1306 Earth Through Time (SO FAR)

Vocabulary flashcards covering biological evolution theories, phylogenetic concepts, and taxonomy classifications from the lecture transcript.

Theory of Inheritance of acquired Characteristics

Inherited change through effort of organisms over time

Allopatric speciation

The arising of a species when it is separated from its parent population

Phyletic Gradualism

The arising of species through gradual changes passed from ancestor to descendants

Punctuated Equilibrium

Species changes little through history, then evolves rapidly to give rise to a new species

Phylogeny

history of evolutions in a group of organisms

Divergent evolution

when an interbreeding population gives rise to descendants

Convergent Evolution

development of similar characteristics in distantly related organisms

Parallel Evolution

development of similar characteristics in closely related organisms

Cladistics

Study of organism groups that are more closely related to eachother than another group

Linnaean System

Classification of organisms based on traits

Taxonomy System

Classification of organisms based on individuals that are alike in structural and functional characteristics

Monera

single celled without nucleus

Protoctista

single celled with neucleus

Fungi

Mushrooms and Yeast

Plantae

Plants

Porifera

sponges

Cnidaria

Jellyfish

Brachiopoda

Shelled creatures

Bryozoa

calcite

Mollusca

Octopus

Arthropoda

Crabs

Echinodermata

Starfish

Chordata

Mammals

Frank B Taylor

Continent drifting causes basins in the oceans. As sediments accumulate, they form mountains.

Alfred Wegner

Earth formed from a supercontinent Pangaea.

L Du Toit

Similar animals on different continents like Africa and South America.

Oceanic Ridges (Harry H. Hess)

A mid oceanic ridge was discovered, which built up from sediment produced by underwater lava which caused the continents to rift apart

Polar Wandering

some iron rich sediments align themselves with the direction of the north pole

Sea floor Ages

Oldest crust is on the continent edges, newest crust is in the middle of the oceanic ridges.

Hot Spots

Deposits of magma underneath the earth which islands slowly move over throughout millions of years.

Flora and Fauna as Evidence for Continental Drift

Flora and reptiles are similar in different continents like South America, Africa, India, and Antarctica.

Plate Tectonic Theory

The supercontinent Pangaea eventually split into the continents of Earth over the span of millions of years.

Divergent

Plates pull apart from one another.

Convergent

Plates converge into each other.

Transverse

Plates slip past one another.

Subduction

Oceanic crust meets the continental crust, and is pulled downward into the earth, melts, and reappears on the earth as volcanic magma, forming volcanic islands.

Plate tectonics explains

Explains distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains.

Radioactive Decay

Process where the atomic nucleus of an unstable isotope transforms into another atomic nucleus

Atom

smallest divisible unit with the characteristics of a specific element

Protons

positively charged particle

Neutrons

Neutrally charged particle

Atomic number

number of protons in an atomic nucleus

Atomic mass

number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus

Isotopes

forms of the same element with different atomic mass numbers

Radioactive Decay

Alpha, Beta, and Electron Capture Decay

Alpha decay

loss of two protons and two neutrons. # decreases by 2 and mass # by 4

Beta decay

fast moving electron emitted form nucleus causing neutron to change to a proton. Atomic number increases by 1

Electron capture decay

proton captures an electron from an electron shell and converts to a neutron. Atomic # decreases by 1

Halflife

time it takes for 1 half of atoms from an unstable parent element to decay to atoms of a more stable daughter element Mineral

What is a fossil?

Remains or traces of prehistoric life on the earth’s surface. They provide info on depositional environments & evolution of life.

How do fossils form?

Favorable conditions for a fossil: durable skeleton, lived in areas with sediment, and that managed to avoid decay or scavenging

Unaltered Remains

fossils retain their original structure and composition.

Amber

derives from tree resin. Preserves insects commonly

Mummification

drying of tissue, which preserves

Freezing

preservation from ice

Preservation in peat

preservation in swampy vegetation.

Preservation in tar

animals become trapped and preserved in tar

Altered Remains

when fossils are changed structurally/chemically

Permineralization

mineral matter is added to fossils after burial

Recrystallization

unstable compounds become more stable in a fossil

Replacement

skeletal material is replaced by a different compound

Carbonization

when hydrogen and oxygen vaporizes, leaving behind a thin carbon film

Traces

trace fossils are indirect evidence of the occurrence of life in the sedimentary rock

Molds and Casts

a sediment filling in the area where the original fossil was

Tracks and Trails

serve as evidence that a living thing was there in the sediment

Boring and Burrows

different organisms can burrow into wood and rock

Gastroliths

polished stones that form in the skeletal remains of fossils