Midterm 1 Part 3 Flashcards
What two principles were used to develop the relative Geologic Time Scale?
Fossil Succession and Superposition
What causes strata to be turned upside down?
Tectonic plates moving
What is faunal succession?
Same thing as fossil succession. Different species from different times are found in specific rocks (based on age).
Define Index fossils
characteristic fossils of certain geological time periods
True or False: Fossil succession developed after Darwin’s theory of natural selection?
false.
Which cladistic group is identified by the sharing of evolutionary novelties/common ancestor?
Monophyletic
True or False: Dinosaurs have been found in Antarctica
TRUE
Why do paleontologists favor cladistics over other models?
Does not assume the fossil record is complete and unites taxa based on shared characteristics
Which rock type canNOT be radioactively dated?
Sedimentary
What is the closest relative to Dinosaurs?
Silesaurus
What are the two Archosaurian clades?
Crocodilians and BIRDS
What event caused dinosaurs to become the dominant terrestrial species?
Triassic-Jurassic extinction
What feature is unique to dinosaurs?
Muscle attachment to the humerus
True or False: DInosaur diagnostic characteristics are mainly related to posture.
True
What allowed scientists to find the absolute age of rocks?
Radiometric dating
What allowed scientists to find the absolute age of rocks?
Radiometric dating
When is it acceptable to use radiometric dating with carbon materials?
When the object is between 100 and 70k years. After that, the carbon is gone.
What types of rocks can be dated radiometrically?
Igneous
True or False: Scientists use radiometric dating on sedimentary rock.
False
True or False: Organic matter that is heated and put under pressure can turn into oils and gases.
True
True or False: The finer the grain of rock, the more likely it is to preserve fossils.
True
Define Lithification
Turning loose sediment into rock
How does lithification occur?
As more and more sediment is deposited on top, it becomes heavier and more compacted. The water disappears. There’s a reduction in the amount of poor space.
What are the four steps of creating sedimentary rock?
Weathering, Transportation, Deposition, Lithification
Why are so many sedimentary fossils found in fluvial and lacustine environments?
Because of the weathering and transportation process involved in creating sedimentary rock. There’s water involved in moving sediment.
What is a Deltaic depositional environment?
The space between standing water (like a lake or ocean) and a river.
What is an Eolian depositional environment?
Sand dunes/areas between dunes
What animals originated in the late Triassic (other than Dinosaurs)?
Crocodilians, Mammals, Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, Plesiosaurs, Lizards
Tetrapod
Terrestrial vertebrate
What are the two main tetrapod clades?
- Amphibians
- Amniotes
What characterizes amniotes from amphibians?
Special leathery eggs (vs. laying eggs dependent on water) and a better pelvis with vertebrae.
True or False: Reptiles have more skull bones than amphibians
False
Characteristics of basal tetrapods (amphibians)
Eggs in water, tons of skull bones, weaker limbs, larva stage
What was the break-through that allowed vertebrates to fully conquer land?
The amniotic egg.
This egg had a harder shell that made it possible to lay eggs out of water. There is an amniotic sac surrounding the baby. The egg holds fluid but the shell prevents evaporation.
Sauropsid
Reptile
Complete the statement: The better developed limbs and hip bones allowed reptiles to adapt to _____ on land.
Walk
How many temporal fenestra does an anapsid skull have?
0
Examples of anapsid reptiles (basal reptiles, different from basal tetrapods)
Turtles - tortoises
How many temporal fenestra does a diapsid skull have?
2
How many temporal fenestra does a Euryapsid skull have?
1 at the top of the skull.
Examples of Euryapsid vertebrates
Marine reptiles like plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs
Examples of synapsid vertebrates
Mammals and their descendants
How many temporal fenestra does a synapsid vertebrate have?
One, lower down
thecodonts
Teeth set in sockets
What are some examples of Archosaur characters?
Thecodonts, Muscle attachment to the femur, diapsid, Antiorbital fenestra, mandibular fenestra, unidirectional air flow through lungs
Definition of Dinosauria
Triceratops + Birds
What were the first dinosaurs to ever live?
Probably Eoraptor?
What was the Triassic-Jurassic extinction?
Some extinction event that killed all the archosaurs except the dinosaurs and some crocodilians
Who were the key players in the great dinosaur rush?
Cope and Marsh
Who were the key players in the dinosaur renaissance?
John Ostrom, Robert Bakker, Polish Mongolian expedition by the Soviets
Microevolution
Shows evolution between one species to the next in terms of hundreds of thousands of years.
Macroevolution
Usually involves changing kingdoms and phylums and takes place over millions of years
Also refers to MAJOR changes within a species
Mentulary bone? Spelling?
Found only in female dinosaurs. Stores calcium for egg laying
Obligatory quadraped
Must walk on 4 leggs all the time
Obligatory biped
Must walk on 2 legs al lthe time
Facultative quadraped
can walk on 4 legs, but usually walks on 2
Facultative biped
can walk on two legs but usually walks on 4
Index fossils
guide fossils
