EVSC 2800: Interlude E

fossil

remnant of an ancient living organism that has been preserved in rock or sediment

paleontology

study of ancient life and its evolution as recorded by fossils

evolution

the idea that species change over time, new species appear, and old ones disapper due to survival of the fittest

fossilization

process of forming a fossil

mold

cavity in sedimentary rock created when shell that once filled space weathers out

cast

sediment that preserves shape of shell it once filled

permineralization

fossilization process in which plant material becomes rock by precipitation of silica from groundwater

petrified wood

wood that’s undergone permineralization and turned to agate

biomarker

molecule/s that could only have been produced by living organism

macrofossil

fossile large enough to be seen with naked eye

microfossil

fossil that can only be seen with microscope

preservation potential

likelihood an organism will be preserved as a fossil

extraordinary fossil

rare fossilized relict of soft part of an organism

taxonomy

study and classification of relationships among different forms of life

domain

highest rank in taxonomic hierarchy (archaea, bacteria, eukarya)

kingdom

second highest rank (animalia, plantae, fungi)

morphology

form or shape of an object

cambrian explosion

diversification of life that ocurred at beginning of cambrian period

phylogeny

study of how a species evolves

phylogenetic tree

chart representing ideas of which groups radiated from which ancestors

natural selection

survival of the fittest

extinction

death of last members of a species so no parents can pass on their genetic traits

biodiversity

number of different species that exist at a given time

mass-extinction event

time when vast numbers of species abruptly vanish