Species Flashcards
What is the Genus of Apes that preceded Homo
Australopithecines
When did Australopithecines exist
5-6 mya to 2mya
What marked the start of “human-ism”
Bipedality, Larger brains,
What benefits came with bipedality
Starting 5mya, bidepality brought increased terrestrial movement and the ability to carry
What benefits came with Larger brains
Larger brains brought a higher thinking capacity, started 2.5 mya
A. Africanus
3.5-2mya. Debated whether it should be A. or homo
A. Afarensis
bipedal, 3.9-2.9 mya, in direction of homo but still ape-like. Lucy is from this genus.
H. Habilis
2.4-1.4 mya, early tool use, oldowan tools, around 600cc brain capacity
What theory talks about gut development
Expensive Tissue Hypothesis-metabolic trade off where high-calorie diet of meat supports larger brain sizes at expense for smaller gut
How did early hominids find food
Likely both ambush hunting and scavenging(evidence shown through olduvai and Koobi Fora)
How did diet change in early hominins
Reliance on meat allowed for more flexibility in diet, this caused larger Brain sizes
How did diet impact social bonds
Sharing meat and hunting game created better social bond between hominins,
How did they live?
“Campsites” or “Base Camps” such as that of modern hunter gatherers
How did lifestyle changes stimulate brain growth
The need for complex hunting in social groups is thought to have jump started cognitive evolution and started more complex social behaviors
When did hominids diverge
thought to have diverged around 6 mya from chimps
Molecular data on shift to human
Late Miocene (10-6mya), not any evidence to support this,
Evidence to support divergence to human
Fossils date it to around 7-4.4 mya, but evidence records are all too broken to truly see
Millenium Man
dated around 6 mya as a primate maybe hominin we don’t know
Australopithecus anamensis
4.2-3.9 mya, evidence of bipedality and shorter canines but still very ape like
A. Bahrelghazali
3.5-3mya thought to be w. African.
Kenyanthropus Platypus
3.5 mya, flat face but maybe just fossil error. Helps prove non-linear bipedal progression
A. Garhi
2.5mya. Large teeth but more human body. Found near tools-would be the first to use tools if they are theirs
A. Robustus
lack of soft food turned their head and muscles very large. Died out due to diet change
A. Boisei
1.3-1.8 mya. found my Mary leaky at FLK
When was “humanity” launched
2mya with homo Erectus and the advent of social structures, technology, fire usage, and hunting)
What was the out of Africa theory
Homo Erectus had a rapid launch from E. Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania) to all of Africa and then Eurasia 1mya.
differences between out of Africa 1 and 2
1 was 2mya and did not possess acheulean tools, fire, or advanced hunting. 2 was 1mya and did use the before mentioned things.
How did out of Africa happen
Pliocene era had dramatic climates which allowed for sea changes and glaciers. Hominids expanded to more temperate regions. Most likely expanded into Middle East then Asia (h. erects in Asia had slightly bigger skulls)
h. Heidelbergensis
“archaic h. sapiens”-600-300kya, rounded skull larger brain. near modern, also a common ancestor to us, 1200-1300cc brain capacity, large game, wooden tools
h. sapiens
first seen 300kya in Africa, AMH, Cultural advancements, sophisticated tools, complex social structures
h. neanderthlensis
Europe. adapted to Europes colder climates(larger nasal passage short and muscular). Complex social patterns, clothes, jewelry, and burials. Mousterian/middle Paleolithic tools
h. floresiensis
100-13kya, Little floresians, tiny brain and body, isolated Indonesian population
Out of Africa II
H. sapiens left into Israel 92kya
Dispersal out of Africa theory
Small group of AMH’s left Africa and populated the rest of the world around 60-70kya
Adaptations
Humans developed different adaptations such as skin pigment, lactose tolerance, body sizes
Gene flow
proof of Neanderthal and Sapiens breeding
H erectus
1.9mya-110kya, neandertal and sapiens common ancestor, longer legs shorter arms(fully terestrial)
