Anth 160D2 Spring semester 2020 Study Guide First mid term exam Feb 11 Note This is a study aid not a comprehensive list of exam question topics Be especially certain that you understand those terms definitions and concepts that were highlighted during lectures How do anthropologists define culture and what do they mean when they say they study humans via a biocultural approach Homo Sapiens Homo genus name Sapiens trivial name Culture information learned and transmitted among individuals across generations software not hardware learned not innate absolutely dependent on it Capacity for culture is hardware innate similar in all healthy humans The Biological Approach 1 The human condition is the joint product of human biology and human culture 2 We might emphasize one or the other but ultimately the human condition can only be understood with reference to both biology and culture How do biology and culture affect the human phenotype o Biology similarities Bipedalism big brains language ability dependence on culture tool use hand structure o Culture differences Nature of language Foodways Government Family structure Religion Economy How do biology and culture interact o Many cultural practices directly influence survival and reproduction while the capacity to receive act on and transmit cultural information is biological many cultural practices effect the development of those capacities Lectures and web readings presented a number of important scientists whose thoughts contributed to or clashed with early evolutionary thought of the 19th century You should be able to match the scientists names with the theories and ideas they proposed or with which they are identified C Darwin evolution by natural selection differential reproductive success transmission of heritable traits environment as filter fitness varies with environment context environment does not shape organisms directly or produce variation selection acts on existing on variation small differences accumulate in populations gradually over long periods eventually giving rise to new species A R Wallace came to the idea on his own helped Darwin with his book J B Lamarck first great evolutionist coined term biology environmental stresses cause changes in the organism thought acquired traits could be passed to offspring internal drive to perfection divinely instilled C Lyell gradualism very old earth formed slowly by processes observable today J Hutton uniformitarianism the physical world was the same in the past as today Cuvier catastrophism young earth formed by catastrophic events G Mendel source of variation mechanism of transmission G Malthus populations grew faster than resource base population increase leads to competition struggle for survival C Linnaeus system for classifying living beings that reflects divine plan Genetics To the level of detail provided by the text and lectures know the characteristics of DNA o Epigenetics environment of parents can influence gene expression among offspring and even grandchildren o Classical genetics studies patterns of character expression in organisms from this deduced many basic characteristics of genes and how they interact o Molecular genetics examines molecules chemical interaction that result in biological inheritance o Nuclear DNA found in cell nucleus o DNA organized into chromosomes o Male X Y and Female X X Know the basic facts about the human genome size number of chromosomes etc o Human somatic cells have 23 homologous pairs of chromosomes o 22 human chromosomes pairs are autosomes o Gene segment of DNA containing codes for making a specific protein 100s to 1000s of base pairs bounded by stop codons UAA UAG UGA o Special case regulatory genes turn other genes on or off permanently or temporarily stem cells before regulatory genes turn parts of the genome off o Protein synthesis sequences of three bases codes for one of 20 amino acids o RNA plays active role in turning genes on and off even overriding gene expression o Human genome consists of ca 3 billion base pairs o DNA replication and inheritance Mitosis production of somatic cells Meiosis production of gametes sperm egg o Sexual reproduction results in many sources of variation on which selection operates Recombining traits expands variation in chemistry of cells and bodies Makes populations more adaptable also increases likelihood that some members of a population will be able to resist disease pathogens o Dominant traits always expressed when present o Recessive traits from one parent hidden in next generation unless alleles inherited from both parents What is genotype and what is its relation to phenotype o Genotype Genetic identity of organism composition of its DNA o Phenotype physical characteristics of organism expression of genotype may include some kinds of behavior as well Phenotype also influenced by differential gene expression gene interaction environment developmental factors What were G Mendel s important contributions to classical genetics o Principle of Segregation Inheritance is particulate in nature Not blended One discrete unit inherited from each parent now know to be a result of meiosis o Principle of independent assortment o Simple Mendelian system Single locus two alleles alternative forms one dominant Traits inherited independently especially if on a separate chromosomes What are examples of common genetic polymorphisms in human populations o Separation of sexes male and female blood type sickle cell anemia favism How are polygenic and Mendelian traits different and what examples were discussed in class o Discrete Traits Simple inheritance one gene locus Usually invisible biochemical Either or distinct classes Little environmental influence o Polygenic Traits Complex inheritance Many gene loci Often visible physical Continuous normal distribution Much environmental influence Basic principles of population genetics Where does genetic diversity come from o Production and redistribution of heritable variation natural selection and other forces act on variation o Microevolution changes in gene frequencies from one generation to the next o Macroevolution emergence of new varieties of organisms o Species group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring reproductively isolated from other species o Population group of individuals within a species that frequently breeds with other members of own group Be able to list the four forces of evolution and describe the effect that each has