ANTH 1001 : Exam 2 Part 2 Notes
Document Summary
Lactase- enzyme that allows you to digest lactose, which is a sugar in milk. Humans can digest milk as babies, but most of us lose the ability after weaning. Populations with long histories of dairying are typically lactase tolerant. Mutation for ability to digest milk as adults would have provided a natural selective advantage. Definition: polytypism- phenotypically different populations in a species. Polytipism is result of diversity of environments that we inhabit. Our populations diversify because of natural selection but our populations remain within a single species because of gene flow. Race- not a biologically useful grouping of humans. Human variation perspective- any beneficial modification that relieves environmental stress and enhances survival of individuals. Short term- shivering, clothes to warm up from the cold. Developmental- shorter stature because of being in the cold for too long. Acclimatization as adaptation- acclimatization occurs at the level of the individual. Demonstrates the plasticity of human response to environmental stress;
