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Biology > Human Evolution > Flashcards

Human Evolution Flashcards

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1
Q

Primate Characteristics

A
  • Thick brow ridge
  • Limb length (suited to tree dwelling and quadrupedal movement)
  • Hand and foot anatomy
  • Tail Anatomy
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2
Q

Primate Common Hominin Characteristics

A
  • Superior intelligence
  • often complex social behaviour
  • highly developed problem solving ability
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3
Q

Hominoid Characteristics

A
  • No tail
  • Larger body size
  • More complex brain
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4
Q

Hominoids

A

subgroup of primates that include all of the apes, as well as a smaller subgroup, Hominini, that includes humans

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5
Q

Hominoid Common Hominin Characteristics

A
  • social behaviour

- superior intelligence

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6
Q

Hominin Characteristics

eg. Australopithecus, homo

A
  • Bipedal with modified feet, thigh bone, pelvis and spine (located on forearm magnum)
  • Large cerebral cortex
  • reduced canines
  • prominent nose and chin, reduced eye ridges
  • body hair short/reduced to assist cooling
  • highly sensitive skin
  • complex social behaviour
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7
Q

Causes of change in structure

A
  • moving from predominantly living in trees to living on land
  • walking upright and running to hunt prey
  • brain development
  • technological development and using tools to help survival
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8
Q

Skull Structure

A
  • brow ridge reduced in modern humans
  • slope of forehead more vertical to accomodate frontal lobes of brain
  • teeth and jaw become smaller
  • volume becomes larger (larger brain size)
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9
Q

Technological Evolution

A

As brain size increased, as has the ability to develop technology

  • tools and weapons (jaw and teeth become smaller)
  • ability to create fire
  • building
  • making clothing (amount of body hair decreased)
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10
Q

Cultural Evolution

A

refers to any form of learned behaviour, such as how to make a tool, to learning a social rule. Knowledge is passed through generations.

  • communication (development of languages allows knowledge and ideas to be passed)
  • Art (cave drawings)
  • Rituals (belongings found with bored remains)
  • Learning to play musical instruments (bone instruments)
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11
Q

Human evolutionary tree-fossil evidence

A

originally based on structural comparisons between species and fossil evidence of cultural and technological evolution

  • gradual increase in brain size and cognitive ability-decrease in tooth size
  • use of fire
  • evidence of symbol use and ceremonies
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12
Q

Human evolutionary tree- genomic evidence

A
  • comparative genomics have become an important investigative tool in determining human evolution pathways.
  • provided evidence of the existence of a new human group, Denisovans (interbreeding may have occurred between modern humans and homo Denisovans)
  • provide evidence that modern humans and homo neanderthalenis interbred
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13
Q

DNA sequences (closely-related)

A

Over course of millions of years mutations will accumulate within segment of DNA.

  • greater number of differences between comparable base sequences = more time has passed since two species diverged
  • more similar the bases = more closely-related the two species
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14
Q

Amino Acid Sequences (distantly-related)

A

Typically used to compare distantly-related species.

  • have slowest rate of change due to codon degeneracy
  • more differences in amino acid sequences between species = longer since shared common ancestor
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15
Q

DNA Hybridisation

A
  • separated into single strands with sufficient heat (90) the mixed together
  • if two strands from different species share similar sequence they will hybridise (anneal together to form double strand)
  • amount of heat required to seperate hybrid molecule indicates similarity (more heat = more hydrogen bonds = more similar)
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16
Q

Phylogenetic Tress

A

diagram that depicts the lines of evolutionary descent of different species, organisms or genes from common ancestor

  • Root (initial ancestor)
  • Nodes (hypothetical common ancestor, gives rise to 2+ daughter taxa)
  • Outgroup (most distantly-related)
  • Clades (common ancestor, node and all connected branches)
17
Q

BMP4 (Darwin’s Finches)2

A

Evolution of different beak shapes and lengths that allowed different species to feed on different food sources.

  • BMP4 (beak width and depth)
  • CaM (beak length)
18
Q

BMP4 (Cichlids in African Lakes)

A

evolved to have different jaw shapes that allow different feeding locations and methods, reducing competition for food, allowing survival.

  • determined by time of expression, level of expression, location of expression of BMP4 gene during embryonic development
  • High levels (biting, short robust jaws, small closely spaced teeth)
  • Low (suction feeders, elongated jaws, large comb teeth)

Biology (2 decks)

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