PALEO EXAM 1 QUESTIONS

Vertabrate fossils were reconstructed and interperted as mythological beasts rather than prehistoric animals with living descendants mostly because scholars at the time did not:

a) use and understand comparative anatomy

b) use the rules of fossil succession

c) understand how evolution works

d) apply y=the principle of superpostion

a) use and understand comparative anatomy

satistical studies of siz-frequency distributions of fossil brachiopods and clams produced ____ curves that reflect ___, which is typical of many extant invertebrates today

a) multimodal distribution; seasonal variation in spawning patterns

b) normal distribution; steady state population'

c) negative skewed; high senile mortality

d) positive skewed; high infant mortality

d) positive skewed; high infant mortality

classification is the ____

a) names and naming system

b) process of classifying plants and animals, study of relationships between taxa

c) evolutionary relationships between taxa

d) process of ordering objects, or a system of ordered objects

d) process of ordering objects, or a system of ordered objects

beneficial or neutral interactions between organsims are termed ____, wheras negative interactions are termed _______

a. symbiotic; antagonistic

b. antagonistic; symbiotic

c. symbiotic; mutualistic

d. anatagonistic'; parasatitic

a. symbiotic; antagonistic

all of the following are used to reconstruct ancient trophic communities EXCEPT

a. vertebrate fossils

b. invertebrate fossils

c. organics

d. trace fossils

c. organics

in 1972, Eldrige and Gould published a paper stating that ___ is the normal pattern of species followed by ___ after some catastrophic periods of extinction terming it ____

a. adaptive radiation, stasis, phyletic gradualism

b. stasis, adaptive radiation, puncutated equillibirum

c. stasis, sympatric speciation, punctuated equillibrium

d. phyletic gradulism, allopatric speciation, puncuated equillibrium

b. stasis, adaptive radiation, puncutated equillibirum

A paradigm shift occurs when:

a. old ideas are replaced with new ways of thinking to match current society

b.a scientific community builds consensus and decides to challenge old ideas

c. old evidecne is redisovered that shows ancient philosophers had correct ideas

d. enough new evidence is discovered that challenges and replaced old ideas

d. enough new evidence is discovered that challenges and replaced old ideas

in the chart, image A is best explained by:

a. principle of superposition

b. principle of horizontality

c. principle of lateral continuity

d. principle of inclusion

a. principle of superposition

in the chart, image B is best explained by:

a. principle of superposition

b. principle of horizontality

c. principle of lateral continuity

d. principle of inclusion

c. principle of lateral continuity

The approach used in science today in the study of paleontology is the ____

a. hypothetico-dedeuctive reasoning method

b. simple hypotheses mehtod

c. logic method

d. inductive reasoning

a. hypothetico-dedeuctive reasoning method

A theory is defined as ___

a. principles of rules used to determine by argument wether a statement is true or false

b. an empirical based, descriptive generalization; they state what will happen under certain circumstances

c. a well substantiated explaination of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate theories, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses

d. a well substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, aand tested hypotheses

d. a well substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, aand tested hypotheses

all belolw are reasons for studying paleontology, except for:

a. origin of life

b. climate change

c. facts

d. evolution

c. facts

This diagram best represents a _____

a. disconformity

b. unconformity

c. nonconformity

d. angular unconformity

c. nonconformity

the portion of the GTS represented by body fossils of metazoans is only ___ of geollogic time

a. 1/9

b. 1/3

c. ¾

d. 8/9

a. 1/9

the concept of cyclostratigraphy and the repetition of rock units is based on milankovitch cycles which is controlled by

a. eccentricity, obliquity, and regression

b. eccentricity, cyclicity, and precession

c. eccentricity, obliquity, and precession

d. cyclicity, obliquity, and precession

c. eccentricity, obliquity, and precession

the example in class notes of the stratigraphy of the rock layers that make up the grand canyon indicates:

a. there is more time missing than is represented by rock layers

b.there is very little time missing as represented by rocks layers

c, there is an equal amount of rock layers from the time they were deposited

d. there is more rock layers than there is missing time

a. there is more time missing than is represented by rock layers

In order for a fossil to be useful in stratigraphic correlation, it must meet all the following criteria except for

