Evolution Flashcards
Hominids?
Family: Hominidae
- Humans, Chimpanzees, Gorillas and Orang-utans (Great Apes)
What are hominines?
Subfamily: Homininae
- Humans, Chimpanzees and Gorillas.
What are the two classifications of humans?
Hominids and hominins
What are hominins?
The group consisting of modern humans, extinct human species and all our immediate ancestors (including members of the genera Homo, Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Ardipithecus).
Tribe: Hominini
- Humans and their extinct ancestors
What are hominids?
The group consisting of all modern and extinct Great Apes (that is, modern humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans plus all their immediate ancestors).
In 7 ways how do Hominids differ from other primates?
- Large, more complex brains
- 5-cusps molars on lower jaw
- Freely rotating arms
- Wide, shallow chest cavity
- No external tail
- An appendix
- Diurnal – active during the day.
in 4 ways How do Hominins differ from apes in appearance, structure and behaviour?
- relatively hairless
- Fully bipedal (walk on two legs)
- Erect posture & striding gait
- Great brain development & speech.
Who are the human ancestors?
- Apes and humans have common ancestor – ape-like creature – from which first hominins evolved, the australopithecines. (Genus: Australopithecus)
- Genus Homo developed from one or more of the australopithecine species.
What is the avergae brain difference ffor humans and apes?
Average human brain = 1350cm3, Apes = 400-500cm3
Size difference associated with cerebrum.
Cerebral cortex in humans compared to apes
- Cerebral cortex (outer portion) shows greatest development
- Convolutions give 50% greater surface area
- Frontal lobe in human brain contributes 47% of cortical surface area (apes 33%) – where higher functions occur (thinking, reasoning, planning, processing, etc.)
How is the evolutionary trend of brain in hominins determined?
- early hominins brains similar to apes
- Studied by cranial capacity (volume inside cranium) and endocasts (impressions of brain surface inside skull).
- Fossil endocasts show gradual increase in number of convolutions and size of frontal lobe.
- As brain size increased, face became flatter & noticeable forehead developed – likely due to expanding frontal lobe.
4 Evolutionary trend of early hominins through to modern humans: dentition
- Human dentition very distinctive from other primates.
- Canines don’t project beyond other teeth or interlock, looking more like incisors and taking up less room.
- Dental arcade (shape of tooth row) evolved to different shape – more parabolic than U-shaped.
- smaller molars and decrease in strength, gradual loss of wisdom teeth.
5 Characteristics of the mandible and teeth more ape like (primitive)
- More prognathic jaw
- Heavier/thicker mandible
- No chin
- Larger teeth (especially molars) - Diastema present
- Canine teeth more prominent
2 Characteristics of the torso more ape like (primitive)
- Narrower hips (pelvis)
- Back (lumbar) vertebrae less wedge-shaped
2 Characteristics of the torso more human like (modern)
- Broader hips
- Lumbar vertebrae more wedge-shaped
2 Characteristics of the upper limbs more ape like (primitive)
Shorter thumb
Fingers more curved
2 Characteristics of the upper limbs more human like (modern)
Longer thumb
Fingers straighter
2 characteristics of the lower limbs more ape like (primitive)
Femurs more parallel
Arms longer than legs
2 characteristics of the lower limbs more human like (modern)
Femurs sloping inwards towards the knee
Arms shorter than legs
5 Effect of environment on hominin evolution
- After split from chimpanzees, hominins thought to live in woodland/forest environments.
- Believed that bipedalism originated in arboreal ape-like hominin – arm and hand features suited to living in trees (much like orangutans often move bipedally across branches using arms for balance).
- 5-6 million year ago – environment changed.
- Temperature decreased, forest are decreased leaving increasing open grassland/space
- Natural selection favoured more erect stance to move bipedally across landscape.
4 Fossil evidence of Australopithecus genus
In Laetoli - 23m trail of Australopithecine afarensis footprints in volcanic ash made 3.56 million years ago – Footprints indicate bipedal locomotion.
HADAR- 40% complete female skeleton – ‘Lucy’.
- lived 3-3.6 million years ago.
-. Now classified as Australopithecus afarensis.
Taung – Raymond Dart, 1920s
- First Australopithecine fossil found - whole face, jaws and teeth
- Named Australopithecine africanus – ‘southern ape of Africa’
Sterkfontein & Kromdraai – Robert Broom, 1930s
- Second Australopithecine fossil found in Sterkfontein
Kromdraai fossil found later appeared different – named Paranthropus robustus – ‘beside human’
3 Leg features of Australopithecus
- Femur and pelvis more similar to human than ape – combined with fossil footprint evidence, safe to assume true bipedalism.
- Non-opposable big toe.
- Femur angled so foot was under centre of gravity, allowing bipedal locomotion with striding gait.
2 Hand features of Australopithecus
- shorter, less mobile thumb than humans, more heavily built fingers/hands
– suggest adapted for power over precision or arboreal lifestyle.
3 teeth/jaw features of Australopithecus
- Short non-projecting canines (look like incisors) – making row of cutting teeth.
- No gap between them and premolars.
- Parabolic shape of teeth.
2 Face features of Australopithecus
low forehead and more projecting lower jaw than modern hominins.
3 Brain/skull features of Australopithecus
- 480cm3.
- Endocasts show brain surface more like humans than apes.
- Foramen magnum more forward than apes and skull rounded at back.
When were australopithecus afarensis alive?
Between 3.9 and 2.8 mya
Where did australopithecus afarensis live?
East africa
What was the height of males and females of australopithecus afarensis?
- Female: 105-110cm
- Male: 150cm
What was the brain size of australopithecus afarensis?
430cm3
4 Features of australopithecus afarensis skull?
- Low, sloping forehead,
- Prominent brow ridges above eyes (no deep groove behind like apes)
- Short sagittal crest in males
-Spinal cord from central part of skull
3 Features of australopithecus afarensis jaw and teeth
- Prognathic jaw
- Small, pointed canine teeth (larger than A.africanus)
- Diastema present
1 Features of australopithecus afarensis pelvis
- Short and wide (human-like) but lacked some refinements supporting human striding gait
5 Features of australopithecus afarensis limbs
- Aligned, non-opposable big toe.
- Long arms, although shorter than the legs
- Long curved fingers and toes
- Bipedal features (e.g. Femurs (short) slanted towards knee, strengthened outer condyles)
- Powerful arms, with long forearms.
When were Australopithecus africanus alive?
3.2 and 2 million years ago
Where did Australopithecus africanus live?
Southern Africa
What was the height of males and females Australopithecus africanus?
Female: 110cm
Male: 135cm
Brain size of Australopithecus africanus?
480cm3
3 Features of Australopithecus africanus skull?
- More human-like features than earlier species, A. afarensis
- such as smaller brow ridge & slightly arched (not flat) forehead
- Spinal cord emerged from central part of base of skull
4 Features of Australopithecus africanus jaws and teeth?
- Prognathic jaw
- Shorter and smaller canines & incisors
- Diastema was rare
- Premolar & molar teeth all quite large
2 Features of Australopithecus africanus pelvis?
Short and wide – less rounded than in humans
- Fully adapted for walking on 2 legs, but not specialised for striding gait.
4 Features of Australopithecus africanus limbs?
- Aligned, non-opposable big toe.
- Long arms, although shorter than the legs
- Long curved fingers and toes
- Bipedal features (e.g. Femurs (short) slanted towards knee, strengthened outer condyles
When were Paranthropus robustus
alive?
1.8 and 1.2 million years ago
Where did Paranthropus robustus
live?
Southern africa