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Vertebrates 2
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Birds Birds (class Aves) are the most diverse of all terrestrial vertebrates -28 orders, 166 families, about 8600 species Arose about 150 MYA; Archaeopteryx
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Birds Birds still retain many reptilian and dinosaur traits -Amniotic eggs and scales on legs; skeletal elements, DNA Two major traits distinguish them, however from dinosaurs: 1. Feathers -Provide lift for flight and conserve heat 2. Flight skeleton -Bones are thin and hollow -Many are fused (collarbone and keeled breastbone) 3. Physiological adaptations—efficient respiratory system.
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History of Birds Most paleontologists agree that birds are the direct descendants of theropod dinosaurs Archaeopteryx is the first known bird -Had skull with teeth -Feathers on wings and tail -Forelimbs nearly identical to those of theropods The most ancient living birds appear to be the flightless birds, such as ostrichs The largest of the bird orders, Passeriformes, appears to have evolved the latest Many adaptations enabled birds to cope with the heavy energy demands of flight
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History of Birds 1. Efficient respiration -Air passes all the way through lungs in a single direction 2. Efficient circulation -Muscles receive fully oxygenated blood -Rapid heartbeat 3. Endothermy -Body temperature (40-42 o C) permits higher metabolic rate
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Mammals There are about 4500 species of mammals (class Mammalia) -Lowest number among 5 vertebrate classes
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Mammals Mammals differ from other vertebrates in two fundamental traits: 1. Hair -Long, keratin-rich filaments that extend from hair follicles -Insulation, camouflage, sensory structure 2. Mammary glands -Females possess mammary glands that secrete milk
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Mammals Other notable features of mammals include: -Endothermy -Depends on more efficient: -Circulation – Four-chambered heart -Respiration – Diaphragm -Placenta -Specialized organ that brings fetal and maternal blood into close contact
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Mammals
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The mammalian lineage also gave rise to several adaptations in some groups: 1. Specialized teeth -Different types of teeth are highly specialized to match particular eating habits
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Mammals 2. Digestion of plants -Herbivorous mammals rely on mutualistic partnerships with bacteria for cellulose breakdown 3. Development of hooves and horns -Hooves are specialized keratin pads -Horns are bone surrounded by keratin -Antlers are made of bone, not keratin
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Mammals 4. Flying mammals: Bats -Bat wing is a leathery membrane of skin and muscle stretched over 4 finger bones -Bats navigate in the dark by echolocation
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History of Mammals Fossil record shows that mammals evolved from therapsids about 220 MYA -First mammals were tiny, shrewlike, insect-eating, tree-dwelling creatures -May have been nocturnal maximum diversity Tertiary period Mammals reached their maximum diversity in the Tertiary period (65-2 MYA) The last 15 million years saw a decline in the total number of mammalian species
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The Two Subclasses of Mammals Prototheria (most primitive) -Lay shelled eggs, oviparous -One living group -Monotremes Theria -Viviparous: Young are born alive -Two living groups -Marsupials and placental mammals
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Monotremes: Egg-laying Mammals Only three living monotremes: -Duck-billed platypus -Echidna -Have single opening, cloaca for digestive and reproductive tracts
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Marsupials: Pouched Mammals Egg has chorion and amnion, but no shell Embryo is nourished by abundant yolk -After birth, it crawls into marsupial pouch -Latches onto nipple & continues to develop Examples: -Kangaroo -Opossum
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Placental Mammals Produce a true placenta that nourishes embryo throughout its development -Forms from both fetal and maternal tissue Includes most living mammals
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Evolution of Primates Primates are the mammals that gave rise to our own species -They evolved two features that allowed them to succeed in an arboreal environment 1. Grasping fingers and toes -First digit is opposable 2. Binocular vision -Eyes are shifted toward the front of the face
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Evolution of Primates About 40 MYA, the earliest primates split into two groups: prosimians and anthropoids Prosimians -Most are nocturnal -Only a few survive: -Lemurs, lorises and tarsiers
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Evolution of Primates Anthropoids are diurnal -Include monkeys, apes and humans Almost 30 MYA, some anthropoids migrated to South America -Descendants called New World monkeys -All are arboreal -Grasp objects with long, prehensile tails
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Evolution of Primates Anthropoids that remained in Africa gave rise to two lineages -Old World monkeys -Ground-dwelling or arboreal -None have prehensile tails -Hominoids -Apes and humans -Have larger brains than monkeys and lack tails
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Evolution of Primates The taxonomic group “apes” is paraphyletic -Living apes consist of gibbons, orangutans, gorillas and chimpanzees Hominids consist of humans and their direct ancestors -Common ancestor was more like a chimpanzee than a gorilla
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Apes vs. Hominids The common ancestor of apes and hominids is thought to have been an arboreal climber -Hominids became bipedal, walking upright -Apes evolved knuckle-walking Differences related to bipedal locomotion 1. Human vertebral column is more curved 2. Humans carry much of the body’s weight on the lower limbs 3. Spinal cord exits the bottom of the skull. 4. Limbs have changed in proportion.
