Chapter 2- The People of Physical Anthropology Flashcards
who was the first person to explan the basic mechanics of the evolutionary process?
Charles Darwin
principle that believes that species can never change
fixity of species
Copernicous
challenged that the earth was the center of the universe
Galileo
confirms Copernicous’ ideas
What years did the naturalists arise?
1700 and 1800’s
Archbishop Ussher
Irish prelate and scholar, dates earth to 4004BC, “near earth origins” contemporary of Decartes and Newton, problem- falsifiability
John Ray
invents concept of species and genus, English botanist wrote “The Wisdom of God in the works of creation.” Concept of isolated reproduction
this pertains to groups of organisms that mainly because of genetic differences, are prevented from mating and producing offspring with members of other such groups
reproductively isolated
Linnaeus (Carol) 1707-1778
Formulated binominal nomenclature, naturalist, wrote systems of nature, believed in fixity of species, names related to morphological similarities, created 4 Tier system (built off of John Ray’s ideas)
George Lecelere de Buffon
Keeper of the King’s Gardens, recgonized the dynamic relationship between the external environment and living forms, nature is dynamic and not static, 1st person to challenge Ussher,
How did Buffon explain change? (what was his error)
Explained change through de-evolution
What was Buffon’s major contribution?
Nature’s great workman is time
Erasmus Darwin
“Zoonomia,” compared and contrasted Buffon and Linnaeus concerning fixity and change in species, theorized humans were from Africa and genetically similar to apes, died in 1802
Jean Baptiste Lamarck
1744-1829, theorized that thre was a dynamic relationship between species and their environment, animals would change their activity to accommodate new circumstances, over time unused body parts disappear, “use disuse theory” (bad giraffe example), a trait acquired during and animal’s lifetime can be passed onto its descendants, the ultimate life form is human beings
George Cuvier
doctrine of catastrophism, fixity of species, discovered over 700 species in the sediment
after every major diasster the incoming species have more modern appearance because they were the result of more recent creation events
catastrophism
Thomas Malthus
1766-1834, British, animal populations crease in numbers when resources are plentiful and there aren’t as many predators, a lack of resources would always cause problems for mankind, social problems a result of population increase,
1) resources increase in a linear fashion, 2) populations grow in a different way than resources increase, they increase in a ultiplicative fashion, example drawn from new world, eventually humanity will have a problem with sustaining itself
Maltheus’ ideas
needs and desires of an organism or the creatrue’s abundant use of certain organs and bodily structures cause said organs to change to better meet those needs, these changes are then passed on
Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics (Lamark)
Charles Lyell (1797-1875)
Principles of Geology, earth’s features are the result of long term processes and they continue to this day, the earth is really old
the earth’s features are the result of long term processes still operating into the present day
uniformitarianism
Mary Anning
found a complete fossil of an Ichthyosaurus
the world is so old it is infinite from the human vantage point
Deep Time (concept)
Young Darwin
1809-1882, English naturalist, was wealthy, studied in Edinburgh at the Christ college divinity school, was not an exceptional student, dropped out of divinity school, published Origin of Species in 1859
natural selection
favorable variations are preserved and unfavourable ones are destroyed, overtime a new species would evolve
Basic Process of Natural Selection
competition for resources, survival of the fittest, and heterability
the ability of a population to grow is infinite, but the ability of an environment to support one is finite
competition for resources
organisms within populations vary and this variation affects the ability of individuals to survive and reproduce
survival of the fittest
these variations are heritable, and the offspring are more like their parents than a randomly selected member of the population
hetrability
Darwin in years: 1836, 1838, 1842, 1844
darwin and lyell become buddies, darwin reads malthus, first discusses natural selection with friends, finally writes an extended argument and leaves it in a safe
1858 AR Wallace does what?
technically becomes the discoverer of natural selection
1858 lyell and darwin do what?
co present a paper about evolution,
Huxly
staunch darwin supporter
What are some constraints of 19th century evolutionary theory?
Darwin did not comprehend the exact mechanisms of evolutionary change
oppositions to evolution
mechanisms of evolution are complex and don’t lend themselves to simple explanations, does not provide definitive answers
Fleeming Jenkin
opposed Darwin based on blending principles
Blending Inheritance
the way in which inheritance worked was through blending,if blending was true, then as generations reproduce variation is reduced over time. Therefore natural seletion was impossible (according to Jenkin),
Darwin could not explain what in his lifetime?
maintenance of variation
