Exam 2

• Phylogenetic Tree Nodes 


  evolutionary splits and last common ancestor
• phylogenetic tree Branch


  shared lineages
• phylogenetic tree outgroup


  group outside the clade of interest
• Apomorphy 


  derived (changed) state for a particular clade (eg. in clade rodents Apomorphy of beavers having iron teeth)
• Synapomorphy


  a derived state that is shared by 2+ lineages in a particular clade demonstrating shared ancestry (eg: for clade rodents continuously growing incisors)
• Plesiomorphy


  the ancestral character state for a particular clade (eg. in clade rodents incisors with finite growth)
• Homoplasy


  feature is shared by a taxa without common ancestor (eg. rihnos and goats having horns)
• What makes a primate

  1. Enhanced vision (Convergent eyes & trichromatic vision)
  2. Postorbital Bar
  3. Grasping hand (opposable thumbs)
  4. Nails (except marmosets and tamarins)
  5. Complex Social groups
  6. Long life history and Singleton infants
• Strepsirrhines Differences

  • Wet-nosed
  • Small bodies
  • Primarily nocturnal
  • tooth comb, grooming claw, eye-shine
  • live in Madagascar, Africa and Asia
  • examples: Lemurs, lorises and galagos
• Haplorrhines

  • dry-nosed
  • larger bodies
  • primarily diurnal
  • bigger brains, mostly trichromatic vision
  • live in Africa, Asia, Central and south America
  • Examples: tarsiers, monkeys and apes
• Lemuriformes

  • only in madagascar
  • very diverse
  • Highly seasonal breeders
  • Little Sexual dimorphism
  • Vertical clinging & leaping
  • fast maturation ("infant parking")
• Chiromyiformes

  • common name aye-aye
  • only primate with own infraorder
  • Solitary, non-seasonal breeder
  • Specialized finger for hunting
  • Insectivore
  • largest nocturnal primate
  • only live in Madagascar
• Lorisiformes

  • live in Africa and Asia
  • include lorises, galagos and pottos
  • small (<2kg)
  • Solitary
  • Frugivores & Insectivores
• Tarsiiformes

  • common name Tarsiers
  • very small (80-160g)
  • Large Eyes and ears
  • Nocturnal but no eye-reflection
  • Ultrasonic communication
  • Unique dental formula
• Platyrrhines differences

  • Central and South America
  • Flat nosed with side flaring nostrils
  • all monkeys
  • arboreal
  • smaller
  • less sexual dimorphism
  • some have prehensile tales
  • polymorphic colour vision
• Catarrhines

  • Asia and Africa
  • downward-flaring noestrils
  • monkeys and apes
  • arboreal and terrestrial
  • bigger
  • more sexual dimorphism
  • ischial callosities (butt pads) in some species
  • all trichromatic colour vision
• Platyrhines examples

  • Marmosets & Tamarins
  • Squirrel monkeys & Capuchin monkeys
  • Night owl monkeys
  • Sakis & Uakaris
  • Howler monkeys, spider monkeys & muriquis
• Cercopithecinae

  • Baboons, macaques and guenons
  • have Cheek pouches
  • large bodied
  • diverse diets, habitats and social organizations
  • derived features: Ischial callosities and sexual swellings
• Derived traits 


  characteristics different from the ancestor in form or function (eg. ishial callosites of baboons)
• Colobinae

  • Colobus, Langurs and snum nosed monkeys
  • Folivous
  • Babies with contrast natal coats
  • reduced thumb
• Hominoidea

  • lesser and great apes
  • No tail
  • erect posture
  • mobile limb joins with stiff back
  • larger brain
• Lesser Apes

  • Siamangs and gibbons
  • SE Asia
  • Sexual monomorphic
  • Monogamous(ish)
  • Vocal displays
  • Brachiators
• Great Apes

  • Orangutans (Sumatra and Borneo)
  • Chimpanzees, Bonobos and Gorillas (Africa)
  • Very Large
  • Sexually dimorphic
  • Diverse Diets
• Primate Societies

  • Social Organization
  • Social System
  • Social Structure
  • Mating System
• Social Structure

  • Answers questions "Who disperses?
  • Matrilineal (females stay) vs Patrilineal (males stay)
• Mating System

  • answers who mates with who
  • Monogamy
  • Polygyny
  • Polyandry
  • Polgynandry
• Monogamy


  One breeding male and one breeding female; usually in species with higher male care of offspring (eg. siamangs)
• Polygyny


  One breeding male and multiple females (eg. geladas, howler monkeys and langurs)
• Polyandry


  One breeding female with multiple breeding males; not very common in primates (eg marmosets and tamarins)
• Polygynandry


  Multiple breeding females with multiple breeding males; most common breeding system in primates (eg. Baboons, Macaques, Colobus monkeys, capuchins)
• Social Systems

  • answers who lives and travels together?
  • Solitary
  • Pair Bonded
  • Uni-male : multi-female
  • Multi-male : uni-female
  • Multi-male : multi-female
• Solitary


  beneficial for less competition often having Polygyny or Polygynandry mating systems (eg. Orangutans)
• Pair Bonded


  one adult male and one female form small social group and are usually monogamous(ish) and both sexes disperse from old groups (eg. gibbons)
• Uni-male, multi-female

  have Polygyny mating system and usually matrilineal having risk of take over from non resident males and infanticide (eg. golden snub nosed monkys)
• Multi-males, uni-female


  Polyandry mating system with both sexes dispersed from the original groups (eg. tamarins)
• Multi-male, multi-female


  Polygynandry mating system and mostly matrilineal (eg. vervet monkys)
• Dominance


  Many primates are male dominant (eg. Muriquis) with some female dominant (eg. ring-tailed lemurs) but being dominate is not always best (high stress levels)
• Social Bonds


  Can involve high degree of conflict (establish/maintaining dominance, access to food/mates) but have Reconciliation as mechanism to reduce stress and maintaining relationships
• Poly-specific associations


  individuals or groups of two or more species maintain proximity or coordinate activities by intention; requires dissimilar diets benefits increased foraging efficiency and safety against predators (eg. Diana monkey and red colobus monkey)
• Primate Communication

  • Visual
  • Vocal
  • Olfaction
  • Tactile