Exam 10: Early Hominins and Australopithecus

In eastern Africa fossil finds are often dated using __________ dating techniques,while in southern Africa fossils are usually dated using __________ techniques.

If the last common ancestor of chimpanzees and hominins was not a knucklewalker,knucklewalking developed before hominins existed.

Robust australopithecines exhibit a group of adaptations that indicate they were specialized for __________.

Provide an overview of australopithecine physiology as represented by A.afarensis.What does this physiology reveal about the environment in which early hominins lived and how they adapted to their surroundings?

While the femur of a quadruped is straight,the femur of a biped is __________.

The cranial capacity range for Australopithecus afarensis is__________.

The earliest definite biped currently known is __________.

One potential problem with the Lovejoy model is that __________.

Fossil hominins can be recognized by __________.

The footprints at Laetoli were made by__________.

Outline the known characteristics of Sahelanthropus tchadensis,Orrorin tugenensis,and Ardipithecus ramidus including locations and dates.Which of these is considered the best candidate as the ancestor of hominins? Why is there still disagreement over the ancestry of hominins?

Compare and contrast the dentition of hominoids and humans.In what ways does the dentition of early hominins show the transition between the two?

The other animals at Au.africanus sites suggest that these hominins were living in __________.

With respect to cranial capacity and dentition Australopithecus afarensis may be considered __________.

Bipedal walking is more energy efficient __________.

One change necessary to the vertebral column for bipeds is __________.

Discuss tool use among early hominins.What types of tools may have been used? When do stone tools appear and what might this mean? How might tool use have impacted hominin intelligence?

Most hominin fossil finds have come from the Afar Triangle in east Africa or southern Africa.What conditions led to the preservation of so many fossils in these two areas? How have these conditions led to differences in dating techniques and information known about the hominins represented by these fossils?

Summarize energetic efficiency scenarios for the evolution of bipedalism.What are some advantages and disadvantages of these scenarios?

The high degree of sexual dimorphism in A.afarensis suggests __________.