Primate Phylogeny and Evolution
What traits distinguish humans from other primates?
-Bipedalism- two legs -Larger Craniums and proportionally larger brains -non-proganthous jaw -Smaller facial bones and processes -Focus more on face due to bipedalism and greater use of facial expression -ability to more easily manipulate face and jaw muscles -spoken language -written language
What are some examples of apes?
Ape species include humans, gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons, and bonobos.
What traits are used to distinguish monkeys from apes?
Apes: - lack tails -spend more time on the ground as opposed to trees - larger brains in proportion to the size of their bodies -swing across tree branches
What characteristics are used to define and classify organisms as primates?
Rotating Shoulder (Brachiation) Thumb and Big toe Stereoscopic Vision
Phylogeny
a diagram used to reflect evolutionary relationships among organisms or groups of organisms
Bipedalism
allows larger range for food gathering, you can travel much greater distances than when on all fours without rest
What are some examples of monkeys?
baboons, macaques, marmosets, tamarins, and capuchins.
Molecular Systematics
describes the use of information on the molecular level including DNA sequencing, has blossomed
Prosimians
division of primates that includes bush babies of Afrida, lemurs of Madagascar, and Irises, pottos, and tarsiers, of Southeast Asia
Autralopithecus
evolved in eastern Afrida 4 million years ago and went extinct 2 million years ago
Hylobatidae
gibbons and siamangs
Homo Sapiens Sapiens
modern anatomical human
Brachiation
movement through tree branches via suspension from the arms
Platyrrhini
new wold moneys, have broad noses
Catarrhini
old world moneys, narrow noses
Plesiadapis
oldest known primate like mammal
Primates
order of lemurs, trarsiesr, monkeys, apes, and humans
huminoids
the great apes
Stereoscopic Vision
vision that blends visual fields of the Right and Left Eyes
Sister Taxa
when two lineage stems from the same brach point
Rooted
which means there is a single ancestral taxon at the base of a phylogenetic tree to which all organisms represented in the diagram descend from
Branch Point
point where a split occurs in the tree that represents where a single lineage evolved into distinct new ones
hominin
refer to those species that evolved after this split of the primate line
Prognathic Jaws
relatively longer jaw than that of modern humans
