Biology - Paleontology and Fossil records

Classifying Organisms, Vertebrate history in rocks, Fossil records, evidence of evolution, changes over time

What is Half-Life?

The amount of time it takes for half of the atoms in a radioactive element to decay.

Why are fossil records incomplete?

Because most organisms died without leaving fossils behind.

Why isn’t there fossil records of every organism?

most organi

What is the theory behind Gradualism?

evolution occurs at a steady, slow, and continuous change from one species into a new one.

What is the product of the Gradualism theory?

an intermediate form of the species.

What is the theory behind Punctuated equilibrium?

evolution occurs at a rapid change in a small period of time. followed by long periods of stability.

True or False: Punctuated equilibrium can produce an intermediate form of the species

False

In what type of rock are fossils most frequently present?

Sedimentary rock

What are the three (3) materials sediments are made up of?

1. Clay

2. Sand

3. Mud or Silt

True or False: Sedimentary rock is made up of HARDENED layers of sediments.

True

What are the five (5) examples of fossils?

1. Imprint in rock

2. remains of bones

3. shells

4. skeletons / dead parts

5. glaciers / ambers

What are paleontologists?

Scientists who study organisms that have lived in the past, examine fossil structure and make comparisons to present-day organisms.

What are the five (5) ways paleontologists determine relationships among species?

1. DNA evidence

2. Protein Structure

3. Fossils

4. Early development (embryology)

5. Body structure

What is vestigial structure?

A body part that is reduced in size and doesn’t seem to have a function.

What is a common example of vestigial structure?

The appendix

When do most fossils form?

When organisms that have died become buried in sediments.

What are petrified fossils?

a type of fossil that forms when remains that have been buried in sediment change into rock.

What is a mold?

A HOLLOW space in sediment, in the shape of an organism or a part of it.

What is a cast?

A copy of the shape of organisms that made a mold.

What are cast made of?

Hardened minerals

What are preserved remains?

organisms preserved in substances other than sediment.

What is an example of the material used to make preserved remains?

• Amber

• Ice

What are the two (2) ways to determine a fossil’s age?

1. Relative dating

2. Radioactive dating

True or false: Radioactive dating can determine the ACTUAL age of the fossils?

True

How does radioactive dating work?

it compares the half-life of a radioactive element to the amount of radioactive element present in a fossil.

What is variation?

Any difference between individuals of the same species

What is an example of variation?

Certain insects being able to eat foods that others can’t.

What is evolution?

The gradual change in a species over time.

What are three (3) evidences that organisms have evolved over time?

1. Fossils

2. Patterns of early development (Embryology)

3. Similar body structures

What are homologous structures?

Similar structures that some species have gained from a common ancestor.

What four (4) factors can make a species begin evolution?

1. mutations in DNA

2. migration

3. changes in habitat’s natural climate

4. isolation from a portion of the species by sudden geographic changes

What is adaptation?

a trait that helps organisms survive and reproduce.

What is scientific theory?

a concept that explains a wide range of observations

What is selective breeding?

The practice of breeding organisms with desired traits to produce offspring with those traits.

What is the opposite of selective breeding?

natural selection.

What is natural selection?

the process in which, little by little, organisms that are better-adapted to the environment survive and reproduce, while the weaker links die off as well as the traits that accompany them.

Is natural selection gradualism or punctual equilibrium?

Gradualism

What are the three (3) factors that affect natural selection?

1. overpopulation

2. competition

3. variations

What is classification?

The process of grouping objects/organisms based on their similarities

What is taxonomy?

The scientific study of how living things are classified.

What was aristotles’ classification of living things?

1. Plant kingdom

2. animal kingdom

How did Aristotle sub-divide the plants?

• size

• structure

How did Aristotle sub-divide the animals?

1. Land animals

2. Water animals

3. Air animals

How did Carolus Linnaeus classify animals?

1. Similarities in body structure and systems

2. size

3. shape

4. color

5. it’s method of obtaining food

What is binomial nomenclature?

The practice of naming each organism with a two-part latin name called a scientific name.

How is binomial nomenclature set up?

1st name - genus

2nd name - species

What are the eight (8) levels of classification used today?

1. Domain

2. Kingdom

3. Phylum

4. class

5. order

6. family

7. genus

8. species

What are the three (3) domains in modern-day classification?

1. Bacteria

2. Archaea

3. Eukarya

What are the six (6) kingdoms in modern-day classification?

1. Animal

2. Protist

3. Eubacteria

4. Archaebacteria

5. Plant

6. Fungi

What is the Bacteria domain composed of?

Prokaryotes (They lack a nucleus)

Which kingdoms are categorized in the Bacteria domain?

1 - Eubacteria

What is the Archae domain composed of?

Unicellular prokaryotes found in extreme/harsh environments.

How many kingdoms are categorized in the Archaea domain?

1 - Archaebacteria

What is the Eukarya domain composed of?

organisms that have a nucleus and a membrane around it

How many organisms are categorized in the Eukarya domain?

4 - Protists, Fungi, Plants, Animals

What four (4) characteristics should you look at when trying to determine the classification of an organism?

1. Does it have a nucleus?

2. How many cells? (one-celled or multi-cellular?)

3. Does it make its own food?

4. Does it move on its own?

What is a Dichotomous key?

A series of paired statements that describe the physical characteristics of different organisms.

Who came up with the idea of evolution?

Charles Darwin

What three (3) things did Darwin observe during his travel at the Galapagos islands?

1. The diversity of living things

2. The remains of ancient organisms

3. The characteristics of organisms in the Galapagos Islands

According to fossil evidence, when did ANIMALS first appear?

600 million years ago

According to fossil evidence, when did BACTERIA first appear?

3.5 billion years ago

How many species of organisms have scientist observed on earth?

1.7 Million

What is a fossil?

The preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past.

What is Genus?

A classification grouping that contains similar, closely related organisms

What is species?

A grouping of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce.

True or False: Species is the largest, most broad classification category.

False, it is the smallest most specific categorization

What four (4) functions do scientific names have?

1. Help scientist avoid communication errors.

2. Group organisms with similar evolutionary histories

3. Give descriptive information about species

4. Allow information about the organism to be organized and found easily

What is phylogeny?

The evolutionary history of an organism.

Why are Aristotle and Linnaeus’ classification methods not used today?

They only used observable characteristics of an organism.

What three (3) types of traits are used, on top of observable ones, in our systems today?

1. Chemical make-up of organisms

2. Development of the Embryo

3. Similarities in DNA/body parts