Primate Evolution Flashcards
Adaptive radiation
Rapid expansion and diversification of life forms into new ecological niches.
Niche
Organisms’ role in a habitat.
Paleocene
Plesiadapiformes
Eocene
Prosimians
Oligocene
Anthropoids
Miocene
Hominoids
Pliocene
Hominids
Primate adaption hypothesis
Arboreal hypothesis, visual predation hypothesis, and dietary shift hypothesis.
Arboreal hypothesis
Developed traits because of life in the trees.
Visual predation hypothesis
Developed traits because of dependence on vision for catching prey.
Dietary shift hypothesis
Developed traits because of co-evolution with flowering plants (angiosperms).
Plesiadapiformes
Didn’t make it past the Eocene, transitional species, no postorbital bar, claws, no opposable thumb. I.e. Flying lemur
First primate radiation (prosimians)
Adapidae (lemur/loris?). Postorbital bar, nails, and binocular vision.
Omomyidae
Tarsiers? Shorter snout, enlarged orbit.
Eosimiidae
Anthropoids? Vertically implanted incisors
Second Primate radiation (anthropoids)
Parapithecidae. 2-1-3-3 formula, arboreal quadruped.
Propiliopithecidae
2-1-2-3 dental formula, arboreal quadruped
Miocene
Age of apes.
Proconsolidae
Hominoid? African, partially terrestrial, sectorial premolar (maxillary canine sharpens premolar), canine diastema (gap in maxilla due to large canine).
Dryopithecinae
No living group. European, thin enameled molars, possible biped.
Ponginae
Asian, concave facial profile and projecting incisors, post cranially not like any hominoid.
Miocene apes
Closer to ape-human lineage than old world monkeys, more large bodied, most are too derived to,be ancestors, and not definite hominins yet. (Proconsolidae, dryopithecinae, and ponginae).
Theories for bipedalism
Savannah theory (visual surveillance), thermoregulatory theory, tool use feedback loop, free hands to carry and hunt,male provisioning with monogamous pairs, and woman the gatherer (carrying infants)
