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Fall 2023 > Geol 301 final > Flashcards

Geol 301 final Flashcards

1
Q

What is Rodinia

A

The Middle to Late Proterozoic supercontinent

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2
Q

When did Rodinia form

A

1.3 billion years ago

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3
Q

when did Rodinia break up

A

around ~750 mya

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4
Q

evidence for the break up of Rodinia

A
  • development of passive margin strata around edges of Laurentia = formation of Pacific Ocean
  • Grand Canyon rocks show deposition during the time in which Rodinia was rifting
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5
Q

Time range of Proterozoic Eon

A

2.5 billion to 542 million years ago

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6
Q

What happened during the proterozoic

A
  • oxygenation of the atmosphere
  • evolution of eukaryotes and multicellular organisms
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7
Q

What was the Snowball Earth Theory

A

Earth was covered (almost) completely in ice, most extensive glaciation in the geologic record

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8
Q

Evidence for Snowball Earth Theory

A
  • neoproterozoic glacial deposits all over the world
  • signatures of ice sheet movement
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9
Q

What are some signatures of ice sheet movement

A
  • U shaped valleys
  • moraines
  • kettle lakes
  • cirque: bowl shaped depression at the head of a glacier
  • Arete: sharp ridge between glacial valleys
  • horn: erosion by several glaciers around a single peak
  • calving: the process of icebergs breaking off of glaciers when they flow into a large body of water
  • dropstones
  • striations
  • unsorted sediments
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10
Q

When did snowball earth occur

A
  • during the neoproterozoic
    ~640-710 mya
  • lasted about 10 million years each
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11
Q

cirque

A

bowl shaped depression at the head of a glacier

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12
Q

arete

A

sharp ridge between glacial valleys

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13
Q

horn

A

erosion by several glaciers around a single peak

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14
Q

calving

A

the process of icebergs breaking off of glaciers when they flow into a large body of water

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15
Q

dropstones

A

stones that were incorporated into a glacier/iceberg when it claves but are dropped out some distance away from the shoreline as the iceberg melts

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16
Q

How do you unfreeze a planet

A
  • limited weathering led to build up of atmospheric CO2 -> no Ca to turn CO2 into calcite -> global warming
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17
Q

Evidence of Basal Metazoans

A
  1. body fossils
  2. trace fossils
  3. embryo fossils
  4. Molecular clock (DNA estimates)
  5. biomarkers slightly predate the ediacarian fauna (earliest multicellular life)
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18
Q

what were some characteristics of early multicellular animals

A
  • sessile lifestyle
  • multicellular complexes
  • few cell types
  • lack variation in tissue or organs
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19
Q

What can sponges tell us about the evolution of multicellularity in the late Proterozoic

A

a dramatic diversification of animals occurred rapidly

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20
Q

Evidence for sea level rise in the Cambrian

A

Carbonates above a transgressive sandstone, suggest transgression and marine flooding of NA

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21
Q

what is the Cambrian explosion

A

“Evolutionary experimentation”
- sudden and expansive diversification of animals
- sudden appearance of hard parts
- rapid evolution of skeletonization and new body plans

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22
Q

what were the Tommotian Fauna

A
  • small (mm) shells that span the Precambrian - Cambrian transition
  • the first major appearance of skeletal material
  • shells from numerous groups. Many named for their shape (“from taxa”)
  • tiny carbonate and phosphate shells
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23
Q

Age of the Tommotian Fauna

A

~540-528 mya

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24
Q

what is the significance of the tommotian fauna

A

the first appearance of mineralized taxa = brachiopods, trilobites, archaeocyathids, molluscs, echinoderms

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25
Q

What are some typical types of Cambrian fossils

A
  • Trilobites
  • inarticulate brachiopods
  • echinoderms
  • monoplacophoran mollusks
  • stromatolites
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26
Q

What were Cambrian invertebrates like in terms of relative diversity and the phyla that were present compared to modern organisms?

