Help
Options
Question
Pentadactyly
click to flip
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't know
Question
Prehensile
Remaining cards (113)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Geosci 106
Fossils, Primates, Etc.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Pentadactyly | having five fingers and five toes (postcranial adaptation) |
| Prehensile | enhanced mobility in that one can grasp with hands, feet, or tail (postcranial adaptation) |
| Pronograde vs. orthograde | pronograde involves a quadrupedal being whereas orthograde involves a bipedal being (primarily upright) |
| Vertical clinging and leaping (VCL) | arboreal primate that leaps from tree to tree staying upright |
| Quadrupedalism | walking on four limbs |
| Brachiation | form of arboreal locomotion in which primates swing from tree limb to tree limb using only their arms |
| Bipedalism | walking on two limbs |
| quadrumanous | primates with four hands |
| knuckle walking | form of quadrupedal walking in which the forelimbs hold the fingers in a partially flexed posture that allows body weight to press down on the ground through the knuckles |
| Postorbital bar vs. postorbital closure | the postorbital bar is a bone which runs around the eyesocket of strepsirrhine primates whereas postorbital closure is a wall of thin bone behind the eye |
| Diurnal vs. nocturnal | Diurnality is an animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night and Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by activity during the night and sleeping during the day |
| Insectivory (how related to body size?), folivory, frugivory and omnivory | Insectivory - eats bugs (sharper cusps on molars); Folivory - eats foliage; Frugivory - eats fruit (lower, rounded molars); Omnivory - eats plants and animals |
| tooth comb | long, flat forward-angled teeth found in certain Strepsirhine primates |
| grooming claw | specialized claw or nail on the foot of certain primates, used for personal grooming |
| Rhinarium | moist, naked surface around the nostrils which contains nerve receptors for smell and touch |
| Tapetum lucidum | layer of tissue in the eye which contributes to superior night vision |
| ischial callosities | a piece of skin that has become thickened as a result of repeated contact and friction that enables the monkeys to sleep sitting upright on thin branches, beyond reach of predators, without falling |
| bilophodont molars | symmetric molars |
| dental formula | In each set, incisors (I) are indicated first, canines (C) second, premolars (P) third, and finally molars (M), giving I:C:P:M |
| dimorphism | having two body types |
| sagittal crest | ridge of bone running lengthwise along the midline of the top of the skull |
| homologous traits | any characteristic of organisms that is derived from a common ancestor |
| convergent evolution | acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages |
| What distinguishes the Primate Order from other Mammalian Orders? | The postcranial, cranial, life history, and ecological trends distinguise the primate order |
| Why do we describe primates by tendencies or general trends instead of specific traits? | Primates is highly diverse group and there is no single trait that is shared by all Primates and distinguishes Primates from other mammals |
| How many extant species of primates currently exist? How many are endangered? | 250-290 living species; at least 30% of them are in danger of extinction |
| Who are the Tupaioidea? Are they primates? | No. They are treeshrews. |
| What is the difference between traditional primate taxonomy and the revised primate taxonomy? Why has the taxonomy been revised? | The traditional primate taxonomy has tarsiers as strepshrines; however, tarsiers are more closely related to Monkeys, Apes, and Humans |
| Know the general features/traits that distinguish haplorhines from strepsirhines. | fused frontal skull bone, larger brain, postorbital closure, no grooming claw, different blood supply to brain and placentation, and reliance on color vision |
| What features distinguish Platyrrhines from Catarrhines? | plat - found only in Central/South America, have broad, flat, sideways oriented nostrils, 2:1:3:3 dental formula, arboreal, some scent mark, prehensile tail |
| What features distinguish Cercopithecines from Colobines? | Cerco - predominately Afican, broad incisors (spoon for soft fruit), molars with low rounded cusps (to mush fruit), cheek pouches, arm/leg lengths similar, adapted to mix of habitats |
| What features distinguish Cercopithecoidea from Hominoidea | Homonoidea have relatively primitive molars with a Y-5 cusp pattern on lower molars, large body size, no tail, shortened torso, flexible shoulders (brachiation), complex social behaviors, large brain, long infant dependency period, can use tools |
| Infanticide avoidance strategy | Infant dimorphism occurs since male does not know their own children, therefore, they will not kill any child that looks different |
| What is evolution? | a change in form of organisms generation over generation |
| What was meant by fixity of species and how does this idea reflect historical views of evolution? | There is no change in life forms over time, no creation of species |
| What evidence supports the theory of evolution? | comparative anatomy, biogeography, embryology, developmental, paleontology, and genetics |
| Be able to explain phylogenetic gradualism vs. punctuated equilibrium | punctuated equilibrium is an abrupt dramatic change over short period of time whereas the phylogenetic gradualism theory says evolution happens gradually over time |
| Know the estimated age of the universe, the solar system and the timing for the origin of life on earth. Compared to this deep geologic time, how long have primate like mammals been present on earth? | universe - 13.7 billion years ago; solar system - 4.53-4.58 billion years ago; origin of life on Earth - 3.6-3.8 billion years ago; earliest mammals - 200 million years ago |
| Compare and contrast absolute dating vs. relative dating | absolute - provides an estimate of number of years before present that a sample was deposited through radioactive materials; relative - places geologic & evolutionary events in sequential order, relies on association |
| What is horizontal superposition? | younger layers are higher than older layers |
| How is faunal and lithographic correlation useful in dating? | dates of similar strata from location can be inferred from strata at another, also confirming relative ages |
| What is meant by “Taphonomic processes” and how do they help us to understand why it is so difficult to find and identify fossils? | It shows that the organisms undergo a series of events that have great possibility of diminishing remains of what had been living at a particular time |
| Where can fossils be found? | lake margins, river beds, caves |
| What can fossil remains tell us about the way an organism lived? | how they moved, what they ate, what their mating system was like, what their social interactions were like |
| Is the diversity of modern primates (i.e the number of genera and species) a good reflection of the total of diversity apparent in the fossil record? | No. Currently there are 50+ genera and 250-290 living species of primates. 200+ genera and 500+ species of fossil primates have been identified and the fossil record is still incomplete |
| Know the rough chronologic boundaries of the Cenozoic Era and the 6 epochs that we will discuss (Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene) | PEOMPPH, 10, 21, 10, 19, 3, 2, now) : Paleocine (10m years), Eocene (21m years), Oligocene (10m years), Miocene (19m years), Plioscene (3m years), Pleisteocene (2m years), Holocene (10,000 and counting) |
| Know the major ecological/continental changes since the emergence of primates! (more information about this in lectures 7-12) | South America was an island continent for much of the past 55my, contact with North America only in the last 2-4my, helps us understand why modern South American primates are so distinct |
| What can you tell me about the Mesozoic/Cenozoic boundary? | The boundary marked geologic activity, movement from dinosaurs to no dinosaurs |
| Plesiadapiforms (Plesiadapis) | first primate-like mammal |
| What can you tell me about the distribution of primates in the Eocene? | had plesiadapiformes, euprimates, strepsirhines, and haplorhines |
| What factors contributed to the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum? | greenhouse warming event due to multiple variables including mobilization of seabed methane |
| Have a general idea about the relationship between the Eocene Adapiformes & Omomyoids and modern Strepsirhines and Haplorhines | Adapiformes and omomyiformes are euprimates that are lemur-like and tarsier-like forms, respectively |
| General characteristics of Euprimates | dental formula of 2.1.4.3 to 2.1.3.3, small brains, skulls with postorbital bar, flat nails on at least some digits, wide rane of ecological niches |
| Characteristics of Adapiformes | larger than plesiadapiforms and omomyoids, frontal orbit orientation, postorbital bar, long snout, spatulate incisors (frugivorous), cheek teeth not crowded, ankle bone elonated, canine honing (sharpening), grasping foot, prono/orthograde posture |
| Characterize Darwinius masillae. What can you tell me about Messel locality where Darwinius was found? | lacked grooming claw & toothcomb, but had unfused frontal bone, long snout, and postorbital bar, arboreal quadruped, leaves and fruit in digestive system; messel locality - volcanic basin lake, semi-tropical environment |
| Characteristics of Omomyiformes | frontal orientation of eyes, nocturnal, shortened snout, braincase high, pointed large incisors, small canines, crowded cheek teeth, foot elements elongated like leapers |
| Key climatic/ecological/continental events of the Oligocene | rapid transition from greenhouse earth to icehouse earth |
| What can you tell me about the distribution of primates in the Oligocene? | euprimates disappear in Europe and rare in North America, anthropoid monkeys and apes are more abundant in Africa/Asia |
| Where and what is the Fayum Depression? How was dated and why is it important to our understanding of primate evolution? | it is an expansion of eroded sediments on the eastern border of the Sahara Desert |
| Characterize Aegyptopithecus | dental formula: 2.1.2.3, canine teeth dimorphic, molars with homonid Y-5 pattern, medium size brain, fused front bones, postorbital closure, heavy, arboreal, quadrupedal |
| What is a synapomorphy? What are specific anthropoid synapomorphies? | shared trait found among two or more taxa and their most recent common ancestor, whose ancestor in turn does not possess the trait |
| Omomyoid origin of Anthropoids? | No. features linking tarsiers to monkeys and apes are not clearly found in omomyoids |
| Branisella | clear evidence of platyrrhines in South America in the Oligocene, possible relationship between early Egyptian anthropoid and later neotropic platys |
| Hypotheses of New World monkey origins? What evidence (weakly) supports these hypotheses? | may have rafted from Africa, North America, and Antarctica through the mid-Atlantic ridge with exposed land masses |
| What do we mean when we refer to a fossil as a “stem” Catarrhine as opposed to a “crown” Catarrhine on a phylogenetic tree? | |
| What is an LCA? | last common ancestor, point of divergence |
| Important climate change events in the Miocene? | cold, mini global warming, cold |
| Compare OWM diversity in the Miocene to ape diversity in the Miocene. (see also lecture 11) | relatively less diversity in OWM as opposed to apes |
| Victoriapithecus | intermediate between extant OWM and common ancestor they share with apes, shares several features seen in aegyptopithecus and some miocene fossil apes, small bodied, terrestrial quadruped |
| Morotopithecus | earliest clear evidence of postcranial ape, capable of modern ape-like behaviors |
| Gigantopithecus | co-existed in Asia with human ancestors, largest known primate, terrestrial, affinities with orangutan |
| What distinguishes a hominin (humans and their recent ancestors) from other hominoids (i.e. other apes)? | bipedalism, proportionally longer lower limbs, shorter toes, arched foot, bowl-like pelvis, knees and feet below center of gravity, curvature of sprine improves balance, |
| Australopithecus sediba | South Africa (Plio/Pleistocene border), transitional between australopithecines and genus Homo, small brained, short stature, long arms, small teeth, long legs, changes in pelvis for efficient bipedalism |
| Ardipithecus ramidus | one of the earliest hominins, Ethiopia (late miocine, early pliocene), bipedal, upper limb indicates climbing adaptations, chimp-like thin enamel, mix of bipedal and ape-like features, small brained |
| Homo erectus | bigger brain, longer limbs, more modern pelvis, uses more advanced tools, found in China, prolonged maturation/infant dependency, used fire, ate meat, widespread species, colonization, "embraced culture" |
| Homo neanderthalensis | low foreheads, large brain, short, heavily muscles, thick long bones, large joints, stocky, more variable/complex tools, woodworking, large meat diet, ritual burials |
| Homo sapiens | modern humans here for the last 200,000 years, earliest appearance in Africa |
| Slender loris | loris; natural ability to hunt insects (slow climbing, really big eyes, and mobile ears) |
| Galagos (also known as busy babies) | loris |
| Aye-aye | lemur; uses middle finger to knock on tree, then uses it to stick in hole and pull out food |
| Indri (I showed a video of a specific type of Indri called Sifaka) | lemur |
| Fat tailed dwarf lemur | cheirogaleides lemur |
| Tamarins and marmosets | Cebodia - Platyrrhines - Haplorines; very small, claw-like nails (to gain support from trees), birth to twins, paternal care |
| Owl monkeys | only nocturnal haplorhines (other than tarsiers) |
| Spider monkeys | ceodia - platyrrhines - haplorines; have prehensile tails, share many feautures with apes (brachiation capability) |
| Howler monkeys | loudest land mammal, primarily folivorous |
| Macaques | Cercophitechinae; japanese macaque (exception to the rule that cercophtecinae are predominantly African) |
| Proboscis monkeys (Odd nosed monkeys) | |
| Silvery langur | |
| Hylobates (gibbons) (showed video of their locomotion) | hominoidea - catarrhine - haplorhine, found in SE Asia, anatomically most primitive of apes, forelimbs are specialized for braichiation, small, dimorphic, monogamous |
| Pongo (orangutans) | hominoidea - catarrhine - haplorhine, only great ape in Asia, very large and dimorphic (physical size appealing to females), arboreal quadrumanous climbing (safer since they're so big), frugivorous, endangered |
| Gorilla (gorillas) | hominoidea - catarrhine - haplorhine, limited distribution in sub-Saharan Africa, extreme dimorphism, knuckle-walkers, most folivrous of any ape, single male/multi female groups, infanticide documented |