a. abundant

b. associated with a particular environment

c, easy to identify

d. belong to a species with a short stratigraphic ranges

b. associated with a particular environment

all of the follo9wing are excellent fossils for biostratigraphy EXCEPT for

a. coral

b. ammonites

c. grapolites

d. pollen

a. coral

this diagram represents

a. seafloor spreading boundary

b. transform plate boundary

c. divergent plate boundary

d. convergent plate boundary

d. convergent plate boundary

______ best explains the similarities between placental and marsupial mamals, where in aus. marsupials inhabit niches occupied by placental mamals elsewehre in the world today, and had diverged from a common ancestor about 100 Ma

a. vicariance

b. dispersal

c. convergence

d. waif dispersal

c. convergence

the highest familial diversity of the benthos in deep time was apparetnly tied to times of:

a. the greatest continental fragmentation and highest sea levels

b. cooler climates

c. cooler climates and lowest sea levels

d. the greatest continental fragmentation

a. the greatest continental fragmentation and highest sea levels

this diagram represents

a. subduction zone boundary

b. transform plate boundary

c. divergent plate boundary

d. convergent plate boundary

c.. divergent plate boundary

the evolution of the omomyid Teilhardina from asia to wyoming to mississipi via greenland back to belgium during the eocene represents:

a. land bridges (between continents)

b. corridor seaways (through continents)

c. island hopping (from continents to islands)

d. waif dispersal (from continents to continent)

d. waif dispersal (from continents to continent)

In the marine realm, the distribution of plants and animals above and below the sediment water interace, referred to as tiering, is controlled mainly by all of the following except for;

a. oxygenation

b. wave energy

c. quantity of organics

d. feeding strategies

b. wave energy

Major evolutionary trends recorded by fossils from the geologic record indicate that:

a. organisms show a trend of increased size, complexity, and diversity through time

b. organisms show progress in increased size, complexity, and diversity through time

c. organisms show a trend of decreased size, complexity, and diversity through time

d. organisms show variable of increased size, complexity and diversity through time

a. organisms show a trend of increased size, complexity, and diversity through time

which definition below is used by plaeontologists to define fossil species:

a. conformation to a type of recorded in a museum determine by a scientist

b. a population of group of populations that differs morphologically from other populations

c. groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations that are reproductivley isolated from other groups

d. species is a single lineage of ancestor-descendant populations which maintains its identity from other lineages

b. a population of group of populations that differs morphologically from other populations

____ developed the principle of fossil succession for correlating rock units from one place to another

a. lyell

b. smith

c. hutton

d. steno

b. smith

the definition of macroevolution is as follows:

a. new species arise only when small, local populations are isolated at the geographic margins

b. a change in gene frequencies of a population

c. the origin of new species and higher taxa

d. favorable, heritable variation accumulates in a population

c. the origin of new species and higher taxa

this diagram represents:

a. magmatic hot spot

b. transform plate boundary

c. divergent plate boundary

d. convergent plate boundary

b. transform plate boundary

all the following statements about the geololgic record of global climate are true EXCEPT:

a. there are periods of greenhouse and icehouse, of which greenhouse climates dominate and icehouse periods are much fewer

b. the recent, better preserved geologic recrod shows long periods of cooling puncutated by rapid warming periods

c. the eccentricity, obliquity, and precession of earths orbit, and solar insolation cycles as well as other environmental factors play a role in global warming and cooling

d. the geologic record of climate change is slow and predictable, and mostly cooler until recently because of human activities

d. the geologic record of climate change is slow and predictable, and mostly cooler until recently because of human activities

taphonomy is defined as

a. history of an organism from its time of burial to the time its remains are collected and examined

b. history of an organims life to its time of death and its reamins collected and examined

c. history of an organism from its time of death to the time of burial

d. history of an organism from its time of death to the time tis remains are collected and examined

d. history of an organism from its time of death to the time tis remains are collected and examined

This image best represents a _____

a. nonconformity

b. disconformity

c. unconformity

d. angular unconformity

d. angular unconformity

the breakup of pangea beginning in the late triassic and the movements of continents through time is an example of ____ as a major factor in distribution of fauna and flora today:

a. vicariance

b. dispersal

c. convergence

d. waif dispersal

a. vicariance

all of the following are accepted as part of the study of taphonomy except for

a. necrolysis

b. biostratinomy

c. tectonics

d. diagenesis

c. tectonics

the definition of punctuated equillibrium is as follows:

a. new species arises when small, local population is isolated at the geographic margins

b. species arise as the most successful animals mate and pass on their genes to their offspring

c. a change in gene frequences of a population that result in new species long periods of time

d. favorable, heritable variation accumulates in a population through time result in new species

a. new species arises when small, local population is isolated at the geographic margins

Darwin used the term evolution ___ times in his book:

a. 10

b.2

c. 1

d. 0

d.0

all of the following statements about radiations are true except for

a. diversification can occur in multiple phases before a major radiation event

b. mass extinctions are not necessary to create open niches to allow radiation.

c. radiaitons in a group do not necessarily involve all lineages within a group

d. radiations with diversification varies rapid, expressed over 20-30 Ma or more

b. mass extinctions are not necessary to create open niches to allow radiaiton

through the phanerozoic, the greatest diversity of marine benthic families coincides with the ___, whereas the least diversity coincides with the ___

a. greatest fragmentation of landmasses; lowest sea levels

b. greatest fragmentation of landmasses; highest sea levels

c. fewest isolated landmasses; highest sea levels

d. fewest isolated landmasses; greatest fragmentation of landmasses

a. greatest fragmentation of landmasses; lowest sea levels

the longest-lived species determined from the fossil record is approximatley ____.

a. 10 million years

b. 1 million years

c. 500,000 years

d. 100,000 years

a. 10 million years

all of the following statements about biotic replacement are true, EXCEPT

a. one group of organisms crashes during a biotic crisis, while the other continues to diversity

b. principal compenent analyses show that organisms replacing another did not compete with each other in the environemnt for space of resources

c. one group of organisms does not keep another group of organisms from recovering after a biotic crisis

d. mass extinctions are necessary to create open niches by driving one group into extinction while the other group recovers and takes over

d. mass extinctions are necessary to create open niches by driving one group into extinction while the other group recovers and takes over

darwin said all of the following in the origin of species EXCEPT

a. animals vary and this variation is heritable

b. favorable varieties predominate

c. survival of the fittest is a lottery

d. environment is the selection factor

c. survival of the fittest is a lottery

all of the following were used as evidence for the presence of one giant land mass except

a. seed ferns

b. freshwater reptiles

c. theropod-like mammals

d. angiosperms

d. angiosperms

examples of dispersal routes include all the following except

a. land bridges

b. corridor seaways

c. island hopping

d. convergence reckoning

d. convergence reckoning

all of the follolwing lines of evidence were used to determine that all animals and plant life did not originate from Mt Ararat EXCEPT

a. marsupials found only in australia

b. large bodies of water limiting disperal

c. similar mammal species found on every continent

d. animals and plants have specific geogrpahical ranges

c. similar mammal species found on every continent

____ proposed the concept of ____ and used fossils and rock types to determine that all the continents were together at one time and named it ____

a. werner; continental drift; rodinia

b. wegner; continental drift; pangea

c. wegner; plate tectonics; pangea

d. werner; plate tectonics; rodinia

b. wegner; continental drift; pangea

_____ factors include tectonic movements and barriers, and climatic conditions, whereas ____factors include disperal abilities of organisms themselves and ecololgical interactions

a. intrinsic; extrinsic

b. instrinsic; actualistic

c. extrinsic; biogeographic

d. extrinsic; intrinsic

d. extrinsic; intrinsic

at least ___ or more of the organisms that ever lived were never preserved in the geologic record because they were composed of soft parts rather than with hard parts

a. 1/3

b. ¾

c. 2/3

d. 1/9

c. 2/3

2 types of fossil laggerstatten are

a. calcification and pyritization lagerstatten

b. concentration and conservation lagerstatten

c. conservation and phosphatization

d. concentration and permineralization

b. concentration and conservation lagerstatten

_____ would not enhance the preservation of fossil remains

a. presence of oxygen intolerant bacteria

b. rapid burial by sediments or extrusive materials

c. hard parts such as bones, shells, and teeth

d. burial in a low oxygen environemnt

a. presence of oxygen intolerant bacteria

the difference between progress and trend is

a. progress is a directional change of some feature in a lineage over time, whereas trend in evolution suggest that change occurs with improvement

b. progress in evolution suggests that change occurs with simplification in morphology, whereas trend is a directional change in complexity in a lineage over time

c. progress in evolution e=suggests that change occurs with improvement, whereas trend is a directioanl change of some feature in lineage over time

d. progress is a directional change in complexity in a lineage over time, whereas trend in evolution suggest that change occurs with simplication of morphology

c. progress in evolution e=suggests that change occurs with improvement, whereas trend is a directioanl change of some feature in lineage over time