How do organisms survive with limited resources?

Human Evolution

CB 52.22

What limits
Carrying Capacity?…
CB 52.12

Webpages and Articles about Homo floresiensis
(the video) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3209/01.html
(longer video) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8604680088784253620
(part 1 of 7) http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/features/world/asia/georgia/flores-hominids-text http://www.nature.com/nature/focus/flores/index.html

H. floresiensis: A new species?

Asian island of Flores

Liang Bua where remains were found

Typical objects found. Tools and bones.

Artists rendering of
H. floresiensis

floresiensis and sapien skull

Comparison of size:
Pygmy, European, and
H. floresiensis

Pygmy elephant

What about the tools?
Was floresiensis “smart”?

H. Sapien and H. floresiensis brain

Relative brain to body size

The shape and size of the brain of
H. floresiensis indicates that it was organized differently than the brain of H. sapiens.

So…Several individual skeletons were found of a small population ranging in age from ~90,000 - 18,000 years ago. They have relatively small brains, but might have been able to do sophisticated things.

Homo floresiensis :
Are they a distinct species, and if so, how are we related?

Trait diversity may vary in different populations
57” 65” 73”

Human Evolution

H. floresiensis : A new species?

Yes: the number of similar individuals, the dates of existence (~90,000-18,000 years old), and the different morphology.

There is much controversy over
H. floresiensis

There is much controversy over
H. floresiensis
Alternate hypotheses and rebuttals:
Skeletons represent humans with brain damage.
Skeletons represent humans with severe iodine deficiency: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/03/05/hobbit-human.html
Rebuttal to iodine deficiency: http://johnhawks.net/weblog/fossils/flores/cretin-flores-faq-2008.html
Wrist bones are very different from humans: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/317/5845/1743

How do organisms survive with limited resources?