Anthro 151 Midterm #2

Question 1

What is the anthropological perspective?

Answer 1

Anthropology is: global in scope, holistic in vision, scientific in method

Question 2

What are the subfields of anthropology?

Answer 2

Cultural Anthropology-linguistic anthropology, archaeology
Physical Anthropology- molecular anthropology, paleoanthropology, biocultural anthropology, forensic anthropology, primatology
Applied anthropology

Question 3

Describe the scientific method and list its components

Answer 3

Based on observations of the world rather than on intuition or faith.
Components- Theory, Hypothesis, Fact, Doctrine

Question 4

What is the comparative method in anthropology?

Answer 4

Using the methods of other scientists by developing hypothesis and arriving at theories
Anthropologists make comparisons between peoples and cultures past and present, related species, and fossil groups

Question 5

To whom are anthropologists obligated?

Answer 5

to those being studied
to those who fund the research
to those in the profession who expect a study to be published so they can further the research in the field

Question 6

What is globalization and what are the forces driving it?

Answer 6

globalization refers to worldwide connectedness, evidenced in global movements of natural resources, human labour, finance capital, info, infectious diease, and trade goods.
Forces driving it- technological innovations, lower transportation costs, faster knowledge transfer, increased trade and financial integration among countries

Question 7

Describe how living things are classified

Answer 7

Karl Von Linne’s classification-the system we use today. The purpose was to create order in the great mass of confusing biological data that had been accumulated over time. He classified living things on the basis of similarities into small groups, or species.

Question 8

Describe the Linnean Sytem of Classification

Answer 8

“King Phillip Came Over For Great Spaghetti”
Kingdom- Animals-depend on the intake of living food
Phylum- Chordata
Subphylum- Vertebrata
Class- Mammalia- constant body temperature, young nurished after birth, milk from mother
Order- Primates- hands and feet capable of grasping, erect posture, acute vision,
Family- Hominidae
Subfamily- Homininae- ground dwelling
Genus- Homo- larger brains, rely on culture
Species- Sapien- brains of relative size

Question 9

What is the basis for Linnaean classification?

Hint:5

Answer 9

1. Body structure
2. Body function
3. Sequence of bodily growth
4. Analogies
5. Homologies

Question 10

Describe Charles Darwin’s Contribution

Answer 10

“On the Origin of the Species” published 1859. His theory of natural selection best explains changes in species and emergence of new species

Question 11

What are the mechanisms of hereditary that help to explain how evolution works?
Hint:7

Answer 11

1. Genes
2. Chromosomes
3. DNA
4. Cell division- mitosis, meiosis
5. Alleles
6. Traits
7. Polygenetic Inheritance

Question 12

What is a population?

Answer 12

A group of individual where breeding takes places. It is here that evolution takes place.

Question 13

Describe the Hardy-Weinburg Principle

Answer 13

Demonstrates algebrailcally that the % of indiviuals that are homozygous for the dominant allele, homozygous for the recessive allele, and heterozygous should remain constant from one generation to the next

Question 14

What are the forces of evolutionary change?

Hint:5

Answer 14

1. Mutation- chemicals, radiation
2. Genetic Drift- chance fluctuation of allelle frequencies. Freak accidents
3. Genetic Flow-Allels introduced from one populations pool to another
4. Adaptation- beneficial adjustment to an environment
5. Selection- Natural selection

Question 15

Describe Sickle-Cell Anemia in terms of Evolution

Answer 15

First discovered when realized that most who suffer from it in NA are black. An inherrited form on anemia caused by the red blood cells assuming a sickled shape. Sickle cells clump together forming tissue damage

Question 16

What are the traits of mammals?

Hint:12

Answer 16

1. Intelligence
2. Young are born alive
3. Young are breast fed
4. Constant body temperature
5. Efficient respiratory system
6. Diaphragm
7. Four-chambered heart
8. Limbs below body
9. Flexible and hard joints
10. Simple skeltons
11. Special teeth
12. Two sets of teeth

Question 17

What is the “Family Tree” of Primates?

Hint-5 major groups

Answer 17

1. Streps-Lemuriforms
2. Haps- Tarsiers, Platyrrhinii
3. Cats- Cercs(Old World Monkeys)
4. Hominoidea- small apes, great apes
5. Hominindae- humans, African apes

Question 18

Describe the characterisitics shared by all primates?

Hint:3

Answer 18

1. Primate Dentition-less specialized teeth
2. Primate Sense Organs- steroscopic vision, touch, brain
3. Primate skeleton- foramen magnum has shifted forward in primates

Question 19

What are the defining features of the various modern primates?
Hint:5

Answer 19

1. Lemurs and Lorises- the most primitive- size of cats-large pointed ears- long tails-move on all 4’s
2. Plats(New World Monkeys)- flat noses, prehensile tails, arboreal, quadrapedal
3. Cats(Old World Monkeys)- closely spaced noses, no prehensile tails
4. Hominoidae(Small and Great apes)- knuckle walk, arms longer than legs
5. Hominindae(Gorillas)- largest of the apes, thick black glossy hair

Question 20

How can primates be viewed as models for human evolution?

Answer 20

1. Striking similarities in blood and proteins among the hominids- chinpanzees and gorillas are the closest to humans. Chimps and humans are 98% identical in DNA

Question 21

What have primiatologists learned of primate social organization?

