BIOL 193D - Important Terms and People

science

systematic discipline that builds knowledge through hypotheses/predictions about the universe

empirical

observation, data gathering/experimentation

testable

verify hypotheses through empiricism

repeatable/reproducible

observations may be repeated/validated by other scientists

falsifiable

hypotheses disproven by new evidence

objective

observations consistent/no bias

tentative

science subject to revision

retrodiction

current info used to make statements on the past

prediction

current info used to infer future events

deep time

spans of time where geological/evolutionary processes unfold

uniformitarianism

principle that things operate the same today as they did in the past

time scales

diagrams of units of time often include associated events

stratiographic columns

visual representations of the vertical arrangement of rock layers in a area

phylogenetic trees

diagram of evolutionary relationships among taxa (relationships, ancestor-descendant)

geology

study of earth

evolutionary biology

study of processes that led to the diversity of life on earth (speciation, diversification, adaptation

paleontology

study of past life (records of past life)

paleoenvironments

prehistoric habitats/biomes

paleoecology

the relationships of prehistoric organisms to their environments

deep time

immense spans of time over which astronomical, geological, and evolutionary processes unfold

hypothesis

statement of proposed explanation for a phenomenon based on available evidence and a starting point for further investigation

mineral

solid substance with a well defined chemical composition and crystal structure

rock

solid aggregate of 1+ minerals

igneous rock

forms from melting/cooling rock by lava or magma

tuffs

rocks formed by volcanic ash (igneous but acts sedimentary)

lava infills

casts and molds

metamorphic rocks

pressure + heat in rocks

sedimentary rocks

forms from the accumulation and cementing together of sediments

weathering

breaking down of rocks by water

erosion

the removal of broken bits of rock

lithify

turn to rock

cementation

dissolved minerals (recrystallize)

compaction

new layers of sediment compress older layers below it

limestone

buildup of extremely fine pieces of shells/preserve highest quality fossils

14 billion years ago

big bang=universe started

4.5 billion years ago

sun/solar system formed (earth too)

Archbishop James Ussher

10/23/4004 BC tried to calculate when the universe began but calculations are not reproducible

Marie/Pierre Curie

radiometric dating, dating materials using characteristic rates of radioactive decay

Bertram Boltwood

uranium decays into lead (long time), first to use Pb/U dating on rocks

Clair Patterson

correctly guessed that some meteorites formed at the same time as our solar system

Goerge Courier (1769-1832)

founded comparative anatomy, helped found modern paleontologyO

OC Marsh and ED Cope

American paleontologists who fought against one another (bone wars)

Nicholas Stero (1638 - 1686)

anatomist, paleontolgist, geologist

coal

compressed carbon rich vegetation

solar energy

driving wind and water cycles

tectonic processes

melting and deforming rock

plate tectonics

theory that Earth’s outer shell is borken up into individual tectonic plates that move

mountains

major sites of erosion

basin

major sites of erosion

stratigraphy

study of how rocks form layers (strata)

principle of superposition

lower strata is older than upper strata

original horizontality

strata are deposited flat initially

lateral continuity

strata are laterally continous unless there is a barrier or thin out or eroded

crosscutting relationships

strata are older than any structures that disturb them

included fragments

fragments inside of strata are older than the strata containing them

faunal succession

fossils in lower strata are older than upper fossils

lithostratigraphy

how are the rocks different

biostratigraphy

fossils are different (in strata) assign dates based on other fossils

chronostratigraphy

assign absolute dates or ages to each strata

uncomformity

gap in rock record

faunal turnover

the simultaneous disappearance of old species and appearance of new species in the rock record (exreme = mass extinction)