CSI: Biology Fossil Record Project

Flashcards covering the vocabulary and key concepts of the CSI: Biology Fossil Record Project, including definitions of fossil types, evolutionary mechanisms, and specific case studies.

Fossil Record

The total collection of fossils, including body fossils such as bones and teeth and trace fossils such as tracks and recesses, which documents the history of life on earth.

Body Fossils

Physical remains of an organism found in the fossil record, specifically including bones and teeth.

Trace Fossils

A type of fossil that documents the activities of past life, such as tracks and recesses.

Evolutionary Support (Fossil Record)

Evidence provided by documenting now-extinct past species and showing a chronological progression of life and changes in bone structure.

Mechanism of Evolution

The process where species evolve through genetic variation and natural selection, causing the most helpful traits to gradually become dominant.

Horse Evolution Example

An example of fossil evidence showing how the bone structure of horses gradually began to get larger as they adapted to their environment over centuries.

Rock Layer Depth

A principle stating that the deeper down in the rock layer a fossil is, the older the period it is from, allowing for the chronological progression of species change.

Human Evolution Example

An evolutionary example provided in the project that showcases how an ape evolved into a human.

Common Ancestor

The concept that organisms share a shared origin, evidenced by spotted similarities in fossils throughout centuries.

Structural Adaptation

Changes organisms are forced to make to their structure in order to thrive in their environments, as evidenced by the fossil record.