The Human
Evolutionary
Odyssey
From bipedal
apes to the
symbolic
species
Professor
Robert
Franciscus
Spring
2016
0
H. sapiens
H. sapiens
H. erectus
H. erectus
1
2
3
4
H. habilis
A. boisei A. robustus
H. habilis
A. africanus
A. afarensis
A. boisei A. robustus
A. africanus
A. afarensis
5
Myr
BP
Typical early 1980s hominin phylogenies (low speciocity)
0
H. sapiens
(unilineal view)
1
H. erectus
2
3
4
H. habilis
A. boisei A. robustus
A. africanus
A. afarensis
5
Myr
BP
Typical early 1980s hominin phylogenies (low speciocity)
0
..Life is easy..
H. sapiens
1
H. erectus
2
3
4
H. habilis
A. boisei A. robustus
A. africanus
A. afarensis
5
Myr
BP
Typical early 1980s hominin phylogenies (low speciocity)
Today the
human
family tree is
considerably
more complex
(high speciocity; a
“bushy” tree; lots of
species go extinct)
2016 American
Museum of Natural
History
http://www.amnh.org
Eight genera...
and
twenty-three
species!!
..Life’s not so easy..
Traditional view of
hominoid systematics
(morphology-based)
Hominoids: Apes & Humans
Pongo
Pan
pongids
(Pongidae)
Gorilla
Homo
hominids
(Hominidae)
Also,
changing
taxonomy
at higher
levels
Molecular genetics and taxonomy
Current consensus of the phylogenetic
relationships and splitting
times within the
great ape clade
The rules of cladistic systematics
therefore require that the African apes
be grouped with humans as members
of the human family: Hominidae
Hominoids: Apes & Humans
Pongo
Pan
pongids (Pongidae)
Gorilla
Homo
hominids (Hominidae)
A. Traditional classification of hominoids
Superfamily
Hominoids = humans and all apes
Family
Hylobatids
Pongids
Hominids
Small-bodied
hominoids: gibbons
and siamangs
Great apes:
orangs, gorrillas
bonobos, chimps
“Us” = bipedal
hominoids
B. Revised classification of hominoids
Superfamily
Hominoids (Homindoidea)
Family
Hylobatidae
Hominidae
hylobatids
hominids
Subfamily
Tribe
Ponginae
Gorillinae
Homininae
pongines
gorillines
hominines
Panini
Hominini
panins
hominins
A. Traditional classification of hominoids
Superfamily
Hominoids = humans and all apes
Family
Hylobatids
Pongids
Hominids
Small-bodied
hominoids: gibbons
and siamangs
Great apes:
orangs, gorrillas
bonobos, chimps
“Us” = bipedal
hominoids
B. Revised classification of hominoids
Superfamily
Hominoids (Homindoidea)
Family
Hylobatidae
Hominidae
hylobatids
hominids
Subfamily
Tribe
Ponginae
Gorillinae
Homininae
pongines
gorillines
hominines
Panini
Hominini
panins
hominins
hominin... no,
wait...
hominid… no…
hominin…
argh!!!
Hominin
species
following a
“splitters”
taxonomy
(archaic Homo)
From: Wood B &
Grabowski M (2015)
In: Macroevolution
E Serrelli &
N Gontier (Eds),
Springer Intl. Publ.
pp. 345-376.
(early Homo)
(Australopithecines)
Paranthropus
Hominin
species
following a
“splitters”
taxonomy
(archaic Homo)
Homo erectus
From: Wood B &
Grabowski M (2015)
In: Macroevolution
E Serrelli &
N Gontier (Eds),
Springer Intl. Publ.
pp. 345-376.
(Australopithecines)
Paranthropus
Hominin
species
following a
“splitters”
taxonomy
Today
Week 1, Mar. 31
Early hominins
(archaic Homo)
Homo erectus
From: Wood B &
Grabowski M (2015)
In: Macroevolution
E Serrelli &
N Gontier (Eds),
Springer Intl. Publ.
pp. 345-376.
(Australopithecines)
Paranthropus
Bipedal apes
in mosaic
environments