CH 19
CH 19
CH 19
1 Note: “Materials and Preparations” instructions are grouped by exercise. Some materials may be used in more than one exercise.
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EXERCISE QUESTIONS
19.1 Fossil Record (LM page 257)
1. Human beings are vertebrates (a subphylum) in the animal kingdom. When do the first verte-
brates (i.e., fishes) appear in the fossil record? Paleozoic era, Ordovician period
2. Human beings belong to a vertebrate group known as placental mammals (a subclass). When do
placental mammals appear in the fossil record? Mesozoic era, Cretaceous period
3. Human beings belong to a placental mammal group known as primates (an order). In what epoch
do primates appear in the fossil record? Paleocene epoch
4. Among primates, human beings are most closely related to apes. (Apes and humans are in the
superfamily hominoids.) In what epoch do apelike mammals appear in the fossil record? Miocene
epoch
5. Human beings are hominids (a family). According to Table 19.1, the ape line of descent and the
hominid line of descent most likely split in what epoch? Pliocene epoch
6. In what epoch do the first fossils to be labeled modern human (Cro-Magnon) appear in the fossil
record? Pleistocene epoch
7. Do human beings have a fossil record just like all animals do? yes
2. How does the human skull differ from the chimpanzee skull in this respect? The parietal bone is
elongated and compressed, as opposed to the rounded human parietal bone.
3. Compare the shape and position of the occipital bones in the human and chimpanzee skulls.
The occipital in humans is rounded; in the chimpanzee, it has a prominent ridge for attachment of neck mus-
cles.
Its position is lower (more ventral) in the chimpanzee.
4. How does the difference in the position of the foramen magnum, a large opening in the base of
the skull for the spinal cord, correlate with the posture and stance of the two organisms? In the
human, the foramen magnum is placed almost in the bottom center of the skull; in the chimpanzee, the opening
is well to the rear. Humans walk upright, and chimpanzees use all four limbs for walking.
5. Compare the slope of the frontal bones of the human and chimpanzee skulls. How are they
different? In the human, the frontal bone is rounded; in the chimpanzee, it is sloped backward.
6. For which skull is the supraorbital ridge thicker? The supraorbital ridge of the chimpanzee is thicker.
7. What is the position of the mouth and chin in relation to the profile for each skull? Humans do not
have a muzzle; chimpanzees do. What effect has the evolutionary change in the positions of these
bones had on the shape of the face? The human face is flattened.
8. Examine the teeth in the adult human and chimpanzee skulls. Are the shapes and types of teeth
similar in both? Not really. Human teeth are small; chimpanzee molars are larger and flatter, and the canines
are much longer.
Thought Questions
13. If a characteristic is found in bacteria, fungi, pine trees, snakes, and humans, when did it most
likely evolve? Why? This characteristic most likely evolved in bacteria because they were one of the first
types of life forms.
14. What do mutations have to do with amino acid changes in a protein? The sequence of DNA bases
codes for the sequence of amino acids in a protein. Therefore mutations, which are changes in the sequence of
DNA bases, can result in a changed sequence of amino acids in a protein.