A
  • many different body plans
  • bizarre classes of familiar phyla (each had a few species and genera)
  • early echinoderms, likely related to crinoids
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27
Q

what is the significance of the Burgess Shale Fauna

A
  • deep water setting with organic, low O2 sediments
  • preserved soft bodied organisms (Pikaia, Onychophorans)
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28
Q

What is the significance of the Chengjiang fauna

A
  • preservation of soft-bodied creatures (Corals, predatory worms, soft-bodied arthropods, anomalocarids)
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29
Q

What are Stromatolites

A
  • finely laminated cyanobacterial mats that secrete calcite and climb to stay on top
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30
Q

What are Thrombolites

A
  • non-layered, clotted/clustered sedimentary formations generated by cyanobacteria
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31
Q

Baltica

A

Northern Europe

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32
Q

Laurentia

A

North America

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33
Q

Gondwanaland

A

South America, Africa, Arabia, India, Australia, and Antarctica

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34
Q

What is the significance of stromatolites and thrombolites

A
  • contain microbes from 500mya
  • help with understanding origin and evolution of life
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35
Q

Archeocyathids

A
  • early Cambrian reefs
  • suspension feeders
  • probably sponges
  • built large reefs during early cambrian, extinct by middle cambrian
  • cemented by cyanobacterial mats and other organisms that secreted calcite
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36
Q

What were some of the first chordate (early fish) ancestors in the cambrian

A

conodont (just found teeth fossils at first)

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37
Q

What was the Taconic Orogeny

A
  • mountain building event that lead to the building of mountains along the north east
  • Laurentia collided with a volcanic island arc, then Baltica
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38
Q

what caused the Taconic Orogeny

A

collision of ancestral North American plate with island arc (accretionary wedge crunch upward)

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39
Q

What is a foreland basin

A
  • the downwarping of lithosphere behind an actively forming mountain chain
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40
Q

How does a foreland basin form

A

Subduction of oceanic crust under continental crust, magma pushes up through cc by subduction zone, cc warps up where magma is and down inland,

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41
Q

What is a molasse

A

terrestrial (river deposited) gravels and coarse sands representing collision orogenic clastics

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42
Q

what is a flysch

A

a coarsening upward sequence of sedimentary rocks that form in a foreland basin during an orogeny. Deeper water shales and shelf deposits are overlain by shoreline and terrestrial sediments as the basin fills with sediments

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42
Q

What are ophiolites

A

the remnants of very metamorphosed seafloor pinched up along suture

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43
Q

What factors drove diversification in the Ordovician

A
  1. high sea level and large epicontinental seas during much of the Ordovician
  2. restricted land, archipelagos (island chains) create a lot of shallow marine environments
  3. intense magmatic and tectonic activity
  4. strong climatic zonation = biogeographic differentiation
  5. asteroid bombardment
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44
Q

What is ecological tiering

A
  • organisms growing taller and burrowing deeper
  • diversification and specialization to meet feeding needs
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45
Q

What were the primary reef builders in the Ordovician

A
  • coral-strome reefs
  • tabulate corals
  • stromatoporoid
  • rugose corals
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46
Q

What were stromatoporoids

A

calcified sponges

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47
Q

What is thought to be the primary cause of the Ordovician Mass Extinction (2nd largest)

A
  • ice age
  • global cooling
  • sea level drop
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48
Q

Main types of species affected by the Ordovician Mass Extinction

A

warm adapted taxa

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49
Q

What were the primary reef builders during the Silurian-Devonian

A
  • coral-strome reefs
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50
Q

What were the dominant invertebrate predators during the Silurian-Devonian

A

Eurypterids and ammonoids

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51
Q

What were the early fish like in the Ordovician

A
  • jawless
  • boney armor
  • bottom dwellers
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52
Q

What type of animal were conodonts

A

primitive craniates
- modern lamprey

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53
Q

when did jawed fish evolve

A

Evolved in the latest Silurian to Early Devonian

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54
Q

What were some of the major groups of jawed fish

A
  • acanthodians (small)
  • sharks
  • ray finned fish
  • placoderms
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55
Q

How did jaws evolve in fish

A

Food filters were modified to form gills, first gill arch became upper and lower jaws, second-gill arch moved forward to brace jaws

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56
Q

From what body part did fish jaws evolve

A

skeletal rods

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57
Q

when did terrestrial plants first appear

A

Silurian

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58
Q

when did amphibians first appear

A

Devonian

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59
Q

What type of plants were the first plants

A

non-vascular plants (mosses, liverworts, hornworts)
- spore-bearing

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60
Q

How do spore plants (the first plants) reproduce

A

by releasing spores, or small cells, that germinate

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61
Q

What were some of the first vascular plants

A
  • cooksonia
  • rhynia
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62
Q

How did vascular plants reproduce

A
  • seeds!
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63
Q

what type of plants were the lycopods

A
  • non vascular
  • club mosses
  • their forests formed many early coal swamps
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64
Q

when did seed plants evolve

A

Devonian

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65
Q

what were some advantages of seeds compared to spores

A
  • allowed plants to migrate on land
  • no longer needed wet environment
  • easy dispersion
  • food store for seed
  • seed only opens when conditions are good
66
Q

Avalonia

A

Parts of North America, British islands, Belgium, and Germany

67
Q

Euramerica

A

Laurentia, Baltica, US, parts of Canada, Newfoundland, southern Ireland, Wales, England, and Belgium

68
Q

What caused the Acadian Orogeny in the Devonian

A

double collision of
- Northern Laurentia and Baltica
and
- Southern Laurentia and Avalonia

69
Q

What caused the Antler Orogeny in the Devonian

A
  • island arc colliding with NA plate
70
Q

What geological locations were affected by the Antler Orogeny

A
  • Klamath Mountains
  • Sierra-Nevada Mountains
  • western NA (first episode of mountain building here)
71
Q

What caused the ice ages at the end of the Devonian

A
  • spread of forests
  • increased weathering
    reduced atmospheric CO2
72
Q

How is the carboniferous period subdivided

A

Mississippian and Pennsylvanian

73
Q

characteristic sediments of the Mississippian

A

abundant warm water limestones

74
Q

characteristic sediments of the Pennsylvanian

A

abundant swampy lowlands, glaciation

75
Q

time range of the mississippian

A

360-320 mya

76
Q

time range of the pennsylvanian

A

320-300 mya

77
Q

Calcite vs Aragonite

A

Calcite
- forms as a trigonal crystal of CaCO3
- more stable at lower Mg:Ca ratios
Aragonite
- forms as an orthorhombic crystal of CaCO3
- more stable in higher Mg:Ca ratio (typical of times with slower seafloor spreading rates and less MORs)

78
Q

Typical conditions for increased Aragonite

A
  • higher Mg:Ca
  • slow seafloor spreading rates
  • less MORs
79
Q

gymnosperms

A
  • “naked seed plants” (seeds are not enclosed in ovaries)
  • formed woodlands
  • the first conifers
  • unfertilized seeds called “ovules”
  • pollen grains enter through the opening
80
Q

what are some examples of gymnosperms

A
  • seed ferns
  • ginkgos
  • cycads
81
Q

angiosperms

A
  • flowering plants
  • seeds are protected by fruit
82
Q

when did winged insects first evolve

A

Mississippian

83
Q

Why were some carboniferous insects larger than modern forms

A
  • more O2 in the atmosphere
84
Q

when did reptiles first appear

A

lower pennsylvanian strata

85
Q

what is a major difference between reptiles and amphibians in terms of the egg that each type of animal has

A

reptiles developed in an amniotic egg (yolk sac, waste, sac, amnion inside outer shell)

86
Q

what are some differences between amphibians and reptiles

A

amphibians
- used to be larger and slower
- required aquatic habitats and shade
reptiles
- minor skeletal differences
- develop in an amniotic egg
- live and reproduce away from water
- strong jaws, slicing teeth
- faster and more agile

87
Q

what is the significance of the peleycosaurs

A
  • play an important role in the rise to mammals
  • earliest known synapsids
  • transitional groups to mammals in both form and function
88
Q

what were therapsids

A
  • similar to mammals (evolved to them)
  • transition to legs under the body
  • complex jaws and teeth
  • endothermic
89
Q

