Anth222 Notes 07 24 2014 Lecture 1 What is Ecological and Evolutionary Biology What is Anthropology Holistic study of humankind and their closest relatives through space and time The 5 Field Approach Cultural Anthropology study of cultures and societies of human beings and their recent past Archaeology study of past and historic societies and their cultures Linguistics study of language which is fundamental for culture look at language structure and how it evolves slang words and accents Biological Physical anthropology really broad category study of human evolution and variation both past and present includes primatology medical anthropology paleo anthropology and forensics Applied anthropology applies the theories from these different fields to problems that exist in society today What is Ecology Holistic study of interactions between organism between and within species and between organism and their surrounding environment Merges biology and environment science Explains movement of energy through a system and measures the abundance of organisms in an ecosystem Biotic and abiotic components processes interactions What is Evolutionary Biology Study of changes to form and function through time Study of what produces the variety of life Charles Darwin is the father of modern evolutionary thought Unifying concept that pulls together a lot of different disciplines and ideas What produced the diversity of life on Earth Looking at the descent of species and origin of new species What is Ecological and Evolutionary Anthropology Study of relationships between hominid and non hominid primates and their biophysical environment to understand changes in physiology and behavior through space and time Trajectory of Systems Thinking Mechanical approach o Reductionism Focuses on individual parts Assumes that the world is predictable but we know this isn t true o Whole is no more than sum of its parts Ecosystems approach thinking about how different parts of the world are connected o Whole is greater than the sum of parts o Different species together is an ecosystem o Assumes Ecosystem is the basic unit of nature which is all interconnected Biodiversity increases stability talking about the number of species and the environment they are in Change is bad strive for homeostasis but not all change actually is bad o Look at energy flows only not good o Promoted by Eugene Odom in 1964 Complexity Complex adaptive systems approach everything is connected in sharing energy and information o Whole is greater than the sum of parts o Change is expected non linear and may or may not be bad o Adaptation and adaptive capacity are important o Energy and information flows A Complex Biocultural Approach Genes environment culture Culture o As adaptation o Shapes the political economy resources that are available to maintain a person s health shelter and food security o Shapes the human brain and life history What is Science o Influences behavior and how we view the world how we interact with others and how we feel about other cultures A process and a tool About what we know we can t apply science to things that are unknowable Goal Advance knowledge of the natural world by describing and explaining the universe as accurately and fully as possible Characteristics of Science Testable something we can collect evidence for form hypotheses Deals exclusively with the natural world Parsimonious o Occam s Razor when faced with two possible explanations the simpler of the two is the one most likely to be true Probabilistic use statistics and can model what a likely occurrence Logical rigor make sure data supports explanations repeated The scientific method observation questioning hypothesis predication experiment result repeat Hypothesis vs Theory vs Scientific Law Observation describes what happens applies to a small number of Law describes what happens applies to all events Hypothesis explains why things happen applies to a small number is bell curve testing events of events Theory explains why things happen applies to all events Science is a Culture Communal report findings to the public sharing of knowledge Universal happens in all countries transcends culture Disinterestedness governments provide funding for science since it s for the public Organized skepticism need proof Lecture 2 Natural History the Origins of Evolutionary Thought Early Milestones Creation Stories Iroquois Jewish Christian Muslim o Story of Adam and Eve Early Milestones Essentialism Advocated by Plato 428 348 BCE Each kind of thing has unchanging core of features No variation from true form Reductionist Essentialism became irrelevant when natural selection came along Early Milestones Great Chain of Being Advocated by Aristotle 384 322 BCE Builds on essentialism Creates a hierarchy man is in the model above plants and animals but below angels and God Basis for Judeo Christian beliefs 3 Principles o Continuity closest to it o Plentitude Organisms of one kind slightly overlap with those All of the species must have been created at the same time no room for the appearance or disappearance of species o Unilinear Graduation All organisms are based in a single hierarchy to which they re separated from divine perfection to certain degrees Early Milestones Advent of a Scientific Revolution Renaissance 1400s 1700s Understand world by observing natural processes Ex Vesalius Galen DaVinci human dissection to understand how the body works Switch from a Geocentric Universe to a Heliocentric Universe o Galileo Copernicus challenge Vatican Edward Tyson dissects juvenile chimpanzee 1699 o Compares with human and monkey o Physical continuity suggested in similarities between the two Early Milestones Species and Status Carolus Linneaus Binomial Nomenclature 1740s 1760s Prior to Linneaus there was an idea that species would never change Linneaus classified things and put them in orders Species Genus Family Order Class Phylum Kingdom Species organisms that actually or potentially interbreed Monogeism all humans one species o Used by abolitionists to make slavery illegal o Promoted by abolitionists and early evolutionists Father of Geology KEY Calculated Earth s age in millions of years o 4 54 billion year old lunar rock meteorites Australian rocks Geological evidence evolutionary time spans Necessary to see changes in species James Hutton 1785 Different layers of rock or strata had different types of flora and Species at the very bottom were the most different from