Part 1 Flashcards

1
Q

What is an ice age?

A

Repeated advances and retreats of polar ice sheets

Ice age is described by geologists as the whole process of these episodes

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2
Q

What is it called when ice is widespread during an ice age?

A

Glaciations

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3
Q

What are the intervals between glaciations known as during an ice age?

A

Interglacials

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4
Q

Typically on average how long do ice ages last for?

A

10 million years

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5
Q

How often do ice ages occur?

A

Ice ages occur at irregular intervals about every 200 million years

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6
Q

What could be the cause of ice ages?

A

It is not certain but the glacial/interglacial cycles seem to match with slight changes in the earth axial tilt and the eccentricity of its orbit

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7
Q

How much water can glaciations reduce global sea level by?

A

100-200 m

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8
Q

How old is the earth?

A

Around 4.55 billion years

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9
Q

How long ago did prokaryotic life begin?

A

About 4 billion years ago

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10
Q

How long ago did eukaryotic life begin?

A

About 2.1 billion years ago

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11
Q

How long ago did multicelluluar algae life begin?

A

1.2 billion years ago

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12
Q

How long ago did multicellular animals begin?

A

900 million years ago

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13
Q

How long ago did animals with hard parts life begin?

A

540 million years ago

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14
Q

How long ago did first animals on land life begin?

A

428 million years ago

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15
Q

How long ago did first vascular plants (with eternal tubes) life begin?

A

420 million years ago

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16
Q

When did first genus homo species appear?

A

2.8 million years ago

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17
Q

When did the first Homo sapiens appear?

A

0.2 million years ago

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18
Q

Define a fossil?

A

Animals with hard parts that after death can be preserved by natural processes

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19
Q

When was the most recent glacial period? And what happened?

A

71000-12000 years ago, sea level was lowered at times by 120 m

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20
Q

Define the term evolution?

A

The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth

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21
Q

What reasons might species disappear from the earth over time?

A

They are out competed by rival species and die out

They find themselves unable to survive a change in the environment and die out

They have evolved so much to adapt to environmental or ecological changes that they have become a new species

22
Q

What usually triggers a mass extinction event?

A

Rapid and dramatic environmental changes caused by global catastrophes such as asteroid impacts on the earth or widespread health go volume volcanic eruptions

23
Q

What was the most recent mass extinction called and how long ago was it?

A

K-T boundary event

This happened 66 million years ago

24
Q

What was the K-T boundary mass extinction event most likely cause by?

A

It was most likely caused by a 10 km asteroid that hit in the Mexico area.

It threw up so much dust into the atmosphere that the sunlight reaching the earths surface was too faint to photosynthesise for at least several months

25
Q

What percentages were extinct during the K-T boundary event?

A

Many groups of plants and animals had become extinct

It wiped out 17% of families

50% of genera

75% of all fossil species

26
Q

What is the worst mass extinction to our knowledge and how long ago was it?

A

It was known as the end Permian mass extinction

It happened 252 million years ago

27
Q

What percentage of specie became extinct during the end Permian mass extinction?

A

96% of marine specie

70% of terrestrial vertebrate species

28
Q

What was the most likely cause for the end Permian mass extinction event?

A

EnvironmentL effects of gases such as sulfur dioxide released by massive outpourings of lava in Siberia

29
Q

What are the different theories of how different species or the same are found on different continents?

A

Spreading across dry land
(When sea levels weee lower)

Walking on the ice (unlikely) except for specialists

Swimming (few animals could do this, most would tire after a few km

Passive floating (only for organisms that can survive for long time in the water)

Natural rafts

Hitching a ride (fleas for example)

Continents moving

30
Q

What was the south-America - Africa bridge that could have possibly allowed species to travel from continent to continent called?

A

Archatlantis

31
Q

What was the Africa - Madagascar - India bridge that could have possibly allowed species to travel from continent to continent called?

A

Lemuria

32
Q

Can you think of any land bridges between continents today?

A

There is one supreme example, which is the isthmus of panama that connects north and South America. Another is Sinai linking Africa to asia

33
Q

What was the name of the ancient land bridge that connected U.K. To Europe?

A

Doggerland

34
Q

What is a continental drift?

A

It is the moving of continents (very slowly)

For example is is thought to be that Africa and South America were joined

35
Q

Why does the isthmus of panama have significance in the spread of species?

A

North and South America had been separate for almost 200 million years and only in the past 5-10 millions years ago it has come together by continental drift and volcanic eruptions

The term interchange means that fauna was able to spread from north to south and vice versa without vacating their original ranges
As a result some subsequently became extinct

36
Q

Define the term evolution?

A

The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth

37
Q

What reasons might species disappear from the earth over time?

A

They are out competed by rival species and die out

They find themselves unable to survive a change in the environment and die out

They have evolved so much to adapt to environmental or ecological changes that they have become a new species

38
Q

What usually triggers a mass extinction event?

A

Rapid and dramatic environmental changes caused by global catastrophes such as asteroid impacts on the earth or widespread health go volume volcanic eruptions

39
Q

What was the most recent mass extinction called and how long ago was it?

A

K-T boundary event

This happened 66 million years ago

40
Q

What was the K-T boundary mass extinction event most likely cause by?

A

It was most likely caused by a 10 km asteroid that hit in the Mexico area.

It threw up so much dust into the atmosphere that the sunlight reaching the earths surface was too faint to photosynthesise for at least several months

41
Q

What percentages were extinct during the K-T boundary event?

A

Many groups of plants and animals had become extinct

It wiped out 17% of families

50% of genera

75% of all fossil species

42
Q

What is the worst mass extinction to our knowledge and how long ago was it?

A

It was known as the end Permian mass extinction

It happened 252 million years ago

43
Q

What percentage of specie became extinct during the end Permian mass extinction?

A

96% of marine specie

70% of terrestrial vertebrate species

44
Q

What was the most likely cause for the end Permian mass extinction event?

A

EnvironmentL effects of gases such as sulfur dioxide released by massive outpourings of lava in Siberia

45
Q

What are the different theories of how different species or the same are found on different continents?

A

Spreading across dry land
(When sea levels weee lower)

Walking on the ice (unlikely) except for specialists

Swimming (few animals could do this, most would tire after a few km

Passive floating (only for organisms that can survive for long time in the water)

Natural rafts

Hitching a ride (fleas for example)

Continents moving

46
Q

What was the south-America - Africa bridge that could have possibly allowed species to travel from continent to continent called?

A

Archatlantis

47
Q

What was the Africa - Madagascar - India bridge that could have possibly allowed species to travel from continent to continent called?

A

Lemuria

48
Q

Can you think of any land bridges between continents today?

A

There is one supreme example, which is the isthmus of panama that connects north and South America. Another is Sinai linking Africa to asia

49
Q

What was the name of the ancient land bridge that connected U.K. To Europe?

A

Doggerland

50
Q

What is a continental drift?

A

It is the movement of continent (very slow)

It was thought that Africa and South America were once connected