The roots of biology Flashcards
what types of working knowledge did hunter gatherer people need?
animal biology such as habits of animals, migration, behaviour, internal anatomy, how best to kill them
What else did hunter gatherers need?
knowledge of plant diversity and use: plants as food, plant as medicines, plants as weapons, tools and construction materials
Roots of biology in agriculture:
domestication of plants and animals meant what?
that their reproduction fell under the control of people which lead to artificial selection
What does artificial selection lead into?
deliberate selective breeding for altered characteristics
domesticated plants arose by what?
both unintentional and intentional selection
traits that were selected during plant domestication
increased biological knowledge lead to what?
agriculture, the domestication of wild plants and the production of new varieties of plants required much biological knowledge
Domestication of animals involved what?
keeping animals alive rather than hunting and killing them, this would have required knowledge of nutrition, breeding, behaviour and disease
Roots of biology in early medicine?
what were the subdivisions in early civilization?
pharmacology, surgery and magic and religion, usually done by different practitioners
wheat and corn can do what?
self pollinate
wild almonds before domestication had what?
cyanide in them
domestication has what affect on seeds?
increase size
horse chestnuts need what?
a period of cold before it will germinate
Glutens in bread wheat are what?
are stretchy proteins that allow bread to rise
assyrians discovered what?
pollination a female date palm
How were physician organized in early Egypt?
among elite, and were organized into a hierarchy, from chief physician to bandager
Imhotep did what?
Was an architect, physician, polymath , might have witten surgical texts. was the first non royal to get named in the hitory books
Asclepios was what?
Greek god of medicine
Edwin smith papyrus was what?
one of the first medical record
How did knowledge of animal and plant biology prove critical to early hunter-gatherer populations?
For survival. Needed to know the behaviour, anatomy, and migratory patterns of animals as well as the many uses of plants as food, tools, construction materials, and medicine.
What main process affected the earliest domesticated animals (and continues to affect domesticated animals today)?
Artificial selection
What are 5 examples of traits which were selected for during the domestication of plants?
- Non-shattering inflorescences
- Higher-yield
- Removal of toxins
- Fruit size
- Characteristics (ex: glutens in some wheat which allow bread to rise)
***and any more you can think of!
What ancient culture is thought to have discovered the ability of some plants to reproduce sexually? Which species was this first observed in?
It is thought that ancient Assyrians first used this knowledge to pollinate date palms by hand.
What knowledge is needed to domesticate animals that would not have been needed by hunter-gatherers?
How to keep animals alive (nutrition, breeding, behaviour, diseases, etc.).
What type of animal is the easiest to domesticate?
Herd animals which have a dominant individual.
