question

The study of fossil remains or other clues to past life

answer

Paleontology

question

Divides earth's history into a series of eons and eras defined by major geological or biological events such as mass extinction.

answer

geological timescale

question

Any evidence of an organism from more than 10,000 years ago(the end of the pleistocene epoch).

answer

fossil

question

How old is earth

answer

4.6 billion years

question

Scientists divided earth history into ____ eons

answer

4

question

The three earliest eons are combined into the __________________, which lasted more than 4 billion years.

answer

Precambrian supereon

question

The most recent eon, _________________, started 543 MYA(million years ago).

answer

Phanerozoic

question

A widespread and rapid decrease in the amount(diversity) of life on earth.

answer

mass extinction

question

____________________ is an ongoing process

answer

extinction

question

What are the 5 major extinctions?

answer

1. Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event 2. Triassic-Jurrassic extinction event 3. Permian-Triassic extinction event 4. Late Devonian extinction 5. Ordovician-Silurian extinction event

question

1.leaf sinks 2.fine sediment covers leaf 3.sediment compresses, forming sedimentary rock

answer

Fossil forming through compression

question

1. Animal dies, decays, and is buried 2. Water containing dissolved minerals seeps through 3. Organic matter replaced by minerals "turns to stone"

answer

Fossil forming through petrification

question

1. Animal dies, making impression in mud 2. Animal decays away 3. Mud hardens to rock

answer

Fossil forming through impression

question

1. Animal dies and sinks into soft sediment 2. Animal decays away 3. Imprint fills with mud 4. Mud hardens to rock

answer

Fossil forming through cast

question

Researchers use ______________________ to assign an age to a fossil by testing either the fossil itself or the sediments above and below the fossil. *_____________________ typically return a range of likely dates

answer

absolute dating

question

_______________________ is a type of absolute dating that uses radioactive isotopes as a "clock".

answer

radiometric dating

question

The time it takes for half of the atoms in a sample of a radioactive substance to decay.

answer

half-life

question

*____________________ places a fossil into a sequence of events without assigning it a specific age. It is usually based on the principle of superposition, with lower rock strata presumed to be older than higher layers. The farther down a fossil is, therefore, the longer ago the organism it represents lived-a little like a memo at the bottom of a stack of papers being older than a sheet near the top.

answer

relative dating

question

_________________________ places fossils in order from "oldest" to "most recent".

answer

relative dating

question

_________________ between layers of sedimentary rock mark time spans in earth's history.

answer

transitions

question

Researchers analyze ____________, ____________, and ____________________ to learn how species are related to one another *3 ANSWERS

answer

fossils;anatomy;molecular sequences

question

_______________ is a type of absolute dating

answer

radiometric dating

question

Scientists use two general approaches to estimate when a fossilized organism lived, what are these two general approaches?

answer

relative dating;absolute dating

question

________________ are the remains of ancient organism

answer

fossils

question

*oozing sap traps an insect

answer

Fossil forms through intact preservation

question

What is coprolite and what is it good for?

answer

fossilized feces; good for getting clues about health and diet of extinct species

question

The ___________ record is _____________, partly because some organisms(such as those with soft bodies) fail to fossilize. Also, erosion and movement of earth's plates might destroy fossils. *TWO ANSWERS

answer

fossil;incomplete

question

According to the theory of ___________________, Earth's surface consists of several rigid layers, called tectonic plates, that move in response to forces acting deep within the planet.

answer

plate techtonics

question

Earth's continents are in motion, an idea called ___________________

answer

"continental drift"

question

The locations of Earth's continents have changed with time, due to shifting _________________________.

answer

techtonic plates

question

The simpler, and less precise method of dating fossils is _____________________, which assumes that lower rock layers have older fossils than newer layers.

