Paleontology Lecture Review

A collection of flashcards based on key vocabulary and concepts from a lecture on Paleontology.

Paleontology

The study of ancient life and evolution through geological time.

Biosphere

The part of the earth's system that involves living things, including ecosystems of animals, plants, microbes, and fungi.

Fossil

Preserved remains of a once-living organism, often found in rock or sediment, that must be 10,000 years or older.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants take energy from the sun to create food and oxygen.

Invasive Species

An organism brought from elsewhere that disrupts and harms native organisms in its environment.

Mass Extinction

A significant loss of a large number of species in a relatively short period of geological time.

Carbonization

A type of fossilization where fossils form as a thin carbon film, commonly found in plants.

Paleoecology

The study of the relationships between ancient organisms and their environments.

Taphonomy

The study of how organisms decay and become fossilized.

Archaeology

The study of human artifacts.

Anthropology

The study of human culture.

Cambrian Period

Period in geological time known for the appearance of many multicellular life forms.

Triassic Extinction

A mass extinction event caused by volcanic activity that eliminated many marine and terrestrial species.

Holocene Epoch

The current epoch that began approximately 11,700 years ago, following the last ice age.

Ordovician Extinction

The first mass extinction event caused by an ice age, leading to the loss of many marine species.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms interacting with one another and their environment.