| Pan (bonobos & the common chimpanzee) | hominoidea - catarrhine - haplorhine, distributed across parts of central Africa, capable of forelimb suspension but often terrestrial (knuck walk), form cooperative hunting parties, fission-fusion multi-male/multi-female social organization |
| Homo sapiens (humans) | more dimorphic than gibbons less than apes, bipedal, large brains, thin body hair, omnivorous, widely dispersed, symbolic behavior and language |
| What are the postcranial adaptations of the primate order that distinguish them from other mammalian orders? | generalized limbs (pentadactyly), prehensile hands and feet, flat nails, friction/tactile pad on fingers & toes, hindlimb dominated locomotion, diagnoal gait sequence, center of gravity near hindlimb, vertical posture tendency, and diversity of locomotion |
| What are the locomotor behaviors found among primates? | VCL, quadrupedalism (arboreal, terrestrial, slow climbing, and leaping), brachiation, and bipedalism |
| What are the cranial adaptations found in the primate order that distinguise them from other mammalian orders? | shortened snout, relatively immobile ears, emphasis on vision (postorbital bar/plate, convergent eyes, visual processing part of brain well developed), brain relatively large, teeth unspecialized with max 2:1:3:3, and have baby teeth |
| What differences are seen in the dental formulas of platyrrhines and catarrhines? | Most platyrrhines have 2.1.3.3 and most catarrhines have 2.1.2.3 |
| What life history patterns are characteristic of the primate order, distinguishing them from other mammalian orders? | females invest heavily in offspring (long interbirth intervals, small litters, processes concerned with nourishing fetus before birth), gestation, maturation, and lifespan is prolonged |
| What ecological factors distinguise primates from other mammalian orders? | generally found in the tropics and subtropics, most are diurnal, feel on high quality diet (4 kinds, dental differences based on diet) |
| What dental trait is associated with a primate that eats hard foods like nuts? | thick enamel |
| What results in extreme dimorphism? | competition among the males for females (either due to single male-multi female societies or when only a few males have reproductive success) |
| What are the general characteristics and distribution of lorises and lemurs? | features: tooth comb, grooming claw, small brain, reliance on smell, rhinarium, tapetum lucidum; distribution: Africa/Asia (lorises), Madagascar (lemur) |
| What are the general features and distribution of tarsiers? | features: grooming claw (like streps), no tapetum lucidem (like haps), no toothcomb (like haps), nocturnal (like many streps), specialized leaper, can turn head 180, eye size of brain, 100% insectivorous; Distribution: SE Asia, Philippines |
| What features distinguish Catarrhines from Platyrrhines? | found in Asia/Africa, nose tends to be narrower with downward nostrils, 2:1:2:3 dental formula, terrestrial AND arboreal, ischial callosities (most monkeys, not in all apes), bilophodont molars (monkeys) or Y-5 molars (apes) |
| What are the general features and distribution of old world monkeys? | features: 2:1:2:3 dental formula, terrestrial and arboreal, ischial callosities, bilophodont molars; Distribution: Africa/Asia |
| What distinguishes colobinae from cercopithecines? | colo - both African/Asian, folivorous, narrow incisors (to clip foliage), molars with sharp cusps (breaks down foliage), complex sacculated stomachs, long legs/tails but reduced thumbs (increased ability for leaping) |
| What does comparative anatomy reveal about evolution? Biogeography? Embryology? | diverse organisms share the same structures from a common ancestor (homologies); animals from nearby regions are similar (either from common ancestor or environment adaptation); organisms share similar developmental patterns |
| What does paleontology reveal about evolution? Genetics? | incremental changes in lineages can be traced sequentially in the geological record though time; DNA composition is similar in animals thought to be closely related based on other lines of evidence |
| What is mutation? | spontaneous changes in DNA passed from one generation to the next through deletion, substitution, duplication, inversion, insertion, and translocation |
| What is natural selection? | differential reproductive success |
| What is gene flow? | exchange of genes between populations through migration or mating |
| What is genetic drift? | effect of random changes (i.e. death) from one generation to the next (ex. wildflowers affected by landslide where a lot of variation is eradicated) |
| What are the theories of primate origins? | arboreal theory (ability to grasp with nails revolve around truelike habitat), visual predation hypothesis (adaptations by hunting insects in arboreal environment), angiosperm coevolution hypothesis (environment/primate coevolve better suit each other) |
Created by:
rhiplay104
Popular Earth Science sets