answer

relative dating

question

_____________________ uses chemistry to determine how long ago a fossil formed

answer

absolute dating

question

_____________________ is a type of absolute dating that uses radioactive isotopes

answer

radiometric dating

question

*A form of an element with an unstable nucleus *Decays into atoms of another element Example: uranium 238-------> lead 206

answer

radioisotope

question

Throughout life, organisms accumulate ______________, a radioactive isotope, along with stable ________________.

answer

Carbon-14;carbon-12

question

The study of the distribution of species across the planet

answer

biogeography

question

_____________ has a half-life of 5730 years and it decays to the more stable nitrogen-14(14N)

answer

carbon-14

question

Organisms store _____________ into organic matter during feeding where they incorporate a quantity of 14 c that approximately matches the level of this isotope in the atmosphere. After they die, the accumulation of _______ fraction stops and the material declines at a fixed exponential rate due to the radioactive decay of _____. Comparing the remaining ________ fraction of a sample to that expected from atmospheric 14c allows the age of the sample to be estimated.

answer

14C

question

By determining the amount of _________________ in a fossil, scientists can estimate when the organism lived

answer

carbon-14

question

*280-200 million years ago *All continents are joined into one supercontinent

answer

Pangaea

question

*181-135 million years ago *Two major continents form

answer

Laurasia and Gondwana

question

nothin

answer

nothing

question

*Today *continents continue to drift apart

answer

Present continents.

question

The shift of earth through plate tectonics only represents about _________% of earth's history

answer

5%

question

According to the theory of _________________________, Earth's surface consists of several rigid layers, called ___________________, that move in response to forces acting deep within the planet.

answer

plate techtonics;techtonic plates

question

*An imaginary boundary which separates distinct patterns of animal life on either side. *West side of line more like Asia tigers,rhinos,elephants,orangutans,bears,leopards,thrushes,woodpeckers,pheasants *East side of line more like Australia sugar gliders, tree kangaroos, deer, cockatoos, honey suckers, brush turkeys

answer

Wallace's line

question

Wallace's imaginary line was located in the _____________________

answer

Malay Archipelago

question

*species leaving mainland for island. *Organisms that reach the island encounter conditions that are different from those on the mainland. *With limited migration between the island and the ancestral populations, the relocated organisms have evolved and diversified into multiple new species, which is a process called _________________________

answer

Adaptive Radiation

question

Two structures are termed ___________________ if the similarities between them reflect common ancestry

answer

homologous

question

_______________ help geographers piece together Earth's continents into Pangaea

answer

Fossils

question

__________________ sheds light on evolutionary events

answer

Biogeography

question

Animals on either side of _____________________ have been separated for millions of years, evolving independently

answer

Wallace's line

question

A ________________ structure has no apparent function in one species, yet it is homologous to a functional organ in another.(darwin compared this structure to silent letters in a word such as "g" in night; they are not pronounced, but they offer clues to the word's origin). *plants have this structure. An example would be dandelions, in which they produce seeds asexually, yet their flowers have male and female parts that do not participate in reproduction *

answer

Vestigial

question

Investigators often look for __________________________ to determine the evolutionary relationship of two organisms

answer

anatomical features

question

*What do a human, lion,seal, bat, and bird have in common? *These similarities suggests that their common ancestor had this bone configuration

answer

They all have similar bones in their forelimbs

question

___________________ structures need NOT have the same function or look exactly alike

answer

Homologous

question

Each ________________________ links us to other animals that still use these features

answer

Vestigial Structure

question

Some anatomical parts have similar functions and appear superficially similar among different species, but they are not homologous; Rather they are ______________, meaning that the structures evolved independently. Example: Flight, evolved independently in birds and insects. The birds wing is a modification of vertebrate limb bones, whereas the insect's wing is an out-growth of the exoskeleton that covers its body. *Both wings have the same function and enhance fitness, but the differences in the structure indicate they do not have a common developmental pathway.

answer

analogous

question

In evolutionary biology, ______________ is the technical term for a similarity between structures that evolved independently

answer

homoplasy

question

Analogous structures are often the product of _______________________, which produces similar adaptations in organisms that do not share the same evolutionary lineage. Example: loss of pigmentation and eyes in cave animals.

