ANTH 1-Physical Anthropology
Study Guide 1
Chapters 1-6


I would urge you to know the definitions of these terms and the related concepts, and be able to either: match, select, and/or use these coherently in an essay. The major learning objectives should help guide your study session.

Most of these concepts are easily found online.
I am willing to discuss any of these concepts with you via email.

Seriously stuck?
Email me! Just be sure to put "student" in the subject line!

CHAPTER1

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, the student should understand:
1. The background discoveries and ideas that led to the discovery by Charles Darwin of evolution by natural selection.
2. The role James Hutton and Charles Lyell played in the discovery of the age of the earth and the meaning of stratigraphy.
3. Why people did not immediately recognize human fossils and stone tools as the remains of prehistoric humans and their activities.
4. How natural selection changes the genetic make up of a population.
5. The multidisciplinary nature of Paleoanthropology.
6. The dating techniques used to date fossils and archaeology sites.

GLOSSARY TERMS

Absolute Dating
Antediluvian
Carbon 14 Dating
Catastrophism
Chronometric Dating
Cryptic Coloring
Evolution
Extinction
Faunal Correlation
Fission-track Dating
Fossilization
Half-life
Natural Selection
Neolithic
Optically Stimulated Luminescence
Paleoanthropology
Paleolithic
Paleomagnetism
Physical Anthropologists
Potassium-Argon Dating
Relative Dating
Stratigraphy
Thermoluminescence
Tuff
Uniformitarianism

OTHER KEY TERMS AND NAMES TO REMEMBER

Antiquarians
T. W. Buckland
Copernicus
Cultural Anthropologists
Charles Darwin
Hugh Falconer
Galileo
Goat’s Hole
Kent’s Hole
James Hutton
H. Huxley
Charles Lyell
John Lubbock
J. MacEnery
G. Mendel
Paleontologists
Boucher de Perthes
Deep Time
Bishop Ussher
A. R. Wallace

CHAPTER 2

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, the student should understand:
1. Darwin’s lack of knowledge of the mechanism of inheritance.
2. The nature of the garden pea experiments of Gregor Mendel.
3. The principles of inheritance as discovered by G. Mendel.
4. The synthetic theory of evolution.
5. The emergence of “population thinking.”
6. The workings of DNA and RNA in the production of proteins
7. The role of mutations, meiosis, genetic load, founder effect and genetic drift in the production of genetic variation.
8. The nature of the concept of a “species.”
9. The relationship of balanced polymorphisms and sickle-cell trait

GLOSSARY TERMS

Alleles
Amino Acid
Assortative Mating
Balanced Polymorphism
Blending Inheritance
Centrioles
Chiasmata
Chromatid
Chromosomes
Codon
Crossing-over
Deme
Diploid Number
Directional Natural Selection
DNA
Dominant
Ecological Niches
Exons
Founder Effect
Gametes
Gene
Gene Flow
Gene Pool
Genetic Drift
Genetic Load
Genotype
Haploid Number
Heritability
Heterozygous
Homozygous
lntrons
Locus
Mimicry
Mitochondria
mtDNA
Mutation
Nucleotides
Phenotype
Point Mutation
Population
Recessive
Ribosomes
RNA
Satellite DNA
Sickle-cell Anemia
Sex Chromosomes
Species
True Breeding

OtheR KEY TERMS AND NAMES TO REMEMBER

Down’s Syndrome (Trisomy 21)
E. Mayr
Fitness
Meiosis
J. Huxley
G. Mendel
Independent Assortment
Regulatory Genes
Klinefelter’s Syndrome
Segregation
Stabilizing Selection
Turner’s Syndrome
Structural Genes
H. De Vries
Synthetic theory

CHAPTER 3

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, the student should understand
1. The concept of sexual selection, inclusive fitness, kin selection, and bioaltruism.
2. The relationship between inbreeding, outbreeding and incest taboos.
3. Cladogenesis as a model of speciation that increases the diversity of life forms through branching evolution.
4. Extinction as a matter of bad luck.
5. The relationship between skin color, ultraviolet radiation, and vitamin D.
6. Allen and Bergmann rules of human body build.
7. The complex association between ABO blood groups and human disease.
8. The Hardy-Weinberg theorem.
9. Why it is that anthropologists reject the notion of biological races of humans.

GLOSSARY TERMS

Agglutination
Allopatric Speciation
Anagenesis
Antibody
Antigens
Bioaltruism
Cladogenesis
Ethnic Groups
Epicanthic Fold
Extinction
Fitness
Gradualism
Hardy-Weinberg theorem
Hybrid Speciation
Inbreeding
Inclusive Fitness
IQ Tests
Kin Selection
Multivariate Analysis
Outbreeding
Parapatric Speciation
Phyletic Transformation
Races
Racisms
Serum
Sexual Selection
Speciation
Sympatric Speciation
Xenophobia

OtheR KEY TERMS AND NAMES TO REMEMBER

Allen’s Rule
Malaria
Bergmann’s Rule
Phenylketonuria
Blood Groups
Platelets
Blood Plasma
Red Blood Cells
J.F. Blumenbach
Rickets
C. Coon
Tay-Sachs Disease
W.D. Hamilton
Thalassemia
HIV
UV Radiation
Khoisan
Vitamin D
R.C. Lewontin
White Blood Cells

CHAPTER 4

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, the student should understand:
1. The taxonomy system developed by Linnaeus.
2. The three methods of classification, phenetic, phylogenetic and cladistic.
3. The pattern of the classification of the order primates
4. The arboreal and visual predation theories as explanations for the derived traits of primates.
5. The unique combination of the traits of the family Hominidae.
6. The traits that distinguish primate communications systems from human language and speech.

