Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

High School Biology > The Fossil Record and Chapters 17 & 18 > Flashcards

The Fossil Record and Chapters 17 & 18 Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is one of the things that helps provide evidence about the history of life on earth? What does that history include?

A

The fossil records provides evidence about the history of life on Earth and shows how different groups of organisms, including species, have changed over time.

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

What is the fun fact thing?

A

99% of all species that have ever lived on Earth have become extinct

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

Where do most fossils form?

A

In sedimentary rock

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

What usually forms in sedimentary rock?

A

Fossils

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

Define paleontologists

A

Scientists who study fossils

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

What is created when exposure to the elements breaks down existing rock into small particles of sand, silt, and clay?

A

Sedimentary rock

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

What is it called when the age of a fossil is determined by its placement with that of fossils in other layers of rock

A

Relative dating

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

What do scientists use to compare the relative age of fossils?

A

Index fossils

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

What is a species that is recognizable and existed for a short period but had a wide geographic range?

A

An index fossil

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

What are some characteristics of an index fossil?

A

It’s recognizable and existed for a short period but had a wide geographic range

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

What do you use to determine the age of a sample based on the amount of remaining radioactive isotopes it contains

A

Half-lives

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

What is the length of time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay?

A

Half-life

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

What was developed through fossils (animals and plants) in layers of rock and by using radioactive dating?

A

The Geologic Time Scale

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

How was the Geologic Time Scale developed?

A

It was developed through fossils (animals and plants) in layers of rock and by using radioactive dating

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is the oldest period of time?

A

Precambrian time

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

What is the period inside the Precambrian era?

A

The Vendian era

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What are the 3 eras?

A

Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What era covers 88% of history?

A

Precambrian time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

How much time does the Precambrian Era cover?

A

About 88% of Earth’s history

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

What is the order of the time periods from oldest to newest?

A

Vendian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary

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

What’s the order from oldest to newest time periods in the paleozoic era?

A

Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, and Permian

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

What’s the order from oldest to newest time periods in the mesozoic era?

A

Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous

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

What’s the order from oldest to newest time periods in the cenozoic era?

A

Tertiary, Quaternary

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

What term is used to refer to large-scale evolutionary patterns and processes that occur over long periods of time?

A

Macroevolution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is macroevolution?

A

Biologists use the term to refer to large-scale evolutionary patterns and processes that occur over long periods of time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What are the 6 important topics of macroevolution?

A

Extinction, Adaptive radiation, convergent evolution, coevolution, punctuated equilibrium, and changes in developmental genes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What do extinction, adaptive radiation, convergent evolution, coevolution, punctuated equilibrium, and changes in developmental genes all have in common?

A

They’re all topics of macroevolution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What resulted in a burst of evolution that produced new species?

A

[mass] extinctions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What resulted in open habitats and provided ecological opportunities for those organisms that survived?

A

Extinction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What happens when a single species or small group of species evolves through natural selection and other processes into diverse forms that live in different ways?

A

Adaptive Radiation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What is adaptive radiation?

A

When a single species or small group of species evolves through natural selection and other processes into diverse forms that live in different ways

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What is it called when unrelated organisms come to resemble one another and natural selection molds different body structures like legs and arms into modified forms like wings or flippers?

A

Convergent evolution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What is convergent evolution?

A

When unrelated organisms come to resemble one another and natural selection molds different body structures like legs and arms into modified forms like wings or flippers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

What is it called when organisms that are closely connected to one another by ecological interactions evolve together, evolutionary changes in one organism may be followed by a corresponding change in another organism, and two species evolve in response to changes in each other over time?

A

Coevolution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

What is coevolution?

A

When organisms that are closely connected to one another by ecological interactions evolve together, evolutionary changes in one organism [may] be followed by a corresponding change in another organism, and two species evolve in response to changes in each other over time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

What is a pattern of long, stable periods interrupted by brief periods of more rapid change called?

A

Punctuated equilibrium

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

What is punctuated equilibrium?

A

A pattern of long, stable periods interrupted by brief periods of more rapid change called?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

What might explain how differences evolve?

A

Changes in the expression of developmental genes [“body plans”]

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

What is the balanced distribution of duplicate body parts or shapes?

A

Symmetry in biology

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

What are the 3 types of symmetry?

A

Radial symmetry, bilateral symmetry, and spherical symmetry

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

Do most organisms exhibit symmetry or not?

A

Most organisms exhibit some sort of symmetry, a small minority are asymmetric

42
Q

What is approximate in nature and biology?

A

Symmetry

43
Q

What’s one example of approximate symmetry?

A

Plant leaves- they’re considered symmetric but rarely match up perfectly when folded in half

44
Q

What means being capable of being split int o two equal parts so that one part is a mirror image of the other?

A

Bilateral symmetry

45
Q

What is bilateral symmetry?

A

Being capable of being split int o two equal parts so that one part is a mirror image of the other

46
Q

What is it called when organisms resemble a pie where several cutting planes produce roughly identical pieces?

A

Radial symmetry

47
Q

What kind of organisms exhibit no left or right sides and only has top and bottom surfaces?

A

An organism with radial symmetry

48
Q

What is spherical symmetry?

A

When an animal is a sphere (like a sea urchin)

49
Q

What kind of symmetry do starfish exhibit as adults?

A

Pentaradial symmetry

50
Q

What kind of symmetry are starfish’s ancestors believed to have had?

A

Bilateral symmetry

51
Q

What kind of organisms exhibit bilateral symmetry only as larval forms?

