Exam 2 Flashcards
Biological Anthropology
a study of anatomical and biological aspects of humans and our ancestors
Biocultural Approach
studying the close relationship between human biology and culture
What are the subfields of bio anthropology?
osteology, paleoanthropology, paleoprimatology, forensic anthropology
Osteology
the study of the skeletal system
Paleoanthropology
the study of hominins
Paleoprimatology
the study of ape ancestors
Forensic Anthropology
applying knowledge to ID the cause of death outside the care of a physician.
What is science?
the study of the natural world, the method of observing and measuring things systematically.
Observations
recording input from senses or tools
Hypothesis
a testable explanation for the observations made
Data
must be collected, analyzed, and re-tested. It must explain something about the world and can be falsifiable.
Theoretical Framework
the foundation of knowledge based on interconnecting hypothesizes
What theoretical framework is the basis of bio anthropology?
evolution
What was the goal of early physical anthropology?
scientists were concerned with the categorization of humans and how to name them
Earnest Hooton
creator of phrenology, “palm reading” for the skull. He believed that the bumps on a person’s skull could tell personality and criminality. Racial classification. Did some good work for orangutan teeth.
W.W. Howells
Hooten’s student; disproved race theory by measuring heads and finding zero clustering or correlations.
Carleton Coon
Hooten’s student; wanted to continue classifying humans by race. He upheld his theory despite being proven wrong several times. “Origin of Races”, upheld Jim Crow Laws
Ashley Montague
a professor who shared Boaz’s idea of cultural relativism. He believed that humans were equal. UN committee of equality.
Sherwood Washburn
Hooten’s last student; The face of biological anthropology as we know it today. He spoke to geneticists, anatomists, and primatologists because he believed that anthropology could benefit and learn from these fields of study. Human bio-culturalism is the result of evolution.
Typology
the classification that separates all living things into a species and genus, also known as Binomial Nomenclature
Carolus Linnaeus
Swedish botanist and zoologist, “father of modern taxonomy” as he developed the Binomial Nomenclature system
Samuel G. Morton
North American doctor in the 1800s; interested in codifying human variation, collected heads. He believed that people of African descent had small brains compared to people of European descent, who had large brains.
Ales Hrdlicka
doctor in the 1900s who wanted to establish physical anthropology institutions in the US. He wanted to study how to measure humans and come to an agreement regarding the classification. He created the American Journal of Physical Anthropology and was only interested in studying white men- who he believed to be the apex.
What is physical anthropology like now?
began in the 1950s when scientists began to study the process of primate evolution and human variation. Darwinism began to be interpreted with genetics. Races are studied as populations, not types or species of humans. They study migration, gene flow, genetic drift, and mutation. Adaptation of form to function.
What is biological evolution?
change in allele frequencies in a population from one generation to the next
Units of evolution
population
Natural selection
Beneficial alleles increase in frequency over time in a population because it increases survival/reproduction in individuals with those alleles
Mutation
Source of new allele variation; random. Most are neutral or not noticeable.
How can a mutation be inherited?
The mutation must occur in the parent’s gametes.
Gene flow
movement of genetic material from one population into another; non-random, affected by barriers
Why is gene flow non-random?
individuals chose to re-locate in order to gain access to new resources.
Genetic drift
Random changes in allele frequencies in a population from generation to generation and lack directions. Random allele changes from individual death
What is the only source of new alleles?
mutation
Which event has a big impact on small populations?
genetic drift
Sickle cell allele
sickle cell anemia causes red blood cells to sickle, increasing the chances of life-threatening blood clots. However, in areas affected by malaria, sickle cell is advantageous bc plasmodium cannot affect the blood cells and reproduce.
Example of gene flow barrier
The development of the Sahara desert caused animals to be trapped or forced to migrate. This is why there are two species of elephants, one in Africa and one in Asia.
Founder’s effect
A small number of individuals create their own population, there is a shift in alleles from mother population to new population
What are the consequences of the Founder’s effect?
the gene pool shrinks, and few alleles are left. If a disease or genetic disorder is present in the founding population, it could become more common.
Speciation
species integrity is maintained by gene flow, interruption of gene flow leads to speciation.
Stasis
species stays the same
Anagenesis
one species changes to another over time
Cladogenesis
species splits off into other species
List all of the functions of bones
protection, support, respiration, mineral storage, locomotion, hearing, hematopoiesis
Structure as a function
the body structure is supported, the bones keep the soft tissues and spinal chord in place
Protection as a function
important organs such as the brain and heart are protected by bone
Respiration as a function
the muscles and bones in the chest help increase and decrease pressure within the lungs
Mineral storage as a function
bones store calcium and phosphorus
What is hematopoiesis
blood cells are made in the bones, in adults they are made in flat bones
Locomotion as a function
bones connect muscles, which aid in movement
Hearing as a function
stirrup, anvil, and hammer bones transmit vibrations into the ear drum
What are bones made up of?
