early hominins

Question 1

hominin ancestral traits

Answer 1

dental apes
arboreal and suspensory locomotion

Question 2

hominin derived traits

Answer 2

bipedal locomotion
changes in canine honing complex

Question 3

evolutionary theories on bipedalism

Answer 3

climate change between 8-6mya:
cooling in earth, causing less precipitation. trees dying out and savannah expanding in equatorial Africa. reduction of arboreal environments pressured for bipedalism

Question 4

aridity hypothesis

Question 5

forest hypothesis

Answer 5

bipedalism was present before expansion of grasslands

Question 6

turnover pulse hypothesis

Question 7

variability selection hypothesis

Question 8

bipedal advantages over quadrupedalism

Answer 8

hands freed from locomotion
reduces thermal load on body
more energy efficient form of locomotion

Question 9

osteology of bipedalism

Answer 9

shorter and wider pelvis, os coxa, vertebras in lumber spine; vulgus knee; wider distal femur and proximal tibia; forward foramen magnum.

Question 10

habitual bipedalism

Question 11

obligate bipedalism

Question 12

artapithacus characteristics

Answer 12

opposable big toes, curved fingers, long arms

Question 13

australopithacus

Answer 13

arched foot, big toe more parallel to toes

Question 14

australopithacus africanus

Question 15

possible early homo

Answer 15

australopithacus sediba

Question 16

derived homo traits

Answer 16

long thumb (precision grip), smaller teeth, broad frontal bone, narrower pelvis

Question 17

evidence for homoplasy of Australopithecus sediba

Question 18

evidence of sympatric speciation of Australopithecus sediba

Question 19

ancient & derived characteristics of Australopithecus sediba

Question 20

transition to early homo

Answer 20

around 2.6mya, longer more intense cold periods leading to creation of glaciers and more land available

Question 21

homo habilis

Answer 21

slight increase in brain size, smaller teeth, no grasping ability in foot, no canine honing complex, precision grip in hand. mainly females/juveniles identified

Question 22

evidence for why homo rudolfensis should be treated as a dif. species

Answer 22

rudolfensis males have smaller brow ridges than Habilis females (should be the opposite as a secondary sex characteristic)
+ cranial capacity, brow ridges, face, posterior tooth size

Question 23

homo rudolfensis

Answer 23

smaller brow ridges, less prognathic, large molars. mainly males identified

Question 24

first dispersal out of Africa

Question 25

homo ergaster

Answer 25

homo Erectus found in Africa

Question 26

why homo ergaster contains more physical variation than homo Erectus?

Answer 26

founder effect (genetic drift) -

Question 27

homo erectus/ergaster characteristics

Question 28

homo erectus were

Answer 28

more widely dispersed, larger bodied, used more sophisticated stone tools, larger brains need more calories (ate more meat). behavioral changes: possible cooking,

Question 29

homo erectus morphology

Question 30

interpretations about homo Erectus

Answer 30

possible living sites: controlled use of fire. using society/culture as adaptive strategy: long juvenile period, taking care of the sick and injured

Question 31

homo floresiensis

Question 32

maybe homo habilis was the first to leave Africa because...

Answer 32

floresiensis is much similar to habilis than Erectus

Question 33

homo luzonensis

Answer 33

some ancestral traits, like curved fingers. did Australopithecus leave Africa?

Question 34

homo naledi

Answer 34

ancient traits: + homo traits:

Question 35

halotype skull homo naledi

Question 36

paratype skull homo naledi

Question 37

homo naledi 12:52

Question 38

island dwarfism