answer

convergent evolution

question

A general term describing any gene that, when mutated, leads to organisms with structures in abnormal or unusual places.

answer

Homeotic

question

New _______________ can come from mutations in DNA that does not encode proteins

answer

Phenotypes

question

Different __________________ in each animal's evolutionary line have led to small changes from their ancestor's bone structure

answer

selective pressures

question

A _________________________ has lost its function but is homologous to a functional structure in another species Example:Hind limbs in some snake species and pelvises in whales are evidence of these organisms' ancestors

answer

vestigial structure

question

Anatomical structures are ________________ if they are superficially similar but did not derive from a common ancestor

answer

analogous

question

Produces similar structures in organisms that don't share the same lineage

answer

convergent evolution

question

Anatomical similarities are often most obvious in ____________. example: Notice how much more similar human and chimpanzee skill structure is in fetuses compared to in adults.

answer

embryos

question

_________________________ control an organism's development. *small differences in a gene expression might make the different between a limbed and limbless organism.

answer

Homeotic Genes

question

Comparing ______________________ determines evolutionary relationships in unprecedented detail

answer

DNA sequences

question

*It is highly unlikely that two unrelated species would evolve precisely the same DNA and protein sequences by chance. *It is more likely that the similarities were inherited from a common ancestor and that differences arose by mutation after the species diverged from the ancestral type.

answer

DNA and protein revealing relatedness

question

________________ c is a mitochondrial protein that is often used in molecular comparisons.

answer

Cytochrome

question

______________c evolution shows the number of amino acid differences from humans to other organisms.

answer

Cytochrome

question

The more ________________ differences between species, the more distant the common ancestor

answer

amino acid

question

_____________________ assign dates to evolutionary events

answer

Molecular clocks

question

The molecules that are most useful to evolutionary biologists are _________________ and proteins.

answer

nucleic acids(DNA and RNA)

question

All _____________ use the same genetic code in making proteins, and cells use the same ______ amino acids *TWO ANSWERS

answer

species;20

question

To study molecular evolution, biologists compare _____________ and _____________ sequences among species

answer

nucleotide;amino acid

question

M0st of a cells genetic material is in its _____________, but the cell's numerous mitochondria also contain DNA

answer

nucleus

question

The idea that early humans originated in Africa and then migrated to the other continents is called the _____________________

answer

single origin("out of Africa") hypothesis

question

If biologists know that mutation rate for a gene, plus the number of differences in the DNA sequences for that gene in two species, they can use the DNA as a _____________________ to estimate the time when the organisms diverged from a common ancestor. Example: Many human and chimpanzee genes differ in about 4% to 6% of their nucleotides, and substitutions occur at an estimated rate of 1% per 1 million years. Therefore, about 4 million to 6 million years have passed since the two species diverged.

answer

molecular clock

question

Researchers can used either nuclear ________ or _________ as a molecular clock

answer

DNA;mtDNA

question

_______________ is part of the electron transport chain in respiration The more closely related two species are, the more alike is their _____________________ *ONE ANSWER

answer

Cytochrome C

question

______________________ are evidence for gradual evolutionary change *example-Tiktaalik

answer

Transitional fossils

question

What are the forms of evidence scientists use to support the theory of evolution?

answer

*biogeographical studies *embryological comparisons *molecular data *fossils

question

A ______________ is any evidence of past life that is more than 10,000 years old

answer

fossil

question

*include the leg bones in whales *persist in related organisms even when no longer used

answer

Vestigial structures

question

________________ places fossils into a sequence of events without assigning a specific age

answer

Relative dating

question

structures are called homologous if

answer

the similarities between them reflect common ancestry

question

What are molecular clocks used for?

