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