Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Paleontology 1 > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

(73 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Tree of life

A

branching, tree-like structure !
representing the evolutionary divergence !
of all living creatures

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Why study tree of life?

A
  • one main goal of modern science
  • largest framework for studying evolution
  • can make our lives better
  • name and characterize the living world
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Taxon

A

a group of organisms that is or could be named

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Systematics

A

the study of the diversity of organisms and the relationships among them

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

phylogeny

A

evolutionary relationships among species and higher groups of species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

taxonomy

A

the theory and practice of classifying organisms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

evolutionary tree

A

a branching diagram that portrays ancestor-descendent relationships over actual time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

cladogram

A

branching diagram that portrays proximity of evolutionary relationship without explicit temporal dimension

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

monophyletic group

A

a group of species that consists of a common ancestor and all of its descendants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

paraphyletic group

A

a group of species that consists of a common ancestor and some but not all of its descendants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

polyphyletic group

A

a group of species whose members do not derive from a single common ancestor within the group

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Phylogenetic Systematics

A

The study of the diversity of organisms based upon their phylogenetic relationships

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

parsimonius

A

KISS

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

importance of taxonomy

A
  • to accurately interpret fossil deposits, it is necessary to strip away the taphonomic overprinting
  • important components that promote preservation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

taphonomy

A

the study of the transition of organic remains from the biosphere into the lithosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

history of an organism/fossil

A 
1 birth
2 growth (ontogeny)
3 mode/ place of death
4 transport
5 post burial history
6 fossil
7 discovery
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

biostratinomy

A 
perservational/destructional processes occuring between the death of the organism and the final burial in the sediment
1 death
2 transport
3 disarticulation
4 decay
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

fossil diagenesis

A 
processes during shallow burial
1 burial
2 fossilization
3 exposure
4 collection
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

actuopaleontology

A

study of present day post mortem processes to gain insight into taphonomy and other aspects of paleontology

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

corrasion

A

state of wear from any or combination of processes:
abrasion - physical process
bio erosion - biological skeletal reduction
dissolution - removal of unstable mineral

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

lagerstatte

A

sedimentary deposit with exceptionally good preservation of skeletal and organic remains

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

concentration Lagerstatten

A

occurence is remarkable because of abundance of specimens

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

conservation

A

preservation of unusual quality

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

coquina

A

shell bed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
bone bed
bed of bones
26
condensation deposits
decreased rate of sedimentation
27
placer deposits
concentration by flow of water
28
concentration traps
cases and holes
29
stagnation deposits
decreased microbial decomposition
30
obrution deposits
transport of organisms to an envirtonment with exceptional preservation
31
conservation traps
traps with exceptional preservation potential
32
preservation types
- microbial mats - carbon clay films - pyritization - phosphatization - silicifiation
33
modes of preservation
- unaltered - permineralization - recrystallization - replacement - carbonization
34
sampling biases
- compositional - environmental - temporal - age classes - death assemblage - surveyor
35
mega-biases
sea level change climate change atmosphere and ocean composition
36
lithostratigraphy
how outcrops and paleoenvironments are related in space and time
37
stratigraphy
study of layered sedimentary rocks - especially their formation and relationships
38
facies
body of rock with specified characteristics
39
lithofacies
consistent lithologic character within a formation
40
formation
rock unit with identifiable and distinctive lithic characteristics that is mappable on earth's surface
41
``` eon era period epoch age ```
``` eon - eonothem era - erathem period - system spoch - series age - stage ```
42
walther's law of correlation
facies that occur in confomable vertical successions of strata also occur in laterally adjacent environments
43
correlation
process of demonstrating the sorrespondence of geographically separated parts of a geologic unit
44
biostratigraphy
study of the geometry, biotic composition, and the time relations of fossiliferous rocks
45
index fossil
taxon that is useful for defining a particular period of time - rapid evolution - wide distribution - independent of sedimentary setting - distinctive morphology - high preservation potential - abundant
46
biozone
rock defined by fossil content usually representing a particular interval of time
47
FAD
first appearance datum
48
LAD
last appearance of datum
49
total range zone
global stratigraphic ranges of a taxon
50
teilzone
local stratigraphic ranges of a taxon
51
concurrent range zone
overlapping taxon range zones of 2 or more taxa
52
interval zones
interval between two successive FADS or LADs
53
assemblage zone
3 or more taxa in natural assemblage
54
abundance zone
when index species reaches a higher level of abundance
55
Eons
archean > proterozoic > precambrian > phanerozoic
56
uniformitarianism vs catastrophism
present key to past - past key to present extinction - mass extinction speciaton - adaptive radiation sequence stratigraphy - event stratigraphy cyclic patterns - episodic patterns
57
eustasy
change of sea level throughout the world
58
eustatic changes: tectonism
1st order cycles - 200-400 My - formation/break of continents 2nd order cycles - 10 - 100 My - rates of sea floor spreading 3rd order? - 1 - 10 My - unknown
59
eustatic changes: glaciation - 4th order cycle
cyclotherms - 20K-400K - form/melt ice sheets eccentricity - 100K - 400K - change in earth's orbit around sun obliquity - 41K - earth's tilt precession - 22.5K - wobble of earth's axis
60
eustatic changes: thermal expansion
short term
61
sequence stratigraphy
depositional sequences and processes that produce them
62
sequence
succession of genetically related strata bounded on top and bottom by unconformities
63
(paleo)biogeography
study of geographical distribution of (ancient) organisms - determines climate/environmental factors that influence life - determines ecology and what other species life comes in contact with - determines the divergence and speciation of life
64
vicariance
geographical separation of a population typically by physical barrier resulting in a pair of closely related species
65
dispersal
tendency of an organism to move away from source area
66
dispersal routes: corridor
areas with virtually no barriers to dispersal where organisms can move freely from one spot to another
67
dispersal routes: filter bridge
connections that are more selective, i.e., | not all organisms can move through them successfully
68
dispersal routes: Sweepstakes Routes
connections that are extremely | tenuous and aren’t normally traversed by organisms
69
dispersal routes: Noah’s Ark
where the living fauna on a rifted plate is carried until it docks with another area adding new components
70
dispersal routes: Beached Viking Funeral Ships
components incorporated | into the fossil record that are moved by plate tectonics
71
dispersal routes: Escalator Counterflow and Hopping
related to plate | motion and things either staying in place or island jumping
72
Simpson Coefficient
C/N x 100 (where C is the # of taxa in | common between two areas and N is the total # of taxa
73
Jaccard Coefficient
C/(A+B-C) (where C is the number of taxa in common between two samples and A and B are the numbers of unique taxa found in each of the two samples)

Paleontology 1 (1 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions