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Ecology - Evolution > Archaeology - Primate Evolution > Flashcards

Archaeology - Primate Evolution Flashcards

1
Q

What is the first fossil evidence of prosimians?

A

55MYA with similar characterisits to modern day lemurs, lorises, galagos and aye-ayes.

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2
Q

How are prosimians anatomically distinguished?

A

They have small body size, elongated snouts and larger eyes.

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3
Q

What defined the anatomy evolution of prosimians?

A

Insectivory and Nocturnalism

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4
Q

What is the earliest prosimian fossil?

A

Teilhardina brandti(55MYA) being small and tree dweliin.g

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5
Q

What characteristics did Teilhardina share with modern simians?

A

Long snout, large eye sockets and specialised teeth for insects.

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6
Q

What is the function of Tapetum lucidum in prosimians?

A

Enhancing low light.

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7
Q

Tapetum Lucidum

A

This is a guanine rich tissue in the choroid region of the eye between the lens and the retina.

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8
Q

What is the teeth structure of prosimians?

A

Sharp incisors, canines and molars for shearing and crushing insects.

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9
Q

Why is guanine important in eyesight?

A

High refractive index for light reflection.

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10
Q

Refractive Index

A

This is the ratio of speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in a transparent material.

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11
Q

Why does guanine have high refractive index?

A

Amine, Carbonyl and N-containing heterocycle meaning high polarizability.

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12
Q

Polarizability

A

This is a measure of how easily a molecules electron cloud can be distorted by external electrical fields.

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13
Q

What makes guanine have high polarizability?

A

Planar shape and functional groups means high electron density susceptible to delocalization.

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14
Q

When did plesiadapiformes emerge?

A

65MYA

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15
Q

What are some characteristics of plesiadapiformes?

A

Arboreal with forward facing eyes and grasping hands/feet.

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16
Q

What is the earliest plesiadapiformes?

A

Purgatorisu

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17
Q

Purgatorius

A

This is a small arboreal mammal with key features like forward-facing eyes, grasping hands and feet.

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18
Q

When did prosimians and simians diverge?

A

50MYA

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19
Q

Why did prosimians/simians diverge?

A

Different selective pressures, prosimians being nocturnal and arboreal, whilst simians diurnal and wider habitat range.

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20
Q

Why do prosimians have better olfactory reception?

A

Nocturnalism so required for navigation.

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21
Q

What are the two Simian fossils?

A

Aegyptoithecus

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22
Q

How old is Aegyptopithecus?

A

37MYA

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23
Q

What groups are simians split into?

A

New World Monkeys and Old World Monkeys

24
Q

New World Monkeys(Platyrrhine)

A

Native to C/SA with broad, upward facing nostrils and long prehensile tailes and opposable thumbs.

25
Q

Old World Monkeys(Catarrhine)

A

Native to Africa and Asia with narrow, downward facing nostsrils with a non-prehensile taile and non-opposable thumbs

26
Q

How did the NWM arrive in SA?

A

Rafting, indicated by its isolation and plants/animals found in both.

27
Q

Hominoidea

A

These are primates including living apes being bipedal, high cranial capacity and molar cusps.

28
Q

When did Hominoidea evolve?

A

20-25MYA, due to climatic changes and expansion of forests.

29
Q

Hominidae

A

These include all living great apes, defined by bipedalism, larger braines, forward facing eyes.

30
Q

What did Hominoidea speciate into 15MYA?

A

Hominidae and Hylobatidae

31
Q

Hylobatidae

A

These including gibbons and lesser apes, being monogamous, highly vocal, arboreal and brachiation.

32
Q

What climatic changes assisted ape evolution?

A

Late Oligocene Cooling
Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum
Late Miocene Cooling

33
Q

What caused the Late Oligocene Cooling?

A

Opening of drake passage forming the Antarctic Circumpolar Current 33.5MYA.

34
Q

Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum

A

17-14MYA with increased warming and humidity and further forest expansion.

35
Q

What did trichromatic vision evolve from?

A

Duplication of M-opsin to sensitivity to SW.

36
Q

Opsin genes in simians…

A

Two: L-opsin and M-opsin, located on X-chromosome.

37
Q

What caused increased Encephalization Quotient in primates?

A

Neocortex expansion through duplication/modification of ancestral genes
High nutritional value of fruit

38
Q

What caused neocortex gene duplication?

A

Unequal crossing in meiosis or retro transposition by RT

39
Q

Protocadherin Cluster

A

These provide each neuron with cell identities to distinguish between self and non-self.

40
Q

What is stereoscopic vision based on?

A

Parallax
Convergence
Binocular Disparity

41
Q

Stereoscopic Vision

A

This allows perception of depth of 3D images by visual processing from both eyes.

42
Q

Parallax

A

This refers to objects moving at constant speed across the frame, appearing to move a greater amount closer to the observer than at greater distances.

43
Q

Convergence

A

This is how eyes move together and point inward when we look at near objects

44
Q

Binocular Disparity

A

This is produced by difference in retinal projection of the same object onto the left and right eye retinas due to eye seperation.

45
Q

What distingjusihed plesiadapiformes from euprimates?

A

Smaller brains, longer snouts, no postorbital bar and inward pointing incisors.

46
Q

Postorbital Bar

A

This is a bone arch connecting frontal skull to the zygomatic arch, lateral around the eye socket.

47
Q

Zygomatic Arch

A

A bridge of bone extending from the temporal bone to the upper jawbone in the front.

48
Q

What extant prosimians?

A

Bush babies, lemurs, lorises and tarsiers.

49
Q

What characterises simians?

A

Small olfactor lobes, larger brains, frugivorous, opposable thumbs.

50
Q

What distinguishes simians from prosimians?

A

Larger braincase, paired bones that have fused, shorter snouts, bony postorbital septum

51
Q

Why is a bony postorbital septum importabt?

A

Prevents mechanical disturbance by the remporalis muscles contraction when chewing

52
Q

Temporalis Muscle

A

This is a muscle on the side of the skull important for chewing/crushing between molars.

53
Q

How does colours vision differ in anthropoids?

A

Catarrhines are trichromatic.

54
Q

How does olfaction differ in anthropoids?

A

Platyrrhines better olfaction whilst catarrhines having 50% of functional proteins and loss of vomertonasal organ

55
Q

When did the anthropoids split?

A

28mya

56
Q

What distinguishes hominoidea?

A

Widening and dorso-ventral flattening of the trunk relative to body length

Ecology - Evolution (9 decks)

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