30% collagen (bends) 70% hydroxyapatite (support)
Osteoblasts
building cells, tissue from bloodstream
Osteoclasts
digesting cells, tissue is for resources
Osteocytes
retired cells, mature, maintain tissue
Which of the 3 bone cells is responsible for osteoporosis?
osteoclasts
Wolff’s Law
the law states that bone grows or remodels in response to the mechanical stress or force placed upon it. Habitual loading reinforces bone, but lack of loading weakens the bone.
Support for Wolff’s Law
long bones are thickest mid-shaft, where bending stress is the highest. curved bones are thickest where they are most likely to buckle.
Trabeculae
form along lines of stress-woven bone, spongy, Large, bony projections occur where heavy, active muscles attach. Helps bone not be as heavy.
Cortical
smooth, dense bone
Collagen has been likened to what?
string cheese because it is stretchy absorbs force
Hydroxyapatite has been likened to what?
porcelain because it is rigid
What is a dendrite?
tunnels and signals between osteocytes
Axial skeleton
is all the bones in the middle axis of body. Cranium, mandible, vertebrae, sacrum, and ribs
Appendicular skeleton
are all the appendages. Bones of arms and legs and the girdles which include clavicles, scapulae, os coxa, pubic
Long bones
longer in one direction than it is wide. Clavicle, tibia, metacarpals
Flat bones
two sides to them that are very close together. Top of head bones, sternum, even ribs
Short bones
small and blocky, carpals and tarsals
Irregular bones
the shape of the bones is unlike any other. vertebrae
Superior vs inferior
superior is higher on the body, inferior is lower on the body
Anterior vs posterior
anterior is on the front of the body, posterior is on the back of the body
Medial vs lateral
in regards to the midline, medial is closer and lateral is farther away
Proximal vs distal
proximal is close to the center of the body, distal is far away
Bilateral plane
the human skeleton is symmetrical
Cost vs benefit analysis
every action has a cost; time or energy, but hopefully the benefit outweighs that cost
Life goals of primates
the actions and choices answer biological needs such as food, water, shelter, and mates
T/F: Apes have nuclear families
false, monogamy in this sense is distinctly human
T/F: Males hunt for the females
false, human gender roles do not apply
T/F: As an ape, feeding yourself is top priority
true
T/F: Chimpanzees sleep in a new nest every night
true
T/F: Apes get bored easily
true
Affiliative behavior
cooperative behavior that reinforces social bonds, ie grooming, food reciprocation
Aggressive behavior
threats, challenges, and even fighting to establish dominance or defend something
Importance of grooming
it creates intimacy and trust as the animals are often vunerable
What is the most common aggressive behavior?
Threats- it is not dangerous and sends a powerful message. Threat yawns, bearing teeth, staring, light eyelids are all threat displays.
T/F: Physical fights are common aggressive behaviors.
false, fights could win the battle but lose the war if they are too brutal
Why do primates group together?
the rule of primates is as follows: they have evolved to be highly social animals
Primate ecology
the study of primates’ relationship with their environment; flora and fauna, food availability vs consumption
T/F: Eating habits directly impact group structure.
true
Example of a folivore
Mountain gorillas
Example of a frugivore
Chimpanzees
Example of an insectivore
galagos
5 foods that apes consume
fruits, leaves, insects, gum, meat
Example of a gumivore
maromosets
Example of a carnivore
only one, tarsiers
Preferred foods
foods that are high in quality but not always in abundance. primates will eat these first.
Fallback foods
more important than preferred because they get the animals through the hardest times. often strange, random foods that can be found or scavenged; ie meat or roots
Grouping strategy
smaller groups are better for scarcer resources (fruits) and have low protection. larger groups are better for abundant resources (leaves) and have high protection.
T/F: Primates will change their grouping strategy based on resource availability.
true
Should I stay or should I disperse?
Cost of groups
sharing food and resource restriction
Benefits of groups
protection because there are more options for the predator, alarm calls for food/danger
Why do apes commit infanticide
it may be beneficial to kill individuals that aren’t genetically related in order to secure resources for your own
Fusion-fision
social behavior in which the group sleeps together at night but small groups of individuals forage for food during the day (chimps)
Defensible resources
physically or verbally defendable; ie fruit trees
T/F: Gorillas have defensible resources.
false, they just eat leafs :3
Matrilines
females stay in the group and males come in and out
Predator load
based on the size of the primate; small primates have more predators, and the largest primates only worry about leopards
Hierarchies
dominant acts between the same sex. males compete for more females and females compete for high-ranking males
Coalition
affiliative behavior between individuals in order to rise to the top of the hierarchy
Solitary
individuals have their own territory, although males may overlap with females (orangutans)
Polyandrous
multiple males and one female, rare as it only occurs when there are multiple offspring (marmosets)
Monogamous
pair-bonding male and female defending territory (gibbons)
Polygynous
single male defending multiple females (gorillas)
Multimale polygynous
multi-male group with more females (chimps)
Bachelor
male-dominated, young and immature (teens)
T/F: Hrdlicka made a revolutionary theory.
true, he noted that native Americans crossed the Bering strait
