Over the long period of time that life has existed on Earth, there have been a n
ID: 214401 • Letter: O
Question
Over the long period of time that life has existed on Earth, there have been a number of important or significant innovations the first being bipedalism in the ancestry of humans. it had to come about by natural selection in response to changing environmental forces. After studying the textbook reading assignment, describe:
How the innovation appears to have happened
What environmental challenges were met and overcome by this innovation, and
What opportunities were opened for the organism that made this innovation
You must include in your post an example of at least one species and demonstrate that you understand scientific nomenclature by writing the correct binomial of the species name, and showing its hierarchy of classification. The hierarchy is shown from Domain to species. Explain how you use the scientific name to locate the nearest relatives of your chosen species, and provide an example.
Explanation / Answer
By about 10 million years ago, the Himalayan mountain range had formed, thrust up in the aftermath of the Indian plate’s collision with the Eurasian plate. This led to a drier climate giving way to more of Savannah than forests. Thus natural selection might have favored individuals who could move bipedally. Energy calculations show that walking on two legs uses four times energy as walking on four. This would have allowed them to travel longer for food and reproductive opportunities.
Hierarchy of Humans (Homo sapiens)
Nearest relatives: Homo neanderthalensis (extinct 40000 years ago)
Nearest Living relative: Chimpanzee
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Pan
Species: Pan troglodytes
Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Suborder: Haplorhini Infraorder: Simiiformes Family: Hominidae Genus: Homo Species: H. sapiensRelated Questions
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