Chapter 19 - Fossils Flashcards
In what type of rocks would you find fossils?
Fossils are found in sedimentary rocks.
What is the division of geologic time from largest to smallest?
The division of geologic time is eons, eras, and periods.
What cannot be learned from the fossil record?
The genetic information of an organism cannot be learned from the fossil record.
What is coevolution?
Coevolution is two species evolving in response to change over time.
What types of fossils would you find in the Precambrian Eon?
Prokaryotes would be found in this eon.
What is gradualism?
Gradualism is a slow and steady change in a particular line of descent.
What is adaptive radiation?
Adaptive radiation is when a single or small group of species evolve quickly into several different forms that live in different ways.
What is sedimentary rock made out of?
It’s made out of sand, silt, and clay.
What’s the difference between mass extinction and background extinction?
Background extinction is the process of a single species becoming extinct at a slow and steady rate. Mass extinction happens quickly over a short period.
What is punctuated equilibrium?
It is the term used to describe equilibrium that is interrupted by brief periods of rapid change.
What are macroevolutionary patterns?
They are grand transformations in anatomy, phylogeny, ecology, and behavior which usually take place in clade larger than a single species.
What is convergent evolution?
Convergent evolution is the production of similar structures and characteristics in distantly related organisms.
What are index fossils?
They are distinctive fossils used to establish and compare the relative ages of rock layers and the rocks they contain.
What is a half-life?
It’s the time required for a half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay.
What is relative dating?
It allows paleontologists to determine whether a fossil is older or younger than other fossils. It does not give an exact age.
What are trilobites?
They are fossils of distinct marine organisms that are often used as index fossils because they are found all over the place.
What is radiometric dating?
It relies on radioactive isotopes to determine an organism’s age. It compares the amount of radioactive to nonreactive isotopes.
What was Earth’s early atmosphere mainly composed of?
It was mainly composed of water vapor, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.
What is the endosymbiotic theory?
It proposes that a symbiotic relationship evolved over time between primitive eukaryotic cells and the prokaryotic cells within them.
Would Chlamydomonas evolve more quickly in a favorable environment where asexual reproduction would be used or in an unfavorable environment where sexual reproduction would be used?
It would evolve quicker if it used sexual reproduction because of the genetic variety.