Answer 21

1. The group- primates are social animals, living and travelling in groups. In most groups, the females and their offpring are the core of the system.Baboon females are all related. Chimp females sometimes move to other groups but children stay with mom for life. Gorillas may or may not leave group.
2. Group Size-
   baboons-Savannah 100
   chimps- communities of 50 or more, rarely come together
   gorillas- family of 5-20 led by a siler back
3. Home Ranges- often overlap and move about with the seasons. Baboons and gorillas are non-territorial but chimp may defend
4. Social Hierarchy-
   Chimps- males outrank females
   Baboons- male and female hierarchies
5. Individual Interaction and Bonding- grooming, touching, embracing. Strong and long lasting mother infant bond
6. Sexual Behaviour- mating occurs when remale is receptive (estrus)
7. Play- frequent, like to test strength

Question 22

What is known of Primate Communication and Learning?

Answer 22

Communication- vocalize with a great range of calls
Learning- human-like, and also inventive.
Only chimps use tools

Question 23

What is the difference between and artifact and a fossil?

Answer 23

An artifact is any object altered or fashioned by humans that expresses human culture. Fossils are preserved remains of plants and animals that lived in the past. Fossilization involves the hard parts of an organism

Question 24

What is a site and how is one located and excavated?

Answer 24

A site is a place containing remains of previous human occupants. Types include kill sites, village sites, and cemetaries
Sites can be located by air, by accident, by soil marks, or by folk tales
Excavating sites- land cleared, grid system established, datum point established, each sqaure excavated,

Question 25

How are fossils located and excavated?

Answer 25

human fossil remains are present at archaeological sites. Other remains may have been carried and dropped by predators Locating- tools often point to human fossils Excavating- must be skilled in techniques, know sequence of rocks

Question 26

What are the factors affecting the preservation of artifacts and fossils? Hint:3

Answer 26

1. Climate- rapid dessication in warm dry climate. Animal may freeze in ice. 2. Geological conditions- enclosed in minerals, covered in ash, covered by sedimentation 3. Cultural practices

Question 27

Describe how evidence is sorted?

Answer 27

1. Records-must be kept in detail | 2. Processing Materials in Labs

Question 28

What are 3 relative dating techniques?

Answer 28

1. Strategraphy-underlying levels are older than top levels 2. Palynology-the study of changes in fossil pollen over time 3. Fluorine Testing- amount of fluorine in bones is proportional to their age

Question 29

What are 3 absolute dating techniques?

Answer 29

1. Radio Carbon Analysis- measures the amounts of C-14 left in organix material 2. Pottassium Argon Dating- is a ratio of radio-active potassium to argon in volcanic debree 3. Dendrochronology- is a check on C-14 using growth rings on a tree

Question 30

Why do paleoanthropoogists attempt to recreate primary evolutionary history from ancient evidence?

Answer 30

1. Physical Forces- such study gives us a better understanding of the forces that caused early creatures to develop into primates 2. Evolutioanry Processes- gives a fuller knowledge of the processes through which an insect eating, small brained mammal evolved into a human being

Question 31

Define Speciation and it's Process

Answer 31

Speciation is the process by which a new species comes into existence. Processes- species evolve through accumulation of differences in gene pools of separated groups. Isolating mechanisms are factors that separate breeding populations and create divergent species. Anagenisis- graudual transformation of old species into new one Cladogenesis- an ancestral population gives rise to two or more different descending populations Convergent evolution- 2 unrelated organisms develop greater similarities, when an environment exters similar pressures on different organisms

Question 32

Describe the rise of primates in the context of continental drift.

Answer 32

early primates emerged during a time of great change. Separation of continents was under way, a narrow body of water separted Africa from Eurasia.

Question 33

Why did mammals live under repatalian shadow? | Hint:3

Answer 33

1. Available food- nuts, fruits and seeds were not available until the end of Cretatious period. 2. Climatic Stability- niches were becoming available 3. Climatic Change- new grasslands available

Question 34

Describe the arboreal hypothesis

Answer 34

1. Preadaption of primates- better vision, dextrous fingers, small size 2. More food 3. Change in primate characteristics- favor to those who could judge depth correctly and grip branches strongly

Question 35

How can bipedalism be inferred from fossil record? | HINT:10

Answer 35

1. Foramen Magnum- repositioned closer to middle of skull 2. Curvature of spine 3. Pelvis- wider and shortened 4. Glutus Maximus- pulls thigh back 5. Femur angled inward- keeps legs directly under body 6. Longer lower limbs 7. vertical tibia 8. Aligned big toe-adducated position 9. Arched Feet 10. Rib Cage

Question 36

Describe the Pliocene environment and hominin diversity | HINT:4

Answer 36

1. Plate Techtonics- steady movement of plates resulted in a collision of 2 landmasses at either side of the Mediteranean Sea 2. Great Rift Valley System- separation between geological plates 3. Climate- cooler and dryer, tranformation from forest to grassy savannah 4. Volcanic activity- resulted from plate techtonics, allowed for the dating of fossils

Question 37

Describe the impact of the environment and diet on the human line HINT:5

Answer 37

1. Less rainforest, more open spaces. Bipedalisms provided a body plan that was preadapted to the heat stress 2. Environment- cimatic change caused temporary drying of the Mediterranean Sea. Forests were broken up into pieces and insterspread with Savannah 3. Diet- as the forest shrank foods found in trees became less available. It became necessary to forage on the ground for seeds, grasses, and roots 4. Dentition- male canines became as small as the females, leaving them easy targets 5. Hands- took over weapon function of reduced canines

Question 38

What are the main implications of bipedal locomotion?

Answer 38

DISADVANTAGES- 1. makes animal more visible to predators 2. exposes organs 3. interferes with ability to change direction while running 4. makes for a slower runner ADVANTAGES- 1. gathering- hands are free 2. reach 3. endurance- ability to travel far 4. vision- head is positioned higher 5. carrying- mother free to carry young 6. protection- spot predators easily 7. cooling- reduces surface area of body exposed to sun 8. speech- able to regulate breathing and therefore speak