question

acanthostega

answer

One of the first vertebrate animals to have recognizable limbs. intermediate between lobe finned fish/ tetrapods.

question

arthrodires

answer

Armored jawed fish that flourished in the Devonian period before their sudden extinction, surviving for about 50 mill years and penetrating most marine ecological niche

question

amino acids

answer

proteins of life. organic molecules combined in a specific sequence to form a protein

question

lobe-finned fish

answer

immediate predecessor of tetrapods. central appendage in their fins containing many bones and muscles. The fins are very flexible and potentially useful for supporting the body on land, known for having enamel on the teeth.

question

DNA

answer

Fundamental hereditary material of all living organisms. A molecule encoding the genetic instructions used for development

question

Rayfin Fishes

answer

the largest and most successful group of fishes and make up half of all living vertebrates. One the first fish with bone. Small series of bones outward creating a fin.True bone, true teeth fused with jaw bone

question

archaea

answer

Domain consisting of unicellular prokaryotes. oldest fossil period any group of single celled prokaryotic organisms

question

Isua, Greenland

answer

First indirect chemical evidence of life. Oldest known sedimentary rocks that metamorphosed. archean greenstone belt

question

agnatha

answer

a superclass of jawless fish in the phylum chordata

question

megladon

answer

"big tooth"; an extinct species of shark that lived during the Cenozoic era. Giant shark of sc. Fed on whales

question

deuterostome

answer

Superphylum of animals; distinguished by their embryonic development. the first opening (the blastopore) becomes the anus

question

eryops

answer

"drawn out skull" because most of its skull is in front of its eyes; semi-aquatic amphibian is the most famous Paleozoic amphibian Having evolved from lobe-finned fish, retained many fish-like characteristics but adapted them for land life.

question

BIF

answer

Banded iron formation was laid down before 3.5-1.8 billion years ago during the Archean Eon. It consists of black iron minerals and red-brown chert. Oxidized iron deposited produced BIF

question

Ichthyostega

answer

early tetrapod genus that lived at the end of the Upper Devonian period. It was a labyrinthodont, one of the first tetrapods in the fossil record.

question

lung fishes

answer

Freshwater fish belonging to the subclass Dipnoi; distinguished by their ability to breathe air and has a well-developed internal skeleton the side fins of the lung fish are the same bones that create arms and legs.

question

pikaia

answer

Oldest chordate from middle Cambrian; only one with internal nerve cord (spine)

question

trace fossils

answer

Record activity of organism. Geological records of biological activity. Fossil of a footprint trail burrow or other trace of an animal rather than of the animal itself

question

C. Lyell

answer

Father of modern geology. Wrote the first book. Created the concept of uniformitarianism

question

lateral line

answer

A faint line visible on both sides of a fish's body that runs the length of the body and marks the location of sense organs that detect vibrations in water only functional in water.

question

eusthenopteron

answer

A genus of prehistoric lobe-finned fishes; close to tetrapods

question

hallucigena

answer

Animal with toothpick like spines found in Burgess Shale Cambrian animal known from articulated fossils in exceptional Burgess Shale-type deposits. Had 14 "tentacles" that seemed to have a mouth at each tip. These were believed to be feeding aids.

question

labyrinthodont

answer

one of the first land animals, anamphibians, in which the pectoral and pelvic fins were modified into short, powerful legs. The vertebral column was strengthened by the development of interlocking processes and the replacement of the notochord by bony rings.

question

placoderms

answer

jawed fish from the silurian period with absent teeth. The outside shell of its head and neck were made of bone while the remained of its body was cartilage. Slower than sharks Placoderms do not have true teeth

question

tiktaalik

answer

Fish that developed adaptations to the oxygen-poor shallow-water habitats which led to evolution of tetrapods.transition fossil, flexible neck, flat head, fin at the end of the arm

question

amphioxus

answer

A marine invertebrate found in soft substrates in shallow sea; the model organism to study the development of vertebrates Chordate. Intermediate form between invertebrates. Notochord. Slender fish without eyes or definite head. Used gills to filter food particles. Swim near the bottom both ends are tapered.

question

coelacanths

answer

A rare order of fish; closely related to lungfish, reptiles and mammals. Name for the grouping of 2 similar fish. The West Indian Ocean coelacanth and the Indonesian. Oldest known lineage of honey fish and closely related to lobe-finned fish and tetrapods

question

stomatolites

answer

earliest form of life on earth structures formed in shallow water by the accretion and cementation of sedimentary grains of microorganisms, especially cyanobacteria (blue green alge)

question

prokaryotic cells

answer

No membrane bound nucleus.

