16

What is Lithostratigraphy?

Answer 16

A type of relative dating- using the age of rocks.

Question 17

What is Tephrostratigraphy?

Answer 17

A type of relative dating. Uses chemical fingerprints of volcanic ash to date strata across geographical regions.

Question 18

What is Biostratigraphy?

Answer 18

This technique uses existing knowledge of fossils to estimate the age of other fossils.

Question 19

What kind of dating using Chemical Techniques?

Answer 19

-This technique is a form of relative dating.
-The more a fossil has absorbed certain minerals found in the dirt around them-the older they are/the longer they have been in the dirt.

Question 20

What is the problem with using Chemical Technique dating?

Answer 20

Matrices (soil body) differs from area to area, so this technique can only be used to find the relative age of the fossils from one area to one another.

Question 21

What is Radiometric Dating?

Answer 21

This is a form of dating that relies on radioactive element’s half lives. This is a chronometric dating technique.

Question 22

What is Potassium-Argon Dating?

Answer 22

1. This is a chronometric dating technique.
2. Potassium-Argon Dating uses the half life of potassium as it decays into argon.

Question 23

What is the half life of potassium as it decays into argon?

Answer 23

1.25 billion years

Question 24

What is Argon-Argon Dating?

Answer 24

1. A chronometric technique, that is radiometric.
2. A modification of potassium-argon dating. Can be used on a smaller sample and with less error.

Question 25

What is Thermoluminescence?

Answer 25

1. A form of chronometric dating techniques, radiometric.
2. Measures the amount of radioactivity accumulated by a specimen- since it’s last heating. Used on ancient stone artifacts.

Question 26

What dating technique is Carbon-14?

Answer 26

1. A form of chronometric dating techniques, radiometric.
2. Uses the decay of Carbon 14 to Carbon 12.

Question 27

How long is the half-life of Carbon 14 to Carbon 12?

Answer 27

5,730 years

Question 28

What is the importance of the Fayum Depression?

Answer 28

This is where modern day anthropologists have found many primate specimens. It was once a beautiful river environment-but has since dried up.