Midterm (Evo)

Question 1

Father of taxonomy:

Answer 1

Carl Linnaeus

Question 2

In Cladistics, we group taxa by:

Answer 2

Synapomorphies (derived characteristics) and symplesiomorphies (primitive characteristics)

Question 3

What suite of characteristics separate primates from other mammals?

Answer 3

1. Grasping hands and feet
2. Clavicles (collar bones)
3. Radius and ulna
4. Forward-facing eyes and stereoscopic vision

Question 4

4 main primate activity patterns:

Answer 4

1. Nocturnal
2. Diurnal
3. Crepuscular (dawn and dusk)
4. Cathemeral (varying)

Question 5

Strepsirhine characteristics:

Answer 5

1. Dental tooth comb
2. Moist rhinarium (wet nose)
3. Unfused mandibular and front symphases
4. Postorbital bar
5. Tapetum lucidum (reflective layer in the back of the eyes for night vision)

Question 6

Haplorhine characteristics:

Answer 6

1. Dry nose
2. Retinal fovea (colour vision)
3. Fused mandibular and front symphases (excluding Tarsiers)
4. Postorbital closure

Question 7

The 2 suborders of primates:

Answer 7

Strepsirhini and haplorhini

Question 8

Infraorder of strepsirhini:

Answer 8

Lemuriformes

Question 9

3 infraorders of haplorhini:

Answer 9

1. Tarsiiformes
2. Platyrrhini (Neotropical monkeys)
3. Catarrhini (Old World monkeys and apes)

Question 10

Types of primate social organization:

Answer 10

1. Residence group composition (2 males and 1 female, 3 females and 2 males, etc.)
2. Mating systems: Who mates with whom
3. Foraging coherence: Who eats with whom
4. Philopatry types: Female (males leave at sexual maturity) and male (females leave at sexual maturity)

Question 11

Paleocene primates:

Answer 11

Plesiadapiformes

Question 12

During the

1. early
2. middle and
3. late Miocene, apes were:

Answer 12

1. Confined to Africa
2. Spread throughout Europe and Asia
3. Rare outside of Africa

Question 13

Morphological trends in hominin evolution:

Answer 13

1. Bipedalism:
   
   • Foramen magnum on bottom of skull instead of back
   • Short, wide pelvis instead of long and narrow
   • Valgus knee
   • Hallux (big toe) on front, not side
   • Hands
2. Increased brain size

Question 14

Eocene primate families:

Answer 14

Adapidae (led to lemurs?) and Omomyidae (led to tarsiers?)

Question 15

Based on their dental morphology, we hypothesize that plesiadapids mostly ate:

Answer 15

Insects and seeds

Question 16

Did the first primates evolve during the Miocene in Africa?

Answer 16

No, they most likely evolved prior to the Paleocene

Question 17

Did Australopithecus sediba have a more human-like pelvis than ape-like?

Answer 17

Yes

Question 18

Principle that major evolution happens in stages:

Answer 18

Mosaic evolution

Question 19

Does the replacement hypothesis suggest that H. sapiens is an evolutionary dead end?

Answer 19

No, it suggests that H. neanderthalis is an evolutionary dead end

Question 20

Are Denisovans likely sister taxa to neanderthals?

Answer 20

Yes

Question 21

Australopithecus afarensis characteristics:

Answer 21

Existed 4.2-3.0 MYA
Some ape-like traits (e.g. sagittal crests) some hominin-like traits (e.g. valgus knee)
Bipedal with a similar feet and walking style to humans

Question 22

Australopithecus sediba characteristics:

Answer 22

Brain is human-like in shape but smaller in volume
Long thumbs and short fingers, good hands for tree-climbing
Pelvis is more human-like than ape-like
Bipedal with different walk style to humans

Question 23

The obesity crisis is particularly evident in:

Answer 23

Saudia Arabia and the Polynesian Islands

Question 24

Oligocene primates:

Answer 24

Haplorhines appear alongside strepsirhines
No apes yet
Platyrrhinis appear in South America for the first time towards the end

Question 25

Replacement hypothesis:

Answer 25

One wave of H. sapien dispersal out of Africa; replaces H. erectus H. neanderthalis is an evolutionary dead end

Question 26

Multiregional hypothesis:

Answer 26

No wave of H. sapien replacement

Question 27

Out of Africa again and again hypothesis:

Answer 27

Multiple waves of hominins leaving Africa with patterns of recurrent gene flow