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18 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Polymorphism |
When two or more distinct phenotypes are present in a population |
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Plasticity |
The ability of individuals to biologically and physiologically respond to changes in the environment |
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Essentialism |
The idea that human races are unchanging and can be described by a finite list of characteristics |
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Clinal |
When a trait varies continuously across geographic space
Skin color is clinal – human skin color varies geographically (distance from the equator) |
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Brachiation |
The form of locomotion that involves hanging and swinging from the arms. |
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Characteristics of developmental acclimatization to high altitude (5)
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Larger lung volumes
Higher red blood cell counts (hemoglobin) Increased oxygen carrying capacity of the blood Enlarged right ventricle of the heart Lower blood pressure |
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Shared anatomical characteristics of primates (7)
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Generalized body plan (allows for versatility)
Quadrupedal locomotion (allows movement through trees or on ground) Grasping hands with opposable thumbs (allows grasping) Flattened nails (easier manipulation of objects) Forward facing eyes with stereoscopic vision (allows excellent depth perception) Enclosed bony eye orbits (protects eyes) Generalized dentition (allows diverse diet) |
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Shared characteristics of apes |
Increased brain volume compared to other primates
Even more extended ontogeny
Increased complexity of social interactions
Large body size
No tail
Endangered |
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Distinguishing characteristics of Orangutans |
Extreme sexual dimorphism
Relatively solitary compared to other apes
Live in rain forests
Slow reproduction |
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Distinguishing characteristics of Gorillas (5)
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The largest primates, weighing over 400 pounds
Live in equatorial Africa High genetic diversity High sexual dimorphism – males 50% larger than females Highly cohesive social groups |
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Distinguishing characteristics of Chimps (5)
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Chimps are more closely related to humans than to gorillas
Live in equatorial Africa Low sexual dimorphism Unstable multi-male, multi-female social groups Eat and hunt meat |
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Distinguishing characteristics of Bonobos (3)
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Slender build
Low sexual dimorphism Highly sexual behavior, used for social bonding |
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What determines variation in human skin color? |
Geography – because of sunlight intensity
Strong UV/sunlight (near equator) selects for dark skin to protect against cancer and sunburn
Strong UV/sunlight (near equator) selects for dark skin to protect against cellular folate destruction
Weak UV/sunlight (far from equator) selects for light skin to allow for cellular vitamin D synthesis |
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What is “race”? |
A worldview; an ideology used in the exercise of discrimination and control; a human social construction |
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What is “race” not? |
A biological or genetic reality
Human “race” groups are not biologically or genetically distinct from one another
Skin color does not group neatly into race categories (because it is clinal)
Human genetic variation (diversity) is largely shared within so-called races, rather than distinguishing between them |
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Why did lactose tolerance evolve in some human populations? |
Most adult mammals are lactose intolerant because they only drink milk in infancy; they no longer need to waste energy producing the lactase enzyme as adults
But in human populations that developed a dairying culture, milk consumption became a staple part of the adult diet, so those with the ability to continue to produce lactase had a selective advantage |
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What is the paradox of sociality? |
Living in groups has up-side and down-sides
Can forage more food as a group, but then must compete for it
Can have greater access to potential mates in a group, but must compete for them
Living in a group offers greater protection from predators, but also draws attention of predators because large groups have many potential targets |
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Allen-Bergmann Rule |
populations and species of larger size are found in colder environments, and species of smaller size are found in warmer regions. |