GLOSSARY TERMS

Arboreal theory
Bilophodonty
Bipedalism
Brachiation
Catarrhines
Cerebral Cortex
Clade
Cladistic Classification
Cortex
Culture
Diastema
Diurnal
Encephalization Quotient
Fovea
Frenulum
Generalized Limbs
Grades
Heterodont
Hominids
Hominoidea
Homo sapiens
Language
Limbic System
Linnaean Classification
Morphology
Neurons
New World Monkeys
Nocturnal
Old World Monkeys
Opposable thumb
Orbit
Phenetic Classification
Phylogenetic Classification
Platyrrhines
Precision Grip
Prehensile
Primates
Prosimians
Protoculture
Postcranial Skeleton
Postorbital Bar
Taxon
Power Grip
Taxonomy
Quadrupedal
Toothcomb
Rhinarium
Vibrissae
Savanna
Visual Predation theory
Sister Groups
Y-5 Pattern
Stereoscopic Vision

CHAPTER 5

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, the student should understand:
1. The major features of primate behavior as a means to interpret the fossil record.
2. The role of dominance hierarchies and female based kin groups in producing stability within a social community.
3. The research of the socioecologists in delineating the resources and environmental factors that influence primate social groupings.
4. The basic principles of primate sexual behaviors and mating patterns.
5. The species variation in manner in which adults relate to infants.

GLOSSARY TERMS

Allomothering
Attractiveness
Consortship
Core Area
Dominance Hierarchy
Estrus
Estrus Cycle
Fission-fusion Community
Grooming
Harem Polygyny
Home Range
Matrilineal Kinship
Menstrual Cycle
Monogyny
Nulliparous
Opportunistic Mating
Polygyny
Proceptivity
Promiscuous
Socioecology
Receptivity
Socialization
Reciprocal Altruism
Territory
Sexual Dimorphism
Sex Swellings

NAMES TO REMEMBER

C.R. Carpenter
S. Zuckerman
R. Yerkes

CHAPTER 6

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, the student should understand:
1. The origin of the order Primates.
2. The evolution of the Anthropoidea during Oligocene.
3. The adaptive radiation and extinction of the Hominoidea during the Miocene.
4. Major features of the behavior of gibbons, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos.
5. The anatomical differences between the great apes and humans.
6. The significance of the difference between the dental apes and the suspensory apes.

GLOSSARY TERMS

Adapidae
Aegyptopithecus
Algeripithecus
Altiatlasius
Amphipithecus
Bonobo
Branisella
Catopithecus
Continental Drift
Dental Ape
Dryopithecus
Eocene
Eosimias
Fusion-Fission Community
gluteus medius
gluteus minimus
Hamstrings
Iliac Blade
Iliofemoral
Infanticide
Ischium
Kenyapithecus
Lumbar Curve
Miocene
Monomorphic
Morotopithecus
Oligocene
Omomyidae
Oreopithecus
Paleocene
Pliocene
Pondaungia
Proconsul
Sacrum
Ligament
Sciatic Notch
Siamopithecus
Sivapithecus

OtheR KEY TERMS

Apidium
Australopithecus
Bipedalism
Dendrogram
Gondwanaland
Gigantopithecus
Laurasia
Molecular Clock
Suspensory Ape
Szalatavus
Victoriapithecinae
Oligopithecines
Orthograde Locomotion
Otavipithecus
Pangaea II
Platyrrhines
Pronograde Locomotion
Propliopithecus

Now, if you have used this Study Guide, you have a *very* good understanding of the basic technical terms used in physical anthropology. To further stimulate your mind and develop critical thinking skills, I present the following topics which I feel (quite strongly in some cases) will enrich your understanding of anthropology. You should be familiar with these concepts.

    Human Blood- ABO and Rh as Mendelian Traits
    Sickle-Cell Anemia (or Tay-Sachs) and the Heterozygote Advantage
    Natural Selection/Sexual Selection/Artificial Selection-Darwin's theory
    A Comparison and Contrast of Mitosis/Meiosis
    Alleles, Genes, and Protein Synthesis
    The Geologic Time Scale-A Paradigm of Time
    Primate Culture and Models of Early Hominid Evolution
    Non-Human Primate Language
    The Hardy-Weinberg Principle-the Four Forces in Evolution
    Mendel and His Peas- Powerful Punnett Squares

You are encouraged to research these topics from a variety of reputable reference sources (dictionaries, encyclopedias, books, journals, and *good* websites [Dr.Crackpot.com is *not* a reputable source, but links provided by the American Association of Physical Anthropology *probably* are]). You may use your text, but I strongly suggest you add additional research.

Be prepared to write a well-developed essay on any of the above topics. In evaluating student’s work, I especially check for use of terms, grammar, and evidence of critical thought. Correct usage of terminology is critical (be very careful with singular and plural usage of terms! Be very careful with your treatment of genus and species!!).

Questions?  Comments?    email me!