Anth 151L—Final Exam Review
Labs 8-13.
Monday May 2, 2011 8-9am.
Lab 8—Primates: behavior
Terms
Reproductive success: gauges natural selection through the number of offspring left by the individual and the individual’s children and grandchildren. Definition: a measure of the proportion of one’s genes making up the next generation.
Anthropomorphism: view that humans are the most important organism in existence, occurs when we consciously or unconsciously give animals human motives, emotions, and/or intentions.
Concepts
Primate social behavior
Complex social behavior includes competition for mates; access to food; reinforce social bonds; rearing offspring, and learning. Their goal though is to maximize reproductive success. Social animals, some live in large groups (100+) individuals. Distinct feature: males and females usually associate with each other throughout the year.
Exercises
1.) Taxonomy. Know the common name, scientific name, and distribution for the following species at the ABQ zoo: chimpanzee, orangutan, gorilla.
True or false: orangutans, siamangs, chimpanzees, gorillas are all apes. T
True or false: Apes have relatively long arms, no tails, and heavy bodies. T
True or false: most apes are omnivores who eat fruit, vegetables, and occasionally meat. T
2.) Facial identification. What is it? Why is it used? What features are used to distinguish individual primates from each other? What is facial identification? Method used by primatologists for identifying individual animals when making observations and collecting data in the field. What unique features can be used to distinguish individual primates? Size, morphology, hair/skin color, hair length, facial hair, growth patterns, and scars.
3.) Scan sampling. In general, what do primatologists study? Primatologists observe social behavior of non-human primates to better understand their ecology, anatomy, movements, and social organization. What are the main differences between primates living in captivity and those living in the wild? The behavior of captive animals may be affected by their environment, and certain behavioral patterns may be influenced by this.
Lab 9—Paleoanthropology: bipedalism
Terms
Hominin: humans and our direct ancestors. Bipedal locomotion is the key shared, derived hominin feature.
Bipedalism: habitual walking upright on two legs.
Orthognathic: flat face, tucked under the front of the brain case.
Foramen magnum: the opening for the spinal cord at the base of the cranium.
Grip: power grip (when using a hammer) vs. precision grip (when using a pencil).
Lumbar lordosis: forward facing lumbar curvature.
Thoracic kyphosis: posterior curvature in the thoracic region.
Adducted (aligned with the other digits) vs. abducted (divergent and opposable).
Concepts
General trends in hominin evolution compared to apes: (1) inceased brain size; (2) decreased face size; (3) bipedalism; (4) reduced teeth size, esp. canines; (5) reduced sexual dimorphism; and (6) life history traits.
Why is it useful for anthropologists to study chimpanzees?
What are the major differences between humans (Homo sapiens) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)?
Cranial traits: humans have a greatly increased brain size and reduced dentition relative to body size. Humans have small canines and reduced canine sexual dimorphism. Overall, human teeth are small with thick enamel compared to African apes. Human chewing muscles are greatly reduced. Increased cranial capacity and decreased dentition in humans results in small orthognathic faces. Variation exists in the position of the foramen magnum between humans and chimps. In humans, it is centered on the cranial base and opens downward. In chimps, it is located posteriorly and opens down and back.
Post-cranial traits: humans have several unique post-cranial traits associated with bipedalism.
1.) absence of body hair
2.) presence of sweat glands
3.) hand: humans have short metacarpals with a long thumb allowing for power and precision grip.
4.) anterior foramen magnum: allows us to hold our head erect over the center of our body.
5.) curved spinal column: humans have a characteristic s-shaped vertebral column which curves forward in the lumbar region, and posteriorly in the thoracic region.
6.) short & broad pelvis: humans pelvis is vertically short and horizontally broad with iliac blades facing laterally. Know how many vertebrae humans and chimps have, as well as the three different types of vertebrae.
7.) angled femur: humans have relatively long legs and shorter arms. Human femur is angled towards the center from the hip to the knee.
8.) foot: double arched with adducted big toe: what is the function of human foot? We use our feet as a rigid platform for propulsion and supporting body weight. Our bog toe is robust and adducted rather than abducted. We have short toes with little grasping strength compared to chimps. We also have a double arch on our sole which acts as a shock absorber and natural spring.
