How old is the sun?
4.6 billion years old
Which concept did James Hutton discover where current geological processes resemble old ones?
Principle of Uniformitarianism
Which concept did Nicholas Steno find where sedimentary rock layers are older than layers above them?
Law of Superposition
What measures elements emitting particles and energy at a constant rate of half-life?
radiometric dating / carbon dating
What measures damage tracks from U-238 fission?
fission track dating
Fossils are only found in which type of rock?
sedimentary
What is a compilation of fossils from previous times with clues about geologic events and evolution?
fossil record
Name the TEN types of fossils:
mummified, amber, tar bed, frozen, petrified, imprint/cast, coprolite (poop), gastrolith (digestive stones/eggs), index (in particulate rock layer, indication), trace (footprints, burrows)
What is the current epoch called?
anthropocene
Alexander Oparin successfully proved that:
intense energy created organic molecules from inorganic chemicals
What is the change in a population’s genetic makeup over generations, either small or long-term, evolutionary changes?
biological evolution
Name the FOUR processes of microevolution:
DNA mutation, natural selection for surviving organisms, gene flow b/w populations, genetic drift (gene frequency changes in gene pool)
What describes the process of individuals in a population having traits for better survival and more offspring?
natural selection
What is an adaptive trait?
adaptation
____________ ____________ is a factor affecting natural selection taking place.
selective pressure
Name the THREE conditions of natural selection:
natural variability of trait, heredity of trait, trait leading to differential reproduction
Which type of natural selection causes allele frequencies to shift to ONE extreme, removing the other?
directional natural selection
Which type of natural selection causes allele frequencies to shift to the middle of the range with no extremes?
stabilizing natural selection
Which type of natural selection causes allele frequencies to shift to both extremes, with no middle?
diversifying natural selection
What is the process of two species coming from one?
speciation
Name the TWO steps of speciation:
geographic isolation then reproductive isolation
Speciation leads to greater _________ __________
species richness
What describes the number of species in a community?
species richness / species diversity
What describes the relative abundance of organisms in each species?
species evenness
Name the TWO aspects of the theory of island biogeography:
species diversity based on IR and ER
IR and ER are affected by island size and distance from mainland immigrant species
Which species have broad niches and a wide range of tolerance (ex: mice, humans)?
generalist species
Which species have narrow niches and a narrow range of tolerance, so higher extinction chance (ex: spotted owls, giant pandas)?
specialist species
Which species’ presence shows a unique aspect in their ecosystem?
indicator species
Which species has a critical role in sustaining the ecosystem (ex: alligators)?
keystone species
Gould and Eldredge found which modern evolutionary theory stating that evolution occurs with small changes in large time periods and sometimes big changes in small time periods?
punctuated equilibrium
Which modern evolutionary theory states that allele frequencies in a population are constant with occasional disturbances (ex: mutations, genetic drift)?
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
Which modern evolutionary theory is genetic manipulation or breeding by humans leading to new traits or species?
genetic engineering & artificial selection
What percent of all species in Earth’s existence are extinct?
99%
Name FOUR factors affecting speciation and extinction:
large geographic movements, slow (continental drift) and fast (volcano, asteroid) climate changes, human influence
What was the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history?
Permian (killed marine species)
What was the last mass extinction?
Cretaceous (killed dinos)