answer

*They use the mutation rate of genes to determine divergence from common ancestors *They can be used to estimate when humans and chimps diverged from a common ancestor

question

An extinct animal named Tiktaalik was an important discovery by scientists because it had characteristics of both ___________________ and __________________ *TWO ANSWERS

answer

fish;amphibians

question

Analogous structures have similar _________________ but do not have a common developmental path

answer

functions

question

A structure that has no apparent function in one species yet is homologous to a functional organ in another species is called a ___________ structure

answer

Vestigial

question

When a group of species from a mainland population relocates to an isolated island and finds conditions different than their homeland, over time they evolve and diversify into new species. This is called ___________________.

answer

adaptive radiation

question

Common ancestry can be indicated by

answer

*nucleotide and amino acid sequence similarities *homologous structures

question

____________________ involves assigning a specific age to a fossil by testing either the fossil or the sediments above and below it.

answer

Absolute dating

question

Why is the fossil record incomplete?

answer

*organisms were eaten or decomposed before they buried *many fossils may never be discovered because they are buried deeply or submerged under water *erosion and movements of earth's surface have destroyed many fossils that did form

question

Rank the eras of the geological timescale for the Phanerozoic eon.(from oldest at top to youngest at bottom)

answer

1. Paleozoic 2. Mesozoic 3. Cenozoic

question

*organism becomes buried in sediments and can be chemically altered as sediments harden

answer

compression fossil

question

*decaying organism turns to stone

answer

petrification fossil

question

*organism decays but imprint fills with mud that hardens into rock to create a replica of the organism

answer

Cast

question

*entire organism is preserved in tree resin or mood, and decomposition is minimal

answer

Intact preservation

question

Homologous genes can be identified in different organisms by locating a gene in one organism and then

answer

comparing it to known genes in huge databases

question

Organisms that do not share the same evolutionary lineage but have similar adaptations result from _____________________

answer

convergent evolution

question

What can we conclude about the evolution of chimpanzees and humans from the skull comparison figure in our textbook?

answer

Although skulls in adults look different, comparisons at the fetal stage reveal homology

question

What is Wallace's line?

answer

A deep-water trench that has separated islands on either side, thus preventing migration

question

In molecular evolution studies, DNA sequence similarities present in a group of species usually represent

answer

homology

question

*mountain ranges emerge *land that was underwater can be exposed *oceans can separate continents that were once together

answer

The role of plate tectonics in regards to the distribution of organism's on earth

question

Characteristics of homologous structures:

answer

*may have different functions *common evolutionary origin *include genes and chromosomes

question

Earth's continents are in motion;this is referred to as _____________________

answer

continental drift

question

What are the eons and give a short description of each one

answer

Hadeon eon- 4.7 billion years ago to 3.8 billion years ago Archean eon- bacteria and archaea first evolve Proterozoic eon- Oxygen begins to accumulate in the atmosphere and first eukaryotes evolve

question

THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF WHAT STRUCTURES? *limbs of terrestrial vertebrates *middle ear bones of mammals and jaw-support bones in primitive fishes

answer

homologous structures

question

What type of absolute dating estimates the age of a fossil based on half-lives of a radioactive isotope?

answer

radiometric dating

question

________________ structures in organisms reflect a common ancestry but they may have different functions.

answer

Homologous

question

Analysis of DNA sequences reveals that cells can gain new functions through?

answer

*the transfer of genes from one organism to another *duplication of genes

question

STATE EACH ERA WITH EACH EVENT LISTED: *dinosaurs appear *vascular plants appear *humans appear

answer

*Paleozoic Era- Vascular plants appear *Mesozoic Era- Dinosaurs appear *Cenozoic Era- Humans appear

question

WHAT STRUCTURES REPRESENT THIS LIST? *hindlimb bones in snakes *male and female flower parts in dandelions *include the leg bones in whales *persist in related organisms even when no longer in use

answer

Vestigial structures

question

A pattern of an organism's skin preserved in rock is an example of a _______________ fossil.