2.) presence of sweat glands
3.) hand: humans have short metacarpals with a long thumb allowing for power and precision grip.
4.) anterior foramen magnum: allows us to hold our head erect over the center of our body.
5.) curved spinal column: humans have a characteristic s-shaped vertebral column which curves forward in the lumbar region, and posteriorly in the thoracic region.
6.) short & broad pelvis: humans pelvis is vertically short and horizontally broad with iliac blades facing laterally. Know how many vertebrae humans and chimps have, as well as the three different types of vertebrae.
7.) angled femur: humans have relatively long legs and shorter arms. Human femur is angled towards the center from the hip to the knee.
8.) foot: double arched with adducted big toe: what is the function of human foot? We use our feet as a rigid platform for propulsion and supporting body weight. Our bog toe is robust and adducted rather than abducted. We have short toes with little grasping strength compared to chimps. We also have a double arch on our sole which acts as a shock absorber and natural spring.
Essay: Based on post-cranial features, what type of locomotion was most likely used by A. afarensis (“Lucy”)? Support your answer with the traits we have studied in class.
Lab 10—Paleoanthropology (australopithecines & early Homo)
Know the following information for each species we examined in lab: average cranial capacity; timeframe; location; and the most significant cranial traits.
Species
Gracile australopithecines (A. africanus & A. afarensis).
Robust australopithecines (P. aethiopicus, P. robustus, & P. boisei).
Early Homo (H. habilis, H. rudolfensis).
Middle & later Homo (H. erectus, H. heidelbergensis, H. neanderthalensis, H. floresiensis, &H. sapiens).
Terms
Occipital bun: projecting bulge on the occipital bone (Neanderthals).
Retromolar gap: space between 3rd molar and ascending ramus of mandible (Neanderthals).
Taurodont teeth: enlarged pulp cavity and fused roots (Neanderthals).
Stone-tool technology:
Oldowan associated with H. habilis
Acheulian associated with H. erectus & H. heidelbergensis
Mousterian associated with H. heidelbergensis & H. neanderthalensis
Which type is the most sophisticated? Least sophisticated? And why?
What are some characteristics used to determine chimps from gracile australopiths?
List some characteristics that differ between gracil and robust australopiths. Enlarged molars, flared zygomatics, sagittal crest present in robust species.
Are there any differences between habilis and rudolfensis? Or are they really the same species? List differences that can distinguish habilis/rudolfensis from both gracile and robust australopiths.
Lab 11—Paleoanthropology: later Homo & modern humans
Be able to describe (write clearly) the two main models for the origins and evolution of modern humans. You should also be able to explain these two hypotheses in detail and their predictions. See the website below if you need to review the details:
Know the cranial differences between erectus, Neanderthals, and humans. Hint: review traits such as cranial capacity, size, and shape; dentition, prognathsim, chin, etc (see p.99-101 in Lab Manual).
List cranial differences between Neanderthals and modern humans.
What two features are shared among erectus and heidelbergensis?
List 3 features that Neanderthals have but AMH do not have.
Despite the overall size, does H. floresiensis share any features with any other species?
Lab 12—Variation: stature & race
How is physical variation apportioned within and between human groups?
Be able to measure a femur with an osteometric board and use the formula for estimating height (in centimeters). You don’t have to memorize the formula, it will be given!
Formula: 2.38 x (femur length) + 61.41 = STATURE ± 3.27.
What does the ± indicate in this formula? Uncertainty of the estimate due to measurement error. It provides a range of the person’s height, not an exact value.
Be able to calculate an average (See p.108 in Lab Manual for a review). For example, for height of ANTH 151 students in this lab, add up all of the measurements for height, and divide by the total number of students.
Are there differences between males and females? Was there any sexual dimorphism in the measurements you took?
Be able to answer the first 3 questions on p.111 (of Lab Manual).
On average, how much genetic variation falls within and between individuals? 85%, 15%, respectively.
Which continent harbors the most genetic diversity?
Lab 13—Variation: forensic anthropology
Terms
Epiphyses: the separated ends of long bones (the rounded ends of long bones).
Diaphysis: the shaft of a long bone.
Metaphyses: the ends of the diaphyses where growth takes place.
Deciduous vs permanent teeth?
What is the main task of the forensic anthropologist? Identify individuals from various types of human remains. Attain the maximum amount of information from whatever remains are present: fragments, isolated bones, teeth, etc.
What information do forensic anthropologists (osteologists) generally look for? Age-at-death, sex, stature, race (ancestry), pathology (trauma), location of death, and taphonomy. Also attempt to determine cause and time of death, but this is and usually the role of the pathologist during an autopsy.
Sex
You have a 50-50 chance of guessing correctly, so we need to be more accurate. What is the best indicator of sex in the human skeleton? The pelvis (os coxae) has 5 specific features that are generally used: (1) greater sciatic notch; (2) preauricular sulcus; (3) ventral arc; (4) subpubic concavity; and (5) ischiopubic ramus ridge. Sacrum?
Second best indicator of skeletal sex is the skull. Five characteristics are typically used: (1) nuchal crest; (2) mastoid process; (3) supra-orbital margin; (4) supra-orbital ridge (glabella); and (5) mental eminence (chin).
Both pelvis and skull features should be scored on a scale ranging from 0 (absent) 1 (feminine) -5 (masculine).
Age
Many different methods used that vary in accuracy.
Sub-adult age estimation:
Long bone length (infants and juveniles) without their epiphyses provides rough estimate. Good for estimating general age range in young individual, but due to population variation in growth rates, it is less precise.
Dental eruption: most reliable way to age infants and children. Teeth form and erupt according to patterns that have been carefully documented. Teeth begin to form in utero. Then, deciduous teeth normally erupt ~6 months of age. After 24 months (2 years), most deciduous teeth have erupted. From 6-12 years old, deciduous teeth are gradually replaced by permanent adult teeth. 3rd molars are last to erupt between 15-21 years old (See dental eruption chart on p.118 for more details).
Epiphyseal union: progresses in a known order, usually during adolescence, although this varies. It is possible to determine the degree of epiphyseal closure to estimate age for older children with good accuracy.
Adult age estimation:
Cranial suture closure—unfused and clearly visible in young people. As people age, adjacent bone of the cranium unite until suture line eventually disappear in older people. Assess the degree of closure for all cranial sutures, this will provide a very broad age estimation. Not reliable when used alone, better to use with several other age estimation methods.
Pubic symphysis: best studied and most reliable method. Involves progression of changes occurring in the pubic symphysis. Different for males and females. In general, symphysis progresses from youthful (ridges and fullows), to smooth surface and development out outer rim, to overall deterioration in old age.
Auricular surface (ilium): ear-shaped feature that joins sacrum to pelvis through the sacroiliac joint. This surface undergoes several known changes that progress in older age. But changes may also be associated with activity patterns of individuals and degenerative conditions.
Rib ends: sternal ends of true ribs (1-7) follow progression of changes in adulthood. Can provide the best estimate of age when using 4th rib end, although other ribs will work.
Race
Also called ancestry, or population affiliation. Most physical characteristics of humans follow a continuum with no clearly distinct among populations (ie. skin color and hair form). However, some facial features of the skull can be used to help estimate ancestry into the following groups: African; European; Australian; Asian; and Native American. Some commonly used features include: shape of central incisors; cranium; nasal apertur; nasal root; size and degree of zygomatic projection; shape of external auditory meatus; and shape and degree of projection of lower face, and measurements of certain features of long bones.
Pathology
Perimortem—around the time of death is most important. But also look at antemortem (before the time of death) pathology vs post-mortem (after the time of death). Antemortem pathology—conditions that occurred during life that leave a signature on the skeleton (surgical intervention, broken bones with signs of healed fractures, signs of chronic disease, etc). Dental remains are often well preserved, look for any abnormal features such as dental caries (cavities), abscesses, tooth loss, fillings, etc which may be compared to dental records.
For additional information: http://www.forensicanthro.com/resources.html
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