Evidence for evolution - Fossils

Question 1

What are fossils?

Answer 1

Are preserved remains and traces of organisms over 10000 years old.

Question 2

What are the 4 types of fossils?

Answer 2

1. Trace
2. Mould
3. Cast
4. Trueform

Question 3

What are 3 forms of trace fossils?

Answer 3

1. footprint
2. tail
3. burrow

Question 4

What is 1 form of a mould fossil?

Answer 4

An impression left by an organsim.

Question 5

What is 1 form of a cast fossil?

Answer 5

Forms when mineralisation occurs.

Question 6

What are 3 forms of a true-form fossil?

Answer 6

1. shells
2. teeth
3. bones

Question 7

What is the study of fossils?

Answer 7

Palaeontology

Question 8

What are 5 required conditions for fossilisation?

Answer 8

1. Absence of decomposers
2. Absence of oxygen
3. Absence of moisture
4. Low temperatures
5. High soil acidity

Question 9

What are 5 ways fossils provide evidence for evolution?

Answer 9

1. Show changes in structure over time.
2. Organisms in fossils record have become more complex over time.
3. Variety of fossils increases in the upper more recent rock layers.
4. No fossil record exists of any modern living plants or animals.
5. Missing links.

Question 10

What is the principle of superposition?

Answer 10

The basic principle is that the oldest rock layer is found at the bottom and the youngest rock layer is found at the top.

Question 11

Describe what the correlation of rock strata means.

Answer 11

Refers to matching layers of rock from different areas. Rocks containing the same types of fossils can be assumed to be the same age.

Question 12

What does the fossil record tell us?

Answer 12

1. How long life has existed on Earth.
2. How different plants and animals are related to each other.