A

Starfish, as well as other echinoderms, exhibit bilateral symmetry only as larval forms

52
Q

What is a key theme in ecology?

A

Interdependence

53
Q

What do species interact with?

A

Both other species and their nonliving environment

54
Q

What is it called when one change can affect all species in an ecosystem?

A

Interdependence

55
Q

What is interdependence?

A

One change can affect species in an ecosystem

56
Q

What is the hierarchy of organization in the environment?

A

Biosphere, ecosystem, community, population, and organism

57
Q

What is the broadest, most inclusive level of organization is the biosphere, the volume of Earth and its atmosphere that supports life?

A

The biosphere

58
Q

What includes all of the organisms and the nonliving environment found in a particular place?

A

An ecosystem

59
Q

What is all the interacting organisms living in an area?

A

A community

60
Q

What is the level of organization where the focus is on the individual organisms of a single specis?

A

The population

61
Q

What are biotic and abiotic factors?

A

Biotic factors are living factors. Abiotic factors are nonliving factors that influence organisms (climate, sunlight, pH, etc)

62
Q

What is it called when some organisms can adjust their tolerance to abiotic factors?

A

Acclimation

63
Q

What is an organism called when it can’t regulate their internal condition and they change as their external environment changes?

A

A conformer

64
Q

What kind of organisms use energy to control some of their internal conditions?

A

Regulators

65
Q

How do some species survive unfavorable conditions?

A

By becoming dormant or by migrating

66
Q

What is a way of life, or role, in an ecosystem?

A

A niche

67
Q

Most of what are photosynthetic and make carbohydrates by using energy from the sun?

A

Producers

68
Q

What is the rate at which producers in an ecosystem capture the energy of sunlight by producing organic compounds?

A

Gross primary productivity

69
Q

What is the rate at which biomass accumulates called?

A

Net primary productivity

70
Q

What obtains energy by eating other organisms and includes herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, detritivores, and decomposers?

A

Consumers

71
Q

What is a single pathway of energy transfer called?

A

A food chain

72
Q

What is a network showing all paths of energy transfer called?

A

A food web

73
Q

Why do ecosystems contain only a few trophic levels?

A

Because there is a low rate of energy transfer between each level

74
Q

What contains only a few trophic levels because there is a low rate of energy transfer between each level?

A

Ecosystems

75
Q

What are the key processes in the water syscle?

A

Evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation

76
Q

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are the two main steps in what?

A

The carbon cycle

77
Q

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are important in what because they change nitrogen gas into a usable form of nitrogen for plants?

A

The nitrogen cycle

78
Q

What is the mort important thing in the nitrogen cycle?

A

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria

79
Q

What happens in the phosphorous cycle?

A

Phosphorus moves from the phosphate deposited in rock, to the soil to living organisms, and finally to the ocean

80
Q

What is the variety of organisms considered at all levels from populations to ecosystems?

A

Biodiversity

81
Q

Who replaced Aristotle’s classification system and why?

A

Naturalists replaced Aristotle’s classification system because it did not adequately cover all organisms and because his use of common names was problematic

82
Q

What is the science of describing, naming, and classifying organisms?

A

Taxonomy

83
Q

What did Carolus Linnaeus devise?

A

He created a seven-level hierarchical system for classifying organisms according to their form and structure

84
Q

What are the origional seven levels of the Linnaean system?

A

Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species

85
Q

What is binomial nomenclature?

A

Assigning each species a two-part scientific name- a genus name and a species identifier

86
Q

What is the system of assigning each species a two part name called?

A

Binomial nomenclature

87
Q

What analyzes the diversity of organisms in the context of their natural relationships?

A

Systematics

88
Q

What do scientists consider when classifying organisms?

A

Fossils, homologous features, embryos, chromosomes, and the sequences of proteins and DNA

89
Q

What displays how closely related a subset of taxa are thought to be?

A

A phylogenetic diagram

90
Q

What provides evidence of shared ancestry?

A

Homologous features as well as similarities in patterns of embryological development provides information about common ancestry

91
Q

What uses shared derived characters as the only criterion for grouping taxa?

A

Cladistics

92
Q

What is molecular cladistics?

A

Molecular similarities such as similar amino acid or nucleotide sequences, as well as chromosome comparisons, can help determine common ancestry

93
Q

What is cladistics?

A

Finding common ancestry

94
Q

Analyzing karyotypes can provide more information on what?

A

Evolutionary relationships

95
Q

What can cladistics be mapped on?

A

A cladogram

96
Q

What led to a new tree of life?

A

The phylogenetic analysis of rRNA nucleotide sequences by Carol Woese

97
Q

What does the new “tree of life” consist of?

A

Three domains aligned with six kingdoms

98
Q

What are the three domains?

A

Archaea, bacteria, and Eukarya

99
Q

What does domain bacteria align with and what does it consist of?

A

Domain bacteria aligns with kingdom eubacteria, which consists of single-celled prokaryotes that are true bacteria

100
Q

What does domain Archaea align with and what does it consist of?

A

Domain Archaea aligns with Kingdom Archaebacteria, which consists of single-celled prokaryotes that have distinctive cell membranes and cell walls

101
Q

What 4 Kingdoms does Domain Eukarya align with and what does it consist of?

A

It includes the Kingdoms Protista, Plantae, Fungi, and Animalia. All members of Domain Eukarya have eukaryotic cells

High School Biology (23 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions