- ( Mammals) - Study Q's Week 5

Front 1

1. What does the following commentary by a noted evolutionary biologist refer to:
“mankind stood up first and got smart later.”

Back 1

Chronologically, Humans evolved bipedal movement 4.4 mya, then an increased brain size 2.4 mya

Front 2

2. How is estrus different than the menstrual cycle?

Back 2

Estrus is the period of “heat” for female mammals (humans excluded) that is strongly based upon the climate and seasons; i.e. when it is most advantageous to give birth.

The menstrual cycle is not based upon the climate or seasons, occurring in a 27-28 day cycle.

Front 3

4. What is meant by the latitudinal diversity gradient and where does the greatest
diversity occur?

Back 3

“The increase in species richness or biodiversity that occurs from the poles to the tropics, often referred to as the latitudinal gradient in species diversity”

Increase in species from poles to equator
“Put another way, localities at lower latitudes generally have more species than localities at higher latitudes”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latitudinal_gradients_in_species_diversity

Front 4

5. What is the greenhouse effect and what can we do about it?

Back 4

“The greenhouse effect is the process in which the emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere warms a planet's surface.”

As the atmosphere thickens with CO2 and other gases, radiation becomes trapped within the earths atmosphere, resulting in an increase in temperature.

To slow or reverse this trend, we need to lower the production of greenhouse gases by a large amount, and promote the use of cleaner energy technologies.

Front 5

6. Define the following terms: sustainable development, hominid, bipedalism,
biomagnification, ESA theory

Back 5

Sustainable development - “Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the natural environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future.”

Hominid - “A hominid is any member of the biological family Hominidae (the "great apes"), including the extinct and extant humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.”

Bipedalism - “Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs.”

Biomagnification - the increase in concentration of a substance, such as the pesticide DDT, that occurs in a food chain as a consequence of:

* Food chain energetics
* Low (or nonexistent) rate of excretion/degradation of the substance.

ESA theory - energy-stability-area theory; the theory for why species diversity is populated the way it is on the planet, with more species diversity towards the equator than toward the poles.

more solar energy, stability of climate (season-season and year to year) the larger the area and the greater the increase in species diversity

Front 6

7. What major groups of life are the most common?

Back 6

insects and flowering plants (?)

Front 7

8. What are three ways humans are negatively impacting the environment and what
are solutions to each of these challenges?

Back 7

1. Habitat Destruction/Fragmentation - Stop cutting/steamrolling the environment

2. Introduced Species - Stop introducing foreign species into an ecosystem where it doesn’t have natural predators/restraints.

3. Over exploitation - Stop taking and not giving back.

Front 8

9. Distinguish between prosimians and anthropoids with an example of each group.
Are prosimians monophyletic? Why or why not?

Back 8

Prosimians - represent forms that were ancestral to monkeys, apes and humans
Anthropoids - Old/New World monkies

Prosimians are not monophyletic because they do not share a unique last common ancestor, and anatomical traits.

Front 9

10. Support or refute the statement monkeys are a paraphyletic group? What’s wrong
with recognizing paraphyletic groups?

Back 9

Monkeys can be split into Old World and New World monkeys, and each of those can be categorized into different groups/families. Therefor monkeys are technically a paraphyletic group because they don’t all belong to one group.

Recognizing paraphyletic groups are bad because they don’t properly depict the evolutionary history of an organism/group.

Front 10

11. Does available evidence indicate that Homo florisiensis is a new dwarf human or an abnormal (diseased) modern man specimen (Homo sapiens)?

Back 10

Homo florensiensis are considered to be new dwarf humans because they are known to have evolved on an island that was isolated in Indonesia. At first they were thought to be diseased, but it is considered to be a new separate species because of all the specimens they have found at the island.

Front 11

12. Distinguish between the two hypotheses for the origin and spread of the human lineage? Which one is best supported by most evidence today?

Back 11

1) Humans were known to have evolved separately in multiple origins (Africa, Asia, Europe). EVIDENCE: Fossils.

2) Homo sapiens were said to be found from Africa 100,000 years ago and replaced the Neanderthals. Africa has a lot of proof due to the tribes showing similar genes which tells scientists Africa is the birthplace of homonids.
EVIDENCE: mtDNA phylogeny

Front 12

13. What is the current human world population?

Back 12

More than 6 billion people

Front 13

14. Which lineage of great apes is most closely related to humans?

Back 13

Old world monkeys. Chimps