What were Pelcosaurs

A
  • fin-backed reptiles
  • dominant predators
90
Q

What is Pangea

A

supercontinent

91
Q

when did Pangea form

92
Q

When was the Alleghenian Orogeny

A

Pennsylvanian

93
Q

what caused the Alleghenian Orogeny

A
  • eastern US
  • collision of Euroamerica (Laurentia and Baltica) with Gondwanaland
  • Appalachian mountains
94
Q

how do the Ouachita mountains have to do with the Alleghenian Orogeny

A
  • westward continuation of the Appalachians
  • fold and thrust belt of offshore deposits
95
Q

What types of rocks typify the Delaware Basin

A
  • carbonate and evaporite deposition
  • organic-rich sediments with salt
96
Q

where is the delaware basin

A

texas and new mexico

97
Q

what is the economic importance of the delaware basin

A

the Delaware basin is a significant petroleum source

98
Q

What is a cyclothem

A

cycles in coal beds that contain marine sediments

99
Q

What is the meaning of Paleozoic

100
Q

what is the menaing of mesozoic

A

middle life

101
Q

what are the Paleozoic and Mesozoic separated by

A

The permo-triassic extinction ~250 mya

102
Q

what are the different time periods of the Mesozoic and their time frames

A

Triassic (251 - 202 mya), Jurassic (202 - 145 mya),
Cretaceous (145 - 66 mya)

103
Q

When did Pangea start to rift apart

A

middle triassic

104
Q

What is the Tethys seaway

A
  • formed between NA and SA/Africa
  • site of medditeranean and gulf of mexico
105
Q

What are some differences between major types of marine invertebrates that dominated in the Paleozoic compared to the Mesozoic

A

no more fusulinids, lacy bryozoans, rugose corals, trilobites
abundant mollusks, stromatolites, bivalves, sea urchins, reefs, ammonites

106
Q

What are ammonites

A

little squid like guys

107
Q

During what time periods are ammonites important fossils for biostratigraphy

108
Q

Which line of early amniotes led to mammals

A

synapsidia

109
Q

Which line of early amniotes led to dinosaurs

110
Q

When did marine reptiles first evolve (euryapsida)

A

Triassic-Cretaceous

111
Q

what are some characteristics of early marine reptiles like placodonts, plesiosaurs, and ichthyosaurs

A
  • one high temporal fenestra
  • evolved from land reptiles
111
Q

Placodonts

A
  • blunt tooth shell crushers
  • broad armored bodies
  • superficially resemble turtles
  • shallow nearshore habitats
112
Q

Nothosaurs

A
  • seal like lifestyle
  • caught food in water but hung out on land
    ~3 meters long
  • webbed feet
113
Q

Plesiosaurs

A
  • evolved from nothosaurs
  • top marine predator of the mesozoic
  • up to 12 m long
  • triassic to cretaceous
  • fully marine
  • long necks for darting after fish
  • limbs modified into flippers
  • bore live young
114
Q

Ichthyosaur

A
  • dolphin like lizards
  • bore live young
  • large eyes adapted for deep water depths (low light)
  • triassic to cretaceous
115
Q

What type of animals were the archosaurs (dinosauromorphs)

A

diapsida
- permian-triassic dinosaur ancestors

116
Q

what is the significance of archosaurs

A
  • began upright posture (limbs under body)
  • serrated teeth
  • 4 chambered heart
117
Q

what caused the end Triassic mass extinction

A
  • global warming
  • volcanic activity associated with rifting led to high volumes of CO2
  • disrupted oceanic currents
118
Q

When did dinosaurs first evolve

A

Triassic, Mesozoic

119
Q

What is the difference between lizard hipped and bird hipped

A

lizard hipped “saurischia”
- led to the birds
- large herbivores
- carnivores
bird hipped “ornithischia”
- herbivores

120
Q

Examples of lizard-hipped dinos (sauricia)

A
  • theropods (bipedal carnivores)
  • sauropods (large herbivores)
  • led to the birds
121
Q

examples of bird-hipped dinos (ornithischians)