question

helicoprion

answer

A long lived genus of shark with spiral tooth replacement

question

little shelly fauna

answer

Mineralized fossils with a nearly continuous record from the latest stages of the Ediacaran to the Early Cambrian period. The first appearance of skeletonized taxa in the rock record

question

opabinia

answer

another small Cambrian critter, grew to eight centimeters (about three inches). This creature likely caught prey with the grasping claws of its long, tube-like proboscis and then stuffed the food into its mouth — much as an elephant uses its trunk.

question

tetrapods

answer

Comprises the first four-limbed vertebrates and their descendants

question

anomalocaris

answer

"abnormal shrimp"; thought to be the first predator. Extinct shrimp like life form closely related to Arthropoda. It was a top predator that rules during the Cambrian period

question

cooksonia

answer

An extinct grouping of primitive land plants; most types come from Britain worlds oldest known underwater plant, mushroom shaped and had vascular characteristics

question

uniformitarianism

answer

Methodological assumptions that the laws of chemistry and physics have remained constant throughout the history of earth. the fact that the same natural laws that are in place today have always been true.The assumption that the same natural laws and processes that operate in the universe now have always operated

question

ostracoderms

answer

"Shell skinned"; armored jawless fish of the Paleozoic; first to use gills for respiration instead of feeding. the armored jawless fishes of the Paleozoic.

question

Explain how a symbiotic relationship among Proterozoic prokaryotes may have given rise to eukaryotes.

answer

Andosymbiosis - oxygen and energy - one cell ingested by another and individually grew and gained internal organs. Evolution of a eukaryote by two prokaryotes living together.

question

How did the evolution of life alter the earth's physical environment?

answer

Methane by archea, cyanobacteria produces oxygen, oxygen in the atmosphere created the ice age.

question

How did the retreat of glaciers during the snowball earth influence the development of metazoans?

answer

warming leads to the rapid melting of ice which causes a big increase in evolution. Due to nutrients in the oceans, sharp increases in phosphorus, increase in photosynthesis algae, oxygen and nutrients stimulated evolution of metazoans.

question

Name the metabolic process in which carbon dioxide and water combine into organic molecules, and oxygen is released as a waste product. What is its important?

answer

Photosynthesis - creates oxygen

question

What are Banded Iron Formations, and how were those structures formed?

answer

formations of alternating hematite and jasper (quartz mineral) bands. There are 3 possible mechanisms for formation. Direct oxidation by O2, UV-photo oxidation, and microbial Fe-oxidizing bacteria,

question

What are continental red beds and what do they indicate about condition of the atmosphere?

answer

Sandstone and shales of red color. They indicate a transition to a warmer atmosphere. RED COLOR IS CAUSE BY OXIDATION OF IRON ON SURFACE. INDICATES OXYGEN IS NOW PRESENT IN ATMOSPHERE.

question

What are Hox genes and why these genes so important in the evolution of metazoans?

answer

Found within all Metazoans; Master (regulatory) genes; Control Structural Genes; determine form, number, and structure. they decide which characteristics should be produced and its import for evolution since metazoans will have some of the same characteristics so we can trace back.

question

What are stromatolites and how do they form? Why were they important?

answer

Single celled prokaryotes. Formed by malt-like masses of microbes-photosynthetic cyanobacteria

question

What evidence indicates that eukaryotic cells had evolved over 2 billion years ago?

answer

Because fossils are big and you can see them without a microscope

question

What indicates that free oxygen was present in the Proterozoic atmosphere 1.8 billion years ago?

answer

red beds

question

What is snowball earth?

answer

A severe ice age that occurred 700 million years ago and covered the Earth from pole to pole

question

What is the great oxygenation event? What was the importance of that event?

answer

A rapid increase of oxygen. without it there would be no multicellular organisms and continents would look different.

question

What is the Greenhouse effect?

answer

The absorption of longwave radiation by greenhouse gases in earth's atmosphere

question

What is the red Queen hypothesis and how does this hypothesis help to explain the importance of sexual reproduction?

answer

the environment is constantly deteriorating making it so that we have to continually evolve just to "keep up". Sexual organisms can evolve faster than asexual organisms because crossing over, random assortment and random gamete fusion introduce new genes, making offspring more variable

question

What is the relationship between sexual reproduction and evolution?

answer

sexual reproduction varies in a population as well as evolution

question

What was the cause of the Huronian Glacial event? How was this event different from Snowball Earth?

answer

in increase of photosynthesis which eventually decreased the greenhouse effect. Silicate weathering slowed decreased CO2

question

Why does sexual reproduction lead to the genetic death of the parents?

answer

Parents have made the new version of themselves

question

How has human activities altered the chemistry of Earth's Atmosphere? How do these changes alter the Earth's climate?

answer

HUMANS BURN FOSSIL FUELS. RE-RELEASES STORED CARBON INTO ATMOSPHERE(GREENHOUSE GASSES)

question

What is the effect of shrinking sea ice on global temperatures? Why?

answer

HIGHER WATER LVLS. LESS ICE, LESS SUNLIGHT REFLECTED BACK INTO SPACE. HOTTER CLIMATE.

question

What are causes of the long term (millions of years) swings between hothouse and icehouse conditions?

answer

Plate tectonics

question

What is the duration of the Wilson cycle?

answer

400-500 million years

question

How does mountain building effect the climate

answer

ocean continental convergence. When mountains are formed it is from two convergent plates colliding which creates uplift and weathering affecting the climate.

question

Pangea

answer

supercontinent that existed during the late paleozoic and early mesezoic era. It formed

question

What is the relationship between sea level and climate? Why is there a connection?

answer

Sea level rises as glaciers melt. Glaciers are melting due to high CO2 levels in the atmosphere which are caused by Greenhouse gases.

question

How do supercontinents break up?

answer

plate tectonics

question

What in the relationship of CO2 and global atmospheric temperatures?

answer

The relationship is prevelant in atmospheric temperatures because when rainfall with CO2 falls it weathers the mountain which alters the weather by cooling it. The higher amount of CO2 in the atmosphere heats up the global atmospheric temperature more.

question

What is Albedo?

answer

The fraction of solar energy reflected from the eath back into space. (High albedo is found on snow and ice)

question

why does the earth have seasons?

answer

Because the earth is tilted at 23 degrees and spins on an axis. This means either the northern hemisphere or southern hemisphere is tilted closer to the sun and rotates throughout the year creating different seasons.

question

benefits of skeletonization

answer

Storage of mineral nutrients protection from predators movement support increase in size It was an adaptive breakthrough, allowing preferential survival and niche exploration

question

Discuss the possible causes for the increase of diversity of life during the Cambrian.

answer

Cambrian explosion: increased geologic activity: more volcanic eruptions, sea level rise (made more shallow water environments) Increased food supply: burrowing releases nutrients oxygen level increases hox genes evolution of eyes, important of predators complex community development: predator-prey interactions

question

How did an increase in geological activity at the start of the Cambrian contribute to an increase in species diversity?

answer

Increased geologic activity casued volcanic eruptions which increased CO2 levels and made temperatures warmer. This caused sea levels to rise, making more shallow water environments.

question

What are metazoans and what characteristics do all metazoans have in common?

answer

Metazoans are animals. There are 3 types: -asymmetrical -bilateral symmetry -radial symmetry They produce collagen (glue of life, only produced by metazoans) They all have Hox Genes which determine form , number, and structure Some metazoans include sponges, worms, and humans

question

trilobites

answer

first recognizable fossil. Most common and diverse invertebrate

question

burgess shale fauna

answer

It contains Cambrian fossils (over 100,000 fossils) of more than 130 animal species. It was very complex community of animal species. There was a huge variety of body forms. Many "experimental" body plans, which of many are now extinct. It is an example descent with modification.

question

What is the evidence that Glaciers were widespread during Late Proterozoic snowball earth?

answer

Reduce CO2 fluxes into the atmosphere, world ices over completely which shuts down weathering and the oceans become anoxic

question

What is the importance of the appearance of burrows? Describe these burrows.

answer

They are trace fossils, and trace fossils tell you about behavior of the organisms. Hints that life is becoming complicated

question

What is the Mistaken Point fauna? What is the importance of this fauna?

answer

It is a marine environment and the water is 2000M. It is found on the edge of continent. This structure contains multiple fossils, holdfasts and branching stuctures.

question

What phylum is best represented in the Burgess Shale Fauna?

answer

Many were Anthropods most were unknown

question

What predators were in the Burgess Shale Fauna? Why are predