Evolutionary Development Biology – Lecture 2 – The story of our
ancestors (Ch1)
7 million years ago a new evolutionary lineage (afstamming) emerged among African
great apes: upright walking (bipedalism) – they can now explore the savannah
Evolutionary classification of Homo Sapiens:
Phylum – chordates (they have a chorda – elastische weefsel-achtige streng
die langs de gehele rug loopt)
Subphylum – vertebrates (gewervelde)
Class – mammals
Subclass – placental mammals
Order – primates (monkeys, apes (mensapen) and prosimians (halfapen)) ~
60 Ma BP (million years before present)
Superfamily – apes (Hominoidea) ~ 45 Ma BP (million years before present)
Family – human, chimpanzee, gorilla (Hominidae)
Subfamily – hominins (Homininae) ~ 7 Ma BP
o Feature is bipedalism
o Only Homo sapies are still alive
Subdivision of monkeys and apes
Old world monkeys – Africa and Asia
o Apes (hominins)
New world monkeys – Middle and south
America
The transition from arboreality (confinement to trees)
to a fully terrestrial way was initiated with the apes.
All fossil hominins older than 2 million years are formed in Africa (Great rift valley –
East Africa) – locate emergence of upright walking here
From 2 million years we found fossils outside Africa.
The hominin tree
Cladogensis: orgin of new species due to splitting of lineages
(afstamming); multiple species live simultaneously of which
some become extinct (uitsterven) --> most common in
evolution (split between robust Paranthropus and gracile
Australopithecus)
Anagensis: origin of new species due to a lineage gradually converting
into a new form; only one species is present at a time --> most important
early in hominin evolution
ancestors (Ch1)
7 million years ago a new evolutionary lineage (afstamming) emerged among African
great apes: upright walking (bipedalism) – they can now explore the savannah
Evolutionary classification of Homo Sapiens:
Phylum – chordates (they have a chorda – elastische weefsel-achtige streng
die langs de gehele rug loopt)
Subphylum – vertebrates (gewervelde)
Class – mammals
Subclass – placental mammals
Order – primates (monkeys, apes (mensapen) and prosimians (halfapen)) ~
60 Ma BP (million years before present)
Superfamily – apes (Hominoidea) ~ 45 Ma BP (million years before present)
Family – human, chimpanzee, gorilla (Hominidae)
Subfamily – hominins (Homininae) ~ 7 Ma BP
o Feature is bipedalism
o Only Homo sapies are still alive
Subdivision of monkeys and apes
Old world monkeys – Africa and Asia
o Apes (hominins)
New world monkeys – Middle and south
America
The transition from arboreality (confinement to trees)
to a fully terrestrial way was initiated with the apes.
All fossil hominins older than 2 million years are formed in Africa (Great rift valley –
East Africa) – locate emergence of upright walking here
From 2 million years we found fossils outside Africa.
The hominin tree
Cladogensis: orgin of new species due to splitting of lineages
(afstamming); multiple species live simultaneously of which
some become extinct (uitsterven) --> most common in
evolution (split between robust Paranthropus and gracile
Australopithecus)
Anagensis: origin of new species due to a lineage gradually converting
into a new form; only one species is present at a time --> most important
early in hominin evolution
