Midterm 1 Flashcards
What are the 3 reasons to study primates
- Anthropocentric rationale: with our common ancestors, what can they tell us about ourselves
- test evolutionary models about behaviour
- Conservation applications
What is primatology?
Study of nonhuman primates- 3 groups
Prosimians, monkeys and apes
What is the difference between derived traits and primitive traits?
Derived traits are specialized human traits
Primitive traits are traits that were shared with the last common ancestor
What do we learn about studying non human primates
Derived and primitive traits
Homologous and analogous traits
Identify conditions for behaviours in other species under which we might expect similar behaviours to emerge in humans
Primatology in the 20-50’s?
What not why
Captive studies
Primateology in the 50’s?
Sherwood Washburn
Integrated wild primate studies into physical anthropology
The book the primate pattern
Suite of adaptive features common in all primates, incl. humans
Anthropocentric rationale estab.
Primateology 60’s?
Emphasis on dominance, aggression and sex
Studies on captive groups- more aggression
Most primatologist male- studies male biased
Post ww2- where does aggression come from
Primatology in the 70s?
Shift focus females private society More field studies More female primatologists example leaky's Angels Female humans notice female primates Female primates glue Esp. OWM's Rise in sociobiology
What is sociobiology
Originally work on insects - expand other organisms
Explained all behaviors in terms of maximization via the reproductive process
Eg. Behavior is adaptive and therefore must be genetically determined
Primatology in the 80s - present
Behavioural ecology
Multi-causal view of behavior that emphasizes interaction btwn ecological and social processes on strategies for survival and reproduction
Eg. Feeding, reproduction and social strategies
How do organisms interact with there environment to maximize their evolutionary fitness?
What is the difference between sociobiology and behavioural ecology?
Behavioral ecology - evolutionary biological and ecological perspective is very flexible
Does your biology only looks at evolutionary biological perspective is on social behaviour
What is the taxonomy order?
Order
Family
genus
Species
Primates are one order of mammals
What are some examples of other mammalian orders?
Carnivora- cats sog bears
Chiroptera- bats
Cetacea- dolphins whales porpoises
Artiodactyla- cows pigs deer even toed ugulates
Rodentia- rats, squirrels beavers
Insectivora - moles and shrews
Primates - prosimians, monkeys, apes, humans
What is the Primate Pattern
No one trait identifies all primates
General tendencies expressed to a greater or lesser degree by all primates
Fall into four main complexes or groups
Primates have combo of primitive and derived traits
What are primitive traits?
Primative traits more closely resembling the common ancestor to the group. Usually refers to a lineage that has been around longer.
Primative does not mean less successful or less evolved
What are derived traits
Specialized traits that are not shares with the last common ancestor
What are the four groups of primate characteristics?
1- grasping hands
2-visual system
3-large complex brains and associated behavior
4-skeletal and dental features
What are the features of grasping hands?
Pentadacyly - 5 digits on each limb Nails not claws Opposable thumbs Sensitive tactile pads Power grip and precision grip Exception - human foot Callitrichids have redeveloped claws
What are the feature of the visual system of primates? Vision and olfaction?
Forward facing eyes- found in predatory animals
Stereoscopic vision-3d vision
Depth perception
Greater reliance on vision
Elaboration of visual center of brain
Reduced reliance on olfaction
Reduction of snout
Reduction of olfactory center if brain
What are the features of large complex brains?
Large brains relative to body size
Allometric relationship between brain and body size( 2 variables increase and decrease at different rates - brain and body size - opposite of isometric
Large neo cortex
What is the neocortex of the brain?
Responsible for cognitive abilities like reasoning and consciousness
Primates cortex 50-80% brain volume
What are altricial newborns?
Primates Single young - not litters Helpless at birth Little reliance on instinct Social learning important Infants rely on mothers Grasp hands to cling Not left in nests
What are some implications of large brain size?
Long periods of post natal care
Great ability to learn from
experience
Great reliance on learning
Tendency towards sociality- important for survival
Sociality as adaptation
Group size and composition vary greatly btwn species
What are the features of the skeleton of primates?
Give examples
Retention of the clavicle or collar bone =greater range of motion
And
Retention in two bones of forearm and lower leg
Generalized limb structure
Generalized flexible morphology
Non specialized physical form
Trunk upright - not necessarily while moving but while feeding and resting
What are the features in dentition? Dental formula?
Reduction in # of teeth
Dental formula
#’s for half the jaw
Incisors, canines, premolars and molars
What is the dental formula for humans?
Humans 2, 1,2,3
What is the dental formula for primative primates
Primative primates (prosimian and NWM) 2,1,3,3
What is the dental formula for later primates (OWM, Apes and humans??
2,1,2,3
What are the three theories on the origins of primates ?
