Chapter 14:

PRIMATE EVOLUTION

PRIMATES

What is a primate?

• Synapomorphy: a character that is

unique to taxon (species, order, etc.).

• Primate synapomorphies are

characters that are:

-Present in primates

-Absent in closely related groups

Outgroup(e.g., insectivores)

Ingroup(e.g., primates)

Character A present

Character A absent

Synapomorphy

What is a primate?

•Arboreal life:

Grasping hands and feet

Opposable thumb and big toe

Movable arms

Nails

•Visual system:

Depth perception

Large brain size

•Reproductive biology:

High parental investment

Single-offspring births

Long infancy

Delayed sexual maturation

Loris

Tarsier

Lemur

New World monkey Old World monkey

Ape Human

Basal primates

-Lemurs

(Madagascar)

-Lorises, galagos

(Tropical forests of Asia, Africa)

-Tarsiers

(Borneo, Sumatra,

Sulawesi, Philipines)

Africa, Asia, Europe

South America

Cercopitecines(Old World monkeys)

Apes

Humans

Anthropoid primates

-Platyrrhins(New World monkeys)

-Catarrhins

Asian apes

Gibbon

Siamang

Orangutan

Asian apes: distribution

Siamangs

Current distribution Distribution (10 Kya)

African apes

Gorilla

Chimpanzee

Bonobo

African apes: distribution

Primates: main transitions

70 Mya

60 Mya

50 Mya

40 Mya

30 Mya

20 Mya

10 Mya

Present

Insectivore or

dermopteran

ancestors

? Purgatorius †

Adapis †

Lemurs, lorises

Tarsiers

New World monkeys

Aegyptopithecus †

Old World monkeys

Proconsul †

African apes

Humans

•Arboreal life

•Nocturnal

•Insectivorous diet

•Encephalization

•Temporal lobe

•Binocularity

•Grasping hands-feet

•Diurnal

•Insectivorous and

•frugivorous diet

•Expansion of neocortex

•Fovea

•Vegetarian diet

•Sexual dimorphism

•Ground dwelling

•Vegetarian or omnivorous

•Large body size

•Long life span

? Plesiadapiformes †

?

†: extinct

Autosomal gene-sequencing data

60 Mya

50 Mya

40 Mya

30 Mya

20 Mya

10 Mya

Present

New World monkeys

Old World monkeys

Gorillas

Humans

57.5 Mya

31 Mya

Chimpanzees8 Mya

4.5 Mya

What is an ape?

Relative to monkeys, apes:

•Lack an external tail

•Have a more vertical posture

•Have highly flexible limbs

•Have broad chests, short lower backs, mobile hips and ankles

•Have a larger body size

•Exhibit retarded growth and reproduction

•Have larger brains than monkeys

Miocene apes (5-23 Mya)

Gigantopithecus

OuranopithecusSivapithecus

Dryopithecus

Proconsul

Gigantopithecus blacki

Ape evolution

Macaques

Proconsul†

Siamang

Gibbon

Orangutan

25 Mya

19 Mya

16 Mya

14 Mya

9 Mya

7-5 Mya

Gorilla Chimpanzee

Bonobo HumansOuranopithecus†

† : extinct

Sivapithecus†

Dryopithecus†

superfamily: Hominoidea

family: Hylobatidae Hominidae

subfamily: Ponginae Gorillinae Homininae

tribe: Panini Hominini

species: gibbons

siamangs

orangutans gorillas chimpanzees

bonobos

humans

What is a hominin?

A hominin is a bipedal ape

Chimpanzees HomininsForamen magnum

Occipital condyle

Vertebrate column

Feet

Pelvis, lower back

Brain size

Face

Canines

Diastema

~5 Mya

Pliocene

Miocene

Behind skull Beneath skull

C-shaped S-shaped

Grasping Flat

Long Short

345-505 cm3 400-1350 cm3

In front of brain Beneath brain

Long Short

Yes No

Posture

Posture

Posture

Posture

Brain evolution

Brain evolution

Sexual behavior

Diet

Trait Function

Divergence between African apes and hominins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypEaGQb6dJk

Duration: 9.33 min

“2001: A Space Odyssey – The Dawn of Man” VIDEO