Chapter 7: Geography and Ecology of the Paleozoic Era Flashcards
What animals were associated with the Paleozoic era?
Fish
Amphibians
Reptiles
What animals were associated with the Mesozoic era?
Mammals
What animals were associated with the late Jurassic era?
Birds
Effects of plate tectonics
- Different elevations create different mountain ranges and climates
- Separation from other animals cause geographic and reproductive isolation
- 3 plate tectonics collisions built the Appalachian mountains (erosion and shedding sediment cause the mountains to get smaller)
Explain continental drift
Mobile continents; the spreading of the sea floor as a plausible mechanism or continental movement (plate tectonics)
When did the first terrestrial vertebrates (tetrapods) appear?
Late Devonian
When did the largest extinction in Earth’s history happen?
The end of the Paleozoic era
What 3 things is the climate affected by?
1) latitude (how far N or S of the equator)
2) its proximity to an ocean (water buffets temperature change and provides moisture)
3) presence of barriers like mountains, which influence the movement of air masses and thus the amount of rain received
What are the movement of the tectonic plates responsible for?
The sequence of fragmentation, coalescence, and refragmentation of the continents that has occurred during the Earth’s history
True or false
Ocean currents transport enormous quantities of heat
True
This is why the position of continents affected the climate; because it affected the ocean currents
The diversity of terrestrial life increase during what time period?
The Silurian
True or false
The spread of land plants in the Devonian resulted in climatic cooling
True
The plants resultant modifications of soils affected the atmosphere
