Humans Flashcards
How did humans change the way they gained food
Moved from traditional hunter-gatherer to contemporary agricultural
What are the similarities and differences between hunting and gathering
Both foraging forms gain a similar average of calorific return but hunting is more unpredictable but potentially more gain
Why would females hunt and males gather
Females may have their mobility redistricted due to feeding offspring
What is the relationship between hunting success and fitness benefits to wives and children in Ache foragers
If you’re female and are partnered with a good hunter husband, bot you and your children gain efficiently
What factors increase the proportion of food eaten outside of a family in Ache foragers
percentage acquired by males, prey size and unpredictability
Why would it benefit a male to share food outside of his family
residual social benefits such as forming alliances with other males and reproductive opportunities with females
Why does it benefit a male to be a good hunter
It ables him to realise his fitness potential
How did foraging techniques affect total fertility rate
Agriculturalists have a greater total fertility rate than foragers and horticulturalists
What is the relationship between agricultural success in the Kipsigis and female reproductive fitness
Females marrying men with more land have more children who are healthier
Example of natural selection favouring the requirement of resources
Pettay et al 2007 found the poorer (less resourced) preindustrial women did not live as long, and had less children and grandchildren than the rich
Why do men prioritise youth in females
Younger females are more fecund and thus males will achieve a greater reproductive fitness
Why is menopause on odd thing
It doesn’t follow senescence theory, why should the body be maintained so long after reproduction stops
Evidence for fitness benefits of prolonged post-reproductive lifespan in women
A study on pre-industrial finnish and Canadian families found that grandmothers who lived longer had more grandchildren (controlling for socioeconomic effects)
What are the grandmother fitness benefits
(a & b) Women had more children when their own mother was alive
(c) More grandchildren born when grandmother remained local
(d) Women started reproducing younger when their own mother remained alive
(e) Women had a shorter inter-birth interval (for their first 3 children) when their own mother remained alive
(f) Grandchildren had higher survival when their
grandmother was alive,
and younger
When did traditional agriculture emerge
250-500 generations ago
