Study Guide Midterm II

Biological Anthropology

Fossils

Taphonomy

Conditions that increase and decrease fossilization

Factors that influence the fossil record (sampling error, $, interests of paleoanthro., etc)

Preservation potential depends on?

Process of fossilization handout

What info. can we learn from fossils?

Paleoanthropology, paleoecology, geology, archaeology

Primary context

Secondary context

Relative dating techniques

-Piltdown Hoax

Chronometric/Absolute dating techniques

Paleomagnetism

Biostratigraphy

Miocene Hominoids

-Dates for early, middle and late Miocene

-dental apes

-“Golden Age of Hominoids”

Proconsul (Early Miocene)

-Shape of dental arcade?

-Thin or thick enamel?

-Postcranial anatomy generalized or specialized?

Sivapithecus (Late Miocene)

-Diet

-Locomotion

-Close evolutionary link to which modern-day great ape?

Gigantopithecus (Late Miocene)

-Height and weight

-“Dragon’s teeth”

-Diet

-Did they survive the Late Miocene?

Changes during the Middle Miocene

Adaptive Radiation

Generalized and Specialized Characteristics

Modes of Evolutionary Change

Gradualism vs. Punctuated Equilibrium

Mosaic Evolution

Experimental Archaeology

Habitual and obligate refers to what?

Know the anatomical differences between humans and great apes in regards to bipedal locomotion.

Know the “walking on two legs” handout

Early hominid evidence for bipedal locomotion

Hypotheses regarding bipedal locomotion

Paleospecies

What does cranial capacity measure?

Brain size is correlated with?

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

-Est. age, common name, is this a biped?

Orrorin tugenensis

-common name, est. age, molar size, is this more closely related to Australopithecines or Homo sapiens?

Ardipithecus ramidus

-est. age, most primitive hominid, environment.

Early classification of Australopithecus

Australopithecus anamensis

-est. age, postcranial skeleton, cranial region, good precursor to?

Australopithecus afarensis

-est. age, location, Lucy (est. age, arboreal climber, height, weight, age),

c.c., sexual dimorphism

Australopithecus africanus

-est. age, location, Taung Child, (est. age, age at time of death, c.c.)

Australopithecus aethiopicus

-Black skull, est. age, c.c., robust features, link between A. afarensis and?

Australopithecus garhi

-est. age, characteristics that were different from other hominids of this time period? stone tool use? Ideal fossil link to Homo.

Australopithecus boisei

-est. age, location, Zinj (est. age,), robust characteristics, c.c., molar size, diet, sad, why extinct?

Australopithecus robustus

-est. age, location, problems with dating South African finds, robust features, c.c, sexual dimorphism, bone tool use.

Homo habilis

-est. age, Oldowan tools, what are the differences between H. habilis and

Australopithecines?

Homo rudolfensis

-est. age, c.c., anatomical differences when compared to H. habilis.

Homo erectus

-est. age, locations, c.c., body size, cranial shape, shovel-shaped incisors, cannibalism

Homo ergaster

-Nariokotome/Turkana Boy, est. age, location, c.c, fossil evidence, capable of language?

Acheulian hand axe

Diet of H. erectus

Homo georgicus

-Dmanisi mandible, est. age, c.c., height, Which questions does it raise?

Homo heidelbergensis

-est. age, Rhodesian Man/Broken Hill, c.c., supraorbital tori, disease, morphological changes when compared with H. erectus., relationship to H. sapiens and Neandertals, Levallois technique, wooden spear, settlement, diet.

Questions from the video

A control of fire

Population trends

Man the hunter, woman the gatherer?

The exam will cover the following chapters: 9, 10, 11, 12 (pages 330-341).

The test will have 50 multiple choice questions worth two points each.

Please bring a number 2 pencil and a half-page, “green” scantron to class on test day.

Refer to syllabus for midterm II test date.

Note: Items in italics (not referring to genera and species) can be found in your textbook.