Arboreal theory
Visual predation theory
Angiosperm radiation( Angiosperm co evolution thoery)
What is the Arboreal theory?
The primate pattern is an adaptation to an arboreal habitat - living in trees
The visual predation theory?
Primate pattern is adaptation to foraging for insects in terminal branches of trees
What is the angiosperm radiation theory?
Primates developed their traits in response to availability of fruits and flowers following spread of angiosperms. Little light in forest caused visual adaptations in early primates for see small objects.
What are the three infra orders of the sub order prosimian
Lemursiformes
Lorisiformes
Tarrisiiformes
Prosimian locations
Africa, asia, indonesia
Main characteristics of prosimians
Old world Nocturnal Large eyes No expression Scent marking Immobile upperlip Mobile ears
Characteristics of lemurs and lorises
Moist noseS (rhinarium) strepsirhine
Tapeum
Grooming claw
Dental comb
Vertical clinging and leaping
Lemursiformes
Characteristics ?
Distribution location ?
Examples ?
5 families
Smallest primates
Only found in Madagascar
Aye-ayes, lemurs, indris and sifakas
Lorisiformes
Characteristics
Distribution
Examples
2 families :
Galagidae- vertical clinging and leaping
Only Africa (bush babies)
Lorisidae- slow climbing and walking
Found in asia (lorises) and africa (potto, angwantibos)
Tarisiiformes
Only one living genus Tarsiers
Only found in southeast asia
Characteristics
Nocturnal but no tapeum
Elongated tarsal bones - for leaping
Largest eyes relative for body size of any living creature (can’t move eyes in sockets
Can neck swivel 180 degrees any direction
Give characteristics of the sub order Anthropoidia
Monkeys apes humans Diurnal except owl monkeys Rely less on olfaction than prosimians Reduced sense of smell and hearing Flatter faces Dry noses Small immobile ears Mobile upper lip expressive faves
What are the two infraorders of the Anthropoidia suborder
Platyrrini and catarrini
What are the main differences btwn platyrrini and catarhinni infraorders
Platyrhini
Flat side facing nostrils
New world monkeys
Catarhini
Downward facing nostrils
OWM’s
Infraorder Platyrhini (all new world monkeys)
What is next in the super family and family
Superfamily ceboidea (all new world monkeys)
family
callitrichidae Atilidae Cebidae
New world monkeys
Traits
All have tails All arboreal Several prehensile tails Smaller body than OWM Parallel evolution to OWM Three families Callitrichidae, atelidae, cebidae
Family Callitrichidae
Traits
2 examples
Smallest monkeys claws instead of nails (except big toe) Monogamous groups Twins Males care for infants Little sexual dimorphism Territorial
Marmosets and tamarins
Cebidae
Names and genus
Owl monkey Aotus Squirrel monkey Saimiri Capuchin Cebus uakari. Cacajao Saki Pithecia Titi monkey Callicebus
Atelidae Family
Special trait?
What are the 4 genera?
Prehensile tails
Spider monkey Ateles
Howler monkey Alouatta
Woolley Monkeys Lagothrix
Muriqus Brachytele archnoides. Karen Strier Brazil
Sub order Anthropoidia
Infra order Catarhinni
Super families??? (2)
Super family
Cercopithecpidea and homonoidia
What is the trick to remembering the endings of each order??
Superfamily -oidea Family - idae Subfamily - inae Species or genus bold italics Genus is capital first letter
Infra order- catarrhini
Superfamily cercopithecoidea OWM
Traits??
All diurnal Single births and sometimes twins Some species - terrestrial (living on ground Bigger than NWM Often sexually dimorphic Found in diverse environ. 'S
Infra order Catarrhini Super family - cerpithecoidea Family cercopithecidae Sub family ?? (2) Give examples of each
Sub family
Cercopithecinae- ex. Baboons,macaques,Guenons
Colobinae - colobus, Langurs, proboscis
What are some examples of cercopithecinae
Baboon Papio Macaques Macaca Guenon ceropithecus Mandrill Mandrillus Patas Erythrocebus Mangabey cercocebus Gelada Baboon Theropithecus
What have studies of baboons shown about them?
Best studies primate Used as model of early behaviour Pioneer research of Irven DeVore Amboseli baboons - Jeanne Altman Long term studies of Pump house gang- shirley Strum Baboons are omnivores
Super family - Cercopithecoidea
Family - Cercopithecidae
Sub family - colobinae
Give some examples and locations
Africa - Colobus Monkeys 3 - black and white (Colobus) Red Colobus (piliocolobus) Olive Colobus (procolobus) asia- Langurs and leaf monkeys Odd nose monkeys Proboscis Monkey (nasalis larvatus) Snub nosed Monkeys
What are some traits of the colobinae
Arboreal Anatomically specialized leaf eaters Sacculated stomach to support bacteria for digestion of cellulose Narrow incisors Deep jaw Broad inter-orbital region Short thumbs long legs long tail
Infra order - Catarrhini
Super family Hominoidea
3 families?
Examples
Superfamily Hominoidea
3 families
1-Hylobatidae eg. gibbions and Siamangs
2- Pongidae-eg. Gorillas, chimps, Orangutans
3- hominidae - humans
Traits of Hominoidea
Apes and Humans No tails Larger weight size Larger brain to body weight ratio More upright posture Longer gestation and maturation
Hominiodea
Family Pongidae
What are the three genera of great apes?
Genus Pongo: Orangutans
Genus Gorilla : Gorillas
Genus Pan: chimpanzees and bonobos
All knuckle walkers
Special traits for orangutans?
Pong Pygmeaus Asian great Ape Solitary Arboreal Frugivore Only found in Borneo and Sumatra Quadra manual locomotion
Gorilla traits
African Diet variable: Folivore - East and Mountain Frugivore- Western sub species Group Variable: large group - east and mtn. Small group: western sub species Prominent saggital and nuchal chest
What are the three sub species of gorilla and where do they live?
Gorilla western low land - Brown gray
Gorilla eastern low land- coated black
Berengei mountain Gorilla
Hair longer than Eastern but similar colour
Chimpanzee traits
African Make tools Terrestrial and aboreal Omnivores Hunt (esp. red colobus) Culture
Bonobo chimps (pan paniscus)
Pygmy chimpanzee
Bipedal
Strong bond with females
Only found in the Congo
What is the biological/evolutionary approach
The evolutionary processes that have shaped behavior
What is a proximate level of behavior?
What are the short term causes of behavior?
Immediate (proximate) mechanisms governing behaviour?
What stimuli elicit behaviours and what neural hormonal or other internal systems that control it.
Developmental causes of behavior??
How doew behavior assemble from indiv. Lifetime? Physiological or external influence?
What is ultimate causes of behavior
Long term causes of behavior?
What is the adaptive function of behavior?
Behavior’s contributions to reproduction and survival?
Evolutionary history of behavior?
How did it evolve in the species?
Proximate causes - how
Ultimate questions - why
What are the steps of hypothosis testing? )scientific method)
1- start with a question 2-propose a possible answer hypothosis 3-establish predictions 4-collect data 5-retain or reject hypothosis
What is evolution?
Change over time
Emergence of adaptations
What is the difference between microevolution and macro evolution
Micro evolution is from generation to generation
Macro evolution is over many generations and appearance of new species
What is adaptation and give an example
Adaptations are traits that suit organisms to their environment they function to improve survival and reproduction
For example- sex, song, cryptic coloration, alarming structure
Prior to Darwinism what was believed about adaptation?
Gods creation
Evolution by use and disuse
lamarckian evolution
What is natural selection
Primary mechanism of biological change over time (adaptation and evolution) Proposed by darwin 3 fundamental observable facts Variation Inheritance Overproduction and competition
Describe the 3 parts of natural selection
Variation- lots of variation within and between species
Inheritance variation appears to be passed from parents to offspring (not known when Darwin wrote origin of species)
Overproduction- there are always more offspring born then can or do survive to adult hood
Overproduction equals competition
Who survives to adult hood
Those who happened to have variation(morphology or behavioural) that helps them to survive
What is fitness
The ability to live and reproduce
If you have lots of offspring that lived to reproductive age you have high Darwinism fitness
Not much offspring that lives to reproductive age is low Darwinism fitness
What are genes
Long sequences of nucleotides bases
What are the four points of natural selection that the peppered moth illustrates
1- selection operates on the individual( no moth ever changed colour)
2- Adaptation and evolution operate on the population (change happened from one generation to the next at level of population)
3-variation should have to be there in the first place
4-no such thing as an absolutely better variant - depends on the environment
What is the original source of variation?
Mutation
How are variable traits inherited?
Mendels particulate inheritance- discrete genes are passed from parents to offspring
- genes are dominant to others genotype versus phenotype
- each parent passes one gene type or allele that controls for a trait
What are the examples of behavioural evolution
Dog breeds
Weaver bird nest
black cap warbler migratory behavior
Caveats
What do the various evolution examples not indicate?
1-genetic basis of behaviours is necessarily simple
2-that there are necessarily genes for specific behaviour
3- behaviour is genetically determined or fixed
Genes- environment = behavioral and physical traits
What is the formula for behavioural genetics
Variable genetics plus environmental variables equals variable total
Heritability= variable genetics/ variable total
All leads to behavioural genetics
Whatvis the dental formula for Callitaichids,
2132
