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Human Evolution Midterm 2
Cards for midterm two
57
Anthropology
Undergraduate 1
04/05/2008

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Cards

Term
Adaptability
Definition
When the phenotype of an organism reflects positive changes that arise in the context of short or long-term exposure to a set of environmental conditions.
Term
Acclimatization
Definition
process of very short-term changes in physiology that occur in response to changes in environmental conditions -- Altitude and temperature changes
Term
Bergman’s Rule
Definition
states that body size is larger in colder climates to conserve body temperature
Term
Allen's Rule
Definition
States that in warmer climates, the limbs of the body are longer relative to the body to dissipate heat
Term
Melanin
Definition
Dark pigment produced by melanocytes in the epidermis which is the most important component of skin color
Term
Stratigraphy
Definition
Study of distribution of layers of rock and their sequences to determine the age of fossils
Term
Geologic Time Scale
Definition
The categories of time into which Earth's history is usually divided by geologists and paleontologists: eons, eras, periods, epochs
Term
Providence
Definition
Precise location from which a fossil comes
Term
Relative Dating Techniques
Definition
Used to establish the age of a fossil only in comparison to other materials found above and below it
Term
Lithostratigraphy
Definition
Study of geologic deposits and their formation, stratigraphy, relationships, and relative relationships based on their rock properties
Term
Tephrostratigraphy
Definition
Identification of a volcanic ash by its chemical fingerprint of major, minor, and trace elements
Term
Biostratigraphy
Definition
Uses comparison of fossils from different stratigraphic sequences to estimate which layers are older and which are younger
Term
Calibrated Relative Dating Techniques
Definition
Techniques that can be correlated to an absolute chronology
Term
Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale
Definition
Time scale at which the Earth's magnetic field switched
Term
Paleomagnetism
Definition
Magnetic polarity recorded in ancient sediments that allow for easier dating
Term
Chronometric Dating Techniques
Definition
Techniques that estimate the age of an object in absolute terms through the use of a natural clock such as radioactive decay or tree ring growth
Term
Radiometric dating
Definition
Chronometric dating technique that uses radioactive decay of isotopes to estimate age
Term
Potassium-Argon dating
Definition
Radiometric technique that uses the decay of K to Ar in potassium-bearing rocks to determine the age of the sediment
Term
Fission Track Dating
Definition
Dates noncrystalline materials using the decay of 238 UR and counting the tracks that are produced by this fission
Term
Uranium Series Techniques
Definition
Uses decay of uranium to estimate the age for calcium carbonates such as shells, flowstones, and teeth
Term
Radiocarbon Dating
Definition
uses the decay of Carbon !$ in organic remains such as wood an bone to estimate the time since the death of the organism
Term
Pesiadapiforms
Definition
Mammalian order or suborder of mammals that may be ancestral to later primates, characterized by some but not all of the primate trends
Term
Adapoids
Definition
Family of mostly Eocene primates, probably ancestral to all strepsirhines
Term
Omomyoids
Definition
Eocene primates that had recently diverged from the Adapoids and may have given rise to the common ancestor of Tarsiers and anthropoids
Term
Dental Apes
Definition
Early apes exhibiting Y-5 molar pattern by monkey-like postcranial skeletons
Term
R-selected Reproduction
Definition
Reproductive strategy in which females have many offspring, interbirth intervals are short, and maternal investment per offspring is low
Term
K-selected Reproduction
Definition
Reproductive strategy in which fewer offspring are produced per female, interbirth intervals are long, and maternal investment is high
Term
Molecular Clock
Definition
Systematic accumulation of genetic differences through time that, if measured, could be used to estimate the amount of time since the two groups shared a LCA
Term
Vertebral Column
Definition
The spine. Made up of Neck (cervical), Thorax (thoracic), Lower back (lumbar), Pelvic (sacrum, coccyx)
Term
Foramen Magnum
Definition
The hole in the skull through which the spinal cord comes
Term
Nuchal Plane
Definition
Flattened bony area of the occipital posterior to the foramen magnum to which muscles attach
Term
Gluteal Muscles
Definition
Attached to the ilium and are rotated around to the front and side of a biped's leg to allow us to walk
Term
Technical Intelligence
Definition
Ability of some nonhuman primates to use cognitive skills to extract food and other resources from their natural environment by modifying the environment --Tool use
Term
Ecological Intelligence
Definition
Intelligence and brain size increase theorized as a result of benefits of navigating and foraging in a complex tropical forest ecosystem. Frugivores especially must know where good trees are, how and when the trees bear fruit, and how to get back to them
Term
Social Intelligence
Definition
Hominid intelligence and brain size increase theorized as a result of benefits of being politically or socially clever when living with others; sometimes called Machiavellian intelligence -- Remembering alliances, hierarchies, rivals, and debts
Term
Theory of mind
Definition
The ability to place oneself in the mind of others (allows us to lie)
Term
Characteristics of Hominins
Definition
Bipedality; Rounded, parabolic tooth rows; Small canines; Lesser facial prognathism; heterodont teeth; thicker enamel; big brains
Term
Homodont
Definition
teeth that all look the same
Term
Heterodont
Definition
Teeth that are different, each with a different function
Term
CP3, sectorial premolar
Definition
Combination of canine and premolar on the lower row that serve as a tooth sharpener for the canines.
Term
Baldwin Effect
Definition
A means by which learned behaviors acquired during a lifetime can influence genetic evolution indirectly, by changing the selection pressure acting upon their descendents
Term
Polymorphism
Definition
genetic trait governed by a locus with one or more alleles
Term
Balanced Polymorphism
Definition
Maintenance of two or more alleles in a population due to the selective fitness of the heterozygote
Term
Prokaryotes
Definition
Non-nucleated cells without a cytoskeleton or an internal membrane
Term
Eukaryotes
Definition
Nucleated cells
Term
Failed Rift
Definition
An arm of a rift that is shorter or shallower than the other arms
Term
Glaciation
Definition
Modern system of glacial and interglacials beginning roughly 2.4 mya
Term
Absolute Dating
Definition
Determining the specific age of an object, stratum, or site
Term
Relative dating
Definition
determining where an object, stratum, or site fits into a sequence
Term
Instantaneous Sampling
Definition
Observing behaviors for one "instant" within a given time interval
Term
Ethogram
Definition
list of behavior patterns for a given species
Term
Presence/Absence sampling
Definition
Record each and every behavior of the focal animal within a given time interval
Term
Continuous Sampling
Definition
Record a time change between when an animal stops and starts different behaviors
Term
Enamel
Definition
hard, white exterior shell of the tooth
Term
Dentine
Definition
Soft, interior of the tooth
Term
Occlussal surface
Definition
where the teeth come together
Term
Bunodont
Definition
Low-crowned teeth with thick enamel for grinding and crushing
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