Lec #12: Human diversity and biological adaptations

Question 1

what is human diversity?

Answer 1

the variation b/w biological and cultural diversity

Question 2

what is plasticity?

Answer 2

• the universal capacity to deal with a large range of environmental conditions that is a product of our common genetic endowment

Question 3

what is variation?

Answer 3

• the phenomenon of inherited biological differences among individuals and groups (skin colour, body shape, height etc)

Question 4

What is adaptation?

Answer 4

processes that allow individuals to achieve increased rates of survival and reproduction in a given environment

Question 5

what are some key features of adaptation?

Answer 5

• an organism or population will be favoured by natural selection for existence
• allows organisms to maintain homeostasis

Question 6

what are the biological effects of solar radiation?

Answer 6

tanning is considered an adaptive response b/c the increase in melanin
- since darker skin contains more melanin these people have more protection from the ultraviolet radiation exposure

Question 7

what is high altitude?

Answer 7

refers to elevations above 3,000 meters or 10,000 ft

Question 8

what are the adaptive responses to hypoxia? and what is an example?

Answer 8

When low-land people are exposed to Hypoxic environments they experienced an increased depth of pulmonary ventilation (ex: people breath more deeply at higher altitudes

Question 9

what are the physiological changes associated with exposure to hypoxia?

Answer 9

the increased rate of pulmonary ventilation
- the increased oxygen carrying capacity of the blood
-the increased degree of capillarization
these are all short term and reversible

Question 10

How does biology, genetics, and culture intersect in relation to humans’ variation and adaptations?

Answer 10

○ Physical environment: humans pattern of livelihoods and biocultural adaptability
○ Socioeconomic conditions: growth and development in infants and children
○ Vast differences in morphology can arise b/w individuals w/ a shared genetic constitution
w Body proportions and height can change dramatically in a single generation due to altered living conditions affecting factors such as nutrition, infectious diseases, and psychological stress or environmental stress
○ Different social and politco-economic conditions favor different pathogens
w “tropical” diseases such as malaria or yellow fever are linked to poverty as much as geography

Question 11

what do anthropologists consider when they explain human diversity and the adaptation to differentpihysical environments?

Answer 11

• biological survival
• biological evolution
• recognize the roles of human agencies
• understand the polytypic differences

Question 12

How does high altitude affect human health?

Answer 12

· The main difficulty for humans living at high altitude is obtaining enough oxygen for normal metabolism because the amount of oxygen available (i.e., the partial pressure of oxygen) is much lower than at sea level