Primate Evolution

Question 1

Adaptive radiation

Answer 1

Rapid expansion and diversification of life forms into new ecological niches.

Question 2

Niche

Answer 2

Organisms’ role in a habitat.

Question 3

Paleocene

Answer 3

Plesiadapiformes

Question 4

Eocene

Answer 4

Prosimians

Question 5

Oligocene

Answer 5

Anthropoids

Question 6

Miocene

Answer 6

Hominoids

Question 7

Pliocene

Answer 7

Hominids

Question 8

Primate adaption hypothesis

Answer 8

Arboreal hypothesis, visual predation hypothesis, and dietary shift hypothesis.

Question 9

Arboreal hypothesis

Answer 9

Developed traits because of life in the trees.

Question 10

Visual predation hypothesis

Answer 10

Developed traits because of dependence on vision for catching prey.

Question 11

Dietary shift hypothesis

Answer 11

Developed traits because of co-evolution with flowering plants (angiosperms).

Question 12

Plesiadapiformes

Answer 12

Didn’t make it past the Eocene, transitional species, no postorbital bar, claws, no opposable thumb. I.e. Flying lemur

Question 13

First primate radiation (prosimians)

Answer 13

Adapidae (lemur/loris?). Postorbital bar, nails, and binocular vision.

Question 14

Omomyidae

Answer 14

Tarsiers? Shorter snout, enlarged orbit.

Question 15

Eosimiidae

Answer 15

Anthropoids? Vertically implanted incisors

Question 16

Second Primate radiation (anthropoids)

Answer 16

Parapithecidae. 2-1-3-3 formula, arboreal quadruped.

Question 17

Propiliopithecidae

Answer 17

2-1-2-3 dental formula, arboreal quadruped

Question 18

Miocene

Answer 18

Age of apes.

Question 19

Proconsolidae

Answer 19

Hominoid? African, partially terrestrial, sectorial premolar (maxillary canine sharpens premolar), canine diastema (gap in maxilla due to large canine).

Question 20

Dryopithecinae

Answer 20

No living group. European, thin enameled molars, possible biped.

Question 21

Ponginae

Answer 21

Asian, concave facial profile and projecting incisors, post cranially not like any hominoid.

Question 22

Miocene apes

Answer 22

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).

Question 23

Theories for bipedalism

Answer 23

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)