answer

impression

question

Coal, oil, and natural gas are examples of ___________ fuels that form by compression and then chemical alteration.

answer

fossil

question

MATCH EACH OF THESE EXAMPLES WITH THEIR PROCESS: *COAL *PETRIFIED WOOD *IMPRESSION *CAST

answer

COAL: preserved by compression PETRIFIED WOOD: formed when minerals replace organic matter IMPRESSION: formed when an organism is pressed against soft sediment that hardens into mud, and the outline of the body is preserved CAST: formed when mud fills an imprint, forms a replica of the ancient organism, and then hardens into rock.

question

Biogeography is the study of

answer

the distribution of species across earth

question

What types of DNA has been especially useful in tracking human migrations patterns?

answer

*mtDNA *Y chromosome

question

_______________ tells you where your maternal ancestors come from. It not only shows the origin of your maternal ancestors but also with whom you are related in the maternal line

answer

mtDNA testing

question

*DNA located in the mitochondria *Take the energy from food and convert to energy cells use *contains 37 genes *Makes up Cytochrome c

answer

mtDNA

question

Analogous structures have similar _________ but do not have common ancestory

answer

functions

question

Leads to new functions in cells

answer

gene duplication

question

What do marsupials include and what is their significance?

answer

*They were at one time more widespread than placental mammals *They include koalas and sugar gliders *pouched mammals *Born incompletely developed

question

a mammal of an order whose members are born incompletely developed and are typically carried and suckled in a pouch on the mother's belly. _________________ are found mainly in Australia and New Guinea, although three families, including the opossums, live in America.

answer

Marsupials

question

What are Tiktaalik fossils and why are they important?

answer

*375 million year old fossil fish *looks like a cross between the primitive fish it lived with and first four legged animals. (They are a combo of fish and terrestrial vertebrates 1. Tiktaalik adds to our knowledge about the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates 2. Tiktaalik highlights the predictive power of evolutionary biology Basically answers questions about how terrestrial vertebrate go their limbs. (This would include vestigial legs in some snakes)

question

A structure that has no apparent function in one species yet is homologous to a functional organ in another species is called a _______________ structure

answer

homologous

question

In humans, the tails found on human embryos and the muscles used for turning ears to receive sound are examples of what structure?

answer

Vestigial Structures

question

A ____________ gene is a type of gene that regulates development and that, when mutated, leads to organisms with structures in abnormal or unusual locations on their body.

answer

homeotic

question

Development of young within a uterus is an adaptation of _____________ mammals that enables the group to be the most successful mammal group on earth. *They are some of the most familiar organisms to us and make up a vast variety of different species

answer

placental

question

Placental vs Marsupials

answer

Marsupials have short lived malnourished placenta, while Placental are well nourished and have thriving placenta in which they have high fetal nourishment

question

Reasons why mitochondria DNA(mtDNA) might be better to use than nuclear DNA in studying molecular evolution

answer

*some mtDNA copies may remain in museum specimens of extinct organisms *many copies of mtDNA are present in cells

question

What are the ways that homology is used in studies of evolutionary relationships?

answer

*gene sequences can be compared *physical features of modern organisms can be compared *fossil structures can be compared to structures in surviving species

question

*loss of eyes in cave animals *loss of pigmentation in cave animals *shape of shark fins and shape of dolphin flippers *spines and modified stems of unrelated desert plants

answer

EXAMPLES OF CONVERGENT EVOLUTION

question

What are the ways the black wing spot came about on the fly in regards to a new feature?

answer

*an enhancer site was altered by mutation *more transcription factors were able to bind to an enhancer

question

Studies have shown that the development of ____________ explains the migration of animals between North America and South America and the possible cause of the extinction of most marsupial mammals on the South American continent

answer

a land bridge

question

The discovery of genes that contribute to embryonic development began a new field of study of biology called

answer

evolutionary developmental biology

question

Origin of new species

answer

Speciation

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