ANTH 102 Midterm: Plate Tectonics and Ancestral vs Derived
. Ancestral characteristics vs. derived characteristics
2. Importance of continental drift and plate tectonics in primate
evolution
. Ancestral characteristics vs. derived characteristics
1. What is an ancestral trait? What is a derived trait? What is the difference between
the two? Possible Question:
- Deied taits ae a goup’s uiue featues that appea oe eetl i
evolutionary history.
- Different from ancestors
- When we are building phylogenetic trees, traits that arise during the evolution of
a group and differ from the traits of the ancestor of the group are called derived
traits
- Ancestral traits occur not only in the present day species but also in the ancient
condition.
- Ancestral are old and new--- derived are just new.
- Ex of derived trait:
Importance of continental drift and plate tectonics in primate evolution
2. What time periods? What did the Teths sea have to do with it? What continents
collided? New World Monkeys?-
- Oligocene- piates epaded. Foud i Egpt’s Fau, Algeia, Aaia.
- Miocene- 5 to 23 million years ago.
- African and Eurasian continents collided due to plate tectonics/ drift
- For most of preceding 100 million years the Tetys Sea ( Mediterranean combined
with Black Sea) created a barrier to migration between Africa and Eurasia.
- Earliest evidence of primates in Central and Southe America- Oligocene
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Document Summary
Ancestral characteristics vs. derived characteristics: importance of continental drift and plate tectonics in primate evolution. De(cid:396)i(cid:448)ed t(cid:396)aits a(cid:396)e a g(cid:396)oup"s u(cid:374)i(cid:395)ue featu(cid:396)es that appea(cid:396) (cid:373)o(cid:396)e (cid:396)e(cid:272)e(cid:374)tl(cid:455) i(cid:374) evolutionary history. When we are building phylogenetic trees, traits that arise during the evolution of a group and differ from the traits of the ancestor of the group are called derived traits. Ancestral traits occur not only in the present day species but also in the ancient condition. Ancestral are old and new--- derived are just new. Miocene- 5 to 23 million years ago. African and eurasian continents collided due to plate tectonics/ drift. For most of preceding 100 million years the tetys sea ( mediterranean combined with black sea) created a barrier to migration between africa and eurasia. Earliest evidence of primates in central and southe america- oligocene. Came to sa from africa by giant floating clumps of vegetation. Lower sea levels could have also allowed island hopping.