A
  • bipedal or quadrupedal
  • duck-billed hadrosaurs
  • horned ceratopsians
  • armored stegosaurus
  • ankylosaurs
122
Q

when did birds evolve from sauricians

123
Q

sauropods

A

largest of all dinosaurs

124
Q

what are some lines of evidence that at least some dinos were warm blooded

A
  • too active to maintian body if they were cold blooded
  • sharp slicing teeth
  • greater endurance and tolerance to cooler temperatures
  • dino proportions of predator to prey are similar to mammals
  • lots of bone marrow
  • brooding eggs
125
Q

besides warm bloodedness, what were other ways raptor dinos were similar to birds

A
  • brooding
  • feathers for insulation
  • three toes foot
  • wishbone
  • hollow bones
  • brooding of eggs
  • feathers in some
126
Q

when did primitive feathers first evolve in some dinosaurs

127
Q

what was the primary purpose of feathers for dinosaurs

A

insulation

128
Q

what is the significance of the archeopteryx fossil

A
  • missing link between birds and dinos
129
Q

what are some characteristics of the Archaeopteryx

A
  • feathered
  • breastbone
  • jaws had teeth like dinosaurs
130
Q

what time period is the Archaeopteryx from

A

mid jurassic

131
Q

what is the time period of the sonoma orogeny

A

Permian-triassic

132
Q

what caused the sonoma orogeny

A

volcanic arc collisions along the western US

133
Q

what mountain ranges were involved in the Sonoma orogeny, and what is influencing their growth

A

The Sierras, continued subduction, volcanism further inland

134
Q

What was the sundance sea

A
  • flooded western US by the pacific
  • significant molasse
  • lots of dinos burried during flood events
  • late jurassic
135
Q

what was the western interior seaway

A

seaway from the atlantic, up through NA to the arctic during high sea level
- shallow
- organic and fossil rich marine deposits

136
Q

what is unique about the morrison formation in colorado and utah

137
Q

what were rudist bivalves during the cretaceous

A

bivalve mollusks that appear like corals
- predators

138
Q

What are the Nevadan, Sevier, and Laramide Orogenies

A

mountain building events in the western US
- subduction angle decreased over time

139
Q

Formation of the Gulf of Mexico

A
  • jurassic
  • passive margin
  • salt deposition on stretched crust
140
Q

When do angiosperms appear

A

cretaceous

141
Q

when did true mammals first evolve and from what group

A

Cretaceous, from the therapsids

142
Q

What are some characteristics of mammals that distinguish them from reptiles

A
  • legs under body
  • complex jaw
  • differentiated teeth
  • hair
  • probably endothermic
143
Q

Characteristics of monotremes

A
  • mammals that lay eggs
  • warm blood
  • hair
  • nurse young
  • cloaca
  • low metabolic rate
144
Q

characteristics of marsupials

A
  • born prematurely and finish maturing in a pouch
  • dominant in australia
145
Q

placentals

A
  • Afrotheria
  • Xenarthra
  • laurasiatheria
  • euarchontoglires
146
Q

afrotheria

A

Africa: aardvark, elephant, hyraxes, seacows

147
Q

xenarthra

A

South American: anteaters, sloths, armadillo

148
Q

Laurasiatheria

A

North America, Europe, Asia: insectivores, bats, whales, ungulates, carnivores

149
Q

euarchontonglires

A

Europe: rodents, rabbits, primates

150
Q

what drove the early evolution of horses

A

shift from life in forest to life on open grasslands
- Miocene

151
Q

when and from what did whales evolve

A

bear like terrestrial hooved mammals (mesonychids)
- paleogene

152
Q

when did primates first evolve

153
Q

What is the significance of C4 vs C3 grasses

A
  • C4 plants grow in drier climate with pronounced summer, more silica
  • C3 grown in more uniform climate (warmer)
154
Q

Tectonic Ice age causes

A

cooling, caused by disrupted water mixing

155
Q

when did the apes first evolve

A

oligocene - miocene

156
Q

proconsul

A

split from old world monkeys

156
Q

earliest human ancestor

A

Sahelanthropus

157
Q

AUstralopithecines

A

immediate ancestor of our genus homo

158
Q

Australopithecus afarensis

158
Q

Neanderthals

159
Q

homo habilis

A

stone tools

Fall 2023 (2 decks)

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