Primates Flashcards
homology
close relatives share similar traits due to common ancestory
phylogenetic constraints
evolutionary history limits the variations observed in current populations/species
vestigial traits
‘legacies’ from ancestors that are not functional at present
convergence
traits of unrelated or more distantly related groups appear similar due to common selective pressures - rather than common ancestors (analogous/homoplastic traits)
examples of humans an primates being similar (4) (4)
- warfare
- culture and traditions, west african chimpanezes using hammers
- prosocial behaviour (caring about the welfare of someone else)
main reasons for studying primates reasoning by homology (4)
Closely related species tend to
be similar morphologically
because they share traits
acquired through descent
from a common ancestor
› studies of living primates
often give us more insight
into the anatomy and
behaviour of our ancestors
than do studies of other
organisms
main reasons for studying primates reasoning by analogy (4)
Natural selection leads to similar
organisms in similar
environments > by assessing
the diversity in the behaviour
and morphology of organisms in
relation to their environments,
we can see how evolution
shapes adaptation in response
to different selective pressures
clade (4)
clade = radiated from a single ancestory
ancestral traits in the order primates (4) (4)
- vertebrae (all vertebrates)
- homothermic (includes birds + mammals)
- hair and mammary glands (mammals)
- arboreal & nocturnal (insectivora = close order to primates)
derived and ancestral meaning (4)
ancestral = retained from ancestral groups
derived = newly arising in focal taxon
ancestral (primitive) traits of primates (4)
- insectivore
- arboreal
- nocturnal
primate derived traits related to arboreal lifestyle (4) (4)
- prehensile (grasping) hands/feet
- opposable big toe
- stereoscopic vision (forward facing orbits
- Olfactory (smelling) apparatus reduced
- Nails (versus claws)
- Unspecialised teeth
- Relatively large brain (relative to body size)
- Small litter size (most usually have 1 baby at a time)
- Prolonged dependency of young
BUT:
- None of them makes primates unique
- Not every primate possesses all of these traits-
binocular vision (4)
fields of vision of the 2 eyes overlap so that both eyes perceive the
same image
steroscopic vision (4)
= each eye sends a signal of the visual
image to both hemispheres in
the brain to create an image
with depth
color vision (4)
all diurnal primates have it,
nocturnal primates don’t
prosimii vs anthropoidea (4)
anthropoidea = postorbital plate
prosimii = postorbital bar
olfactory apparatus is reduced in primates (4)
decreased reliance on sense of smell
(olfaction) -> reduction in sensory areas of brain and in snout
- especially in diurnal primates
primates in general have nails, non-primates have claws
unspecicalised teeth (4) (4)
- utility
- processing food
- weapons in conflicts
- Primates have generalized
dentition - Teeth tell us something about
- dietary preferences
- age of individuals and
developmental patterns - phylogenetic relationships
- social structure