The Human

Evolutionary

Odyssey

From bipedal

apes to the

symbolic

species

Professor Robert

Franciscus

Spring 2016

0

2

3

4

5

1

H. sapiens

H. erectus

H. habilis

A. africanus

A. afarensis

A. boisei A. robustus

H. sapiens

H. erectus

H. habilis

A. africanus

A. afarensis

A. boisei A. robustus

MyrBP Typical early 1980s hominin phylogenies (low speciocity)

0

2

3

4

5

1

H. sapiens

H. erectus

H. habilis

A. africanus

A. afarensis

A. boisei A. robustus

MyrBP Typical early 1980s hominin phylogenies (low speciocity)

(unilineal view)

0

2

3

4

5

1

H. sapiens

H. erectus

H. habilis

A. africanus

A. afarensis

A. boisei A. robustus

MyrBP Typical early 1980s hominin phylogenies (low speciocity)

..Life is easy..

2016 American

Museum of Natural

History

http://www.amnh.org

Today the

human

family tree is

considerably

more complex

(high speciocity; a

“bushy” tree; lots of

species go extinct)

..Life’s not so easy..

Eight genera... and

twenty-three species!!

Hominoids: Apes & Humans

pongids

(Pongidae)

hominids

(Hominidae)

Pongo Pan Gorilla Homo

Traditional view of

hominoid systematics

(morphology-based)

Also, changing taxonomy at higher

levels

Molecular genetics and taxonomy

Current consensus of the phylogenetic

relationships and splitting

times within the

great ape clade

Hominoids: Apes & Humans

pongids (Pongidae) hominids (Hominidae)

Pongo Pan Gorilla Homo

The rules of cladistic systematics

therefore require that the African apes

be grouped with humans as members

of the human family: Hominidae

Superfamily Hominoids = humans and all apes

Family Hylobatids Pongids Hominids

Small-bodied Great apes: “Us” = bipedal

hominoids: gibbons orangs, gorrillas hominoids

and siamangs bonobos, chimps

Superfamily Hominoids (Homindoidea)

Family Hylobatidae Hominidae

hylobatids hominids

Subfamily Ponginae Gorillinae Homininae

pongines gorillines hominines

Tribe Panini Hominini

panins hominins

A. Traditional classification of hominoids

B. Revised classification of hominoids

Superfamily Hominoids = humans and all apes

Family Hylobatids Pongids Hominids

Small-bodied Great apes: “Us” = bipedal

hominoids: gibbons orangs, gorrillas hominoids

and siamangs bonobos, chimps

Superfamily Hominoids (Homindoidea)

Family Hylobatidae Hominidae

hylobatids hominids

Subfamily Ponginae Gorillinae Homininae

pongines gorillines hominines

Tribe Panini Hominini

panins hominins

A. Traditional classification of hominoids

B. Revised classification of hominoids

hominin... no, wait... hominid… no… hominin… argh!!!

From: Wood B &

Grabowski M (2015)

In: Macroevolution

E Serrelli &

N Gontier (Eds),

Springer Intl. Publ.

pp. 345-376.

Hominin

species

following a

“splitters”

taxonomy

(archaic Homo)

(early Homo)

(Australopithecines)

Paranthropus

From: Wood B &

Grabowski M (2015)

In: Macroevolution

E Serrelli &

N Gontier (Eds),

Springer Intl. Publ.

pp. 345-376.

Hominin

species

following a

“splitters”

taxonomy

(archaic Homo)

Homo erectus

(Australopithecines)

Paranthropus

From: Wood B &

Grabowski M (2015)

In: Macroevolution

E Serrelli &

N Gontier (Eds),

Springer Intl. Publ.

pp. 345-376.

Hominin

species

following a

“splitters”

taxonomy

(archaic Homo)

Homo erectus

(Australopithecines)

Paranthropus

TodayWeek 1, Mar. 31

Early hominins

Bipedal apes in mosaic

environments