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BIO342 > Paleontology and Macroevolution > Flashcards

Paleontology and Macroevolution Flashcards

1
Q

What is a fossil?

A

A fossil is any trace left by an organism that lived in the past

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2
Q

What are the 4 general categories of fossil formation?

A

o Compression fossils
o Casts and molds
o Permineralized fossils
o Unaltered/minimally altered remains

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3
Q

What is preserved in compression fossils?

A

External structures

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4
Q

How do compression fossils form?

A

Compression and compaction from overlying sediment, leaves behind a carbon film

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5
Q

What do casts and molds preserve?

A

External and internal structures

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6
Q

How are casts and molds formed?

A

Originates when buried remains decay. Molds consist of unfilled spaces; casts form when new material infiltrates the spaces and hardens into rock

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7
Q

What do permineralized fossils preserve?

A

Internal and external structures (e.g., petrified wood)

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8
Q

How do permineralized fossils form?

A

Dissolved minerals precipitate in the tissues of organisms buried in sediment

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9
Q

What are unaltered remains?

A

Intact tissue and skeleton

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10
Q

How are unaltered remains preserved?

A

Organic matter preserved in place not conduce to decay by bacteria and fungi (e.g., peat bogs, resin, ice, etc.) (little oxygen, protective environments)

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11
Q

What are the three components that successful fossilization relies on?

A

Durability of material
Burial (usually in wet sediment)
Lack of oxygen

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12
Q

Give examples of materials that are particularly durable for fossil formation. (5)

A

 Calcified structures (shells)
 Skeleton
 Exoskeleton
 Wood
 Leaves

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13
Q

Why is burial important for fossil formation?

A

No exposure to oxygen or scavengers

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14
Q

Why is lack of oxygen important for fossilization?

A

Most bacteria and fungi need oxygen

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15
Q

What is fossilization biased by? (3)

A

Geography
Taxonomy
Temporal/age

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16
Q

What geographical areas are fossils biased towards?

A

Lowland marine habitats

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17
Q

Describe the taxonomy bias of the fossil record.

A

Marine organisms with hard parts

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18
Q

How is fossilization biased with age?

A

Older fossils are rarer

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19
Q

What area is said to have the best preservation of the earliest life forms?

A

Burgess Shale

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20
Q

What is a whale?

A

o Living and extinct whales are all in the Mammalian order Cetacea
o Delimited based on cranial skeletal morphology, especially dentition and ear bones

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21
Q

Are whales artiodactyl or non-artiodactyl ungulates?

A

 Astragalus of Artiodactyl ungulates is a double pully formation
 But whales lost astragalus
o Looking back…
 Ambulocetus (48-47 MYA)
* Earliest +/- complete whale
* Walked on land but spent time in water
* Swam much like an otter
 Artiodactyl Astragulus bones 40-6 MYA
* Pulley form
o Therefore, whales are artiodactyl ungulates, sister to hippos

22
Q

List the three geological eras.

A

Paleozoic (ancient life)
Mesozoic (middle life)
Cenozoic (recent life)

23
Q

What is the timeline of the Paleozoic era?

A

543-251 mya

24
Q

What are the periods within the Paleozoic era? (6)

A

Cambrian
Ordovician
Silurian
Devonian
Carboniferous
Permian

25
Q

What are the 3 periods within the Mesozoic era?

A

Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous

26
Q

What are the two periods within the Cenozoic era?

A

Tertiary
Quaternary

27
Q

What were the major evolutionary events within the Cambrian period? (2)

A

Arthropod radiation
1st vertebrates

28
Q

What were the major evolutionary events in the Ordovician period? (3)

A

1st land plants
1st jawed fish
Ends with mass extinction

29
Q

What were the major evolutionary events within the Silurian period? (2)

A

1st bony fish
1st vascular plants

30
Q

What were the major evolutionary events within the Devonian period? (3)

A

1st tetrapods
1st insects
Ends with mass extinction

31
Q

What were the major evolutionary events within the Carboniferous period? (2)

A

1st winged insects
1st synapsids

32
Q

What were the major evolutionary events within the Permian period? (1)

A

Ends with mass extinction

33
Q

What were the major evolutionary events within the Triassic period? (4)

A

1st dinosaurs
1st mammals
1st dinosaur radiation
Ends with mass extinction

34
Q

What were the major evolutionary events within the Jurassic period? (2)

A

1st eutherian mammals
1st birds

35
Q

What were the major evolutionary events within the Cretaceous period? (5)

A

2nd dinosaur radiation
1st flowering plants
Flowering plant radiation
Mass extinction
Mammal radiation

36
Q

What were the major evolutionary events within the Tertiary period? (1)

A

1st primates

37
Q

What were the major evolutionary events within the Quaternary period? (1)

A

1st humans

38
Q

During which period did arthropod radiation occur and the first vertebrates were formed?

A

Cambrian

39
Q

During which period did land plants and jawed fish emerge?

A

Ordovician

40
Q

During which period did vascular plants and bony fish first emerge?

A

Silurian

41
Q

During which period did tetrapods and insects first emerge?

A

Devonian

42
Q

During which period did winged insects and synapsids first emerge?

A

Carboniferous

43
Q

During which period did dinosaurs and mammals first emerge?

A

Triassic

44
Q

During which period did eutherian mammals and bird first emerge?

A

Jurassic

45
Q

During which period did flowering plants first emerge?

A

Cretaceous

46
Q

During which period did primates first emerge?

A

Tertiary

47
Q

During which period did humans first emerge?

A

Quaternary

48
Q

List the five mass extinctions by period.

A

Ordovician-Silurian
Devonian-Carboniferous
Permian-Triassic
Triassic-Jurassic
Cretaceous-Tertiary

49
Q

What is a mass extinction?

A

events that lead to extinction >60% of species

50
Q

How many mass extinctions have occurred since the Cambrian era

A

5

51
Q

On average, how many species do we lose every million years?

A

20%

52
Q

Are we currently experiencing a 6th mass extinction?

A

Maybe
o In recent times extinction rates do not approach 60% of known taxa
o HOWEVER, in the last 100 years human population growth and habitat loss have accelerated
o Biologists predict 100-1000x normal background rates

BIO342 (21 decks)

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