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Early Hominids There are two major groups of hominids -Genus Australopithecus -7 species -Older and smaller-brained -Genus Homo -3-7 species (depending how you count them)
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Bipedalism Bipedalism seems to have evolved as australopithecines left forests for grasslands Did it follow or precede brain enlargement? -African fossils demonstrate that bipedalism extended back 4 MYA -Substantial brain expansion, on the other hand, did not appear until about 2 MYA Therefore, upright walking came first -However, why it evolved is still a matter of controversy
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The Genus Homo The first humans (Genus Homo) evolved from australopithecine ancestors about 2 MYA -Thought to be Australopithecus afarensis In the 1960s, hominid bones were found near stone tools in Africa -Early human was called Homo habilis -It closely resembled Australopithecus, but had larger brains
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Out of Africa: Homo erectus H. Hablis was replaced by Homo erectus Homo erectus was a lot larger than H. habilis -Had larger brain and more rounded jaw -Able to talk H. erectus became widespread in Africa -Then migrated to Asia and Europe H. erectus survived for over a million years -Longer than any other human species
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Modern Humans Modern humans first appeared in Africa about 600,000 years ago -Three species are thought to have evolved -Homo heidelbergensis (oldest) -Homo neanderthalensis -Homo sapiens Some investigators lump all 3 into H. sapiens
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Modern Humans H. heidelbergensis -Coexisted with H. erectus in Africa -Had larger brain & more advanced anatomy H. neanderthalensis -Appeared in Europe 130,000 years ago -Were short, stocky and powerfully built -Had massive skulls
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Modern Humans Neanderthals made diverse tools -Took care of sick and buried dead -First evidence of belief in “life after death” They abruptly disappeared about 34,000 years ago -Replaced by fossils of H. sapiens called the Cro- Magnons
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Out of Africa Hypothesis
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Modern Humans Recent DNA analysis indicates that Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals didn’t interbreed -Neanderthals are our cousins, not our ancestors Cro-Magnons had a complex social organization -Thought to have full language capabilities
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Our Own Species: Homo sapiens H. sapiens is the only surviving hominid -Best fossils are 90-100,000 years old Hallmarks of H. sapiens evolution -Progressive increase in brain size -Effective making and use of tools -Refined and extended conceptual thought -Use of symbolic language -Extensive cultural experience
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Human Races Human beings differentiated in their traits as they have spread throughout the world All humans are capable of mating with one another and producing fertile offspring Some contemporary anthropologists divide people into as many as 30 “races” -Others only three: Caucasoid, Negroid, and Oriental
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Human Races Humans have relied on visual cues – primarily skin color – to define races However, groupings based on overall genetic similarity are different from those based on skin color or other visual features
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Human Races Different groups of people have interbred during the entire course of history -This constant gene flow prevented the formation of different human subspecies Only 8% of genetic differences can be accounted for by racial differences -Therefore, human races do not reflect significant patterns of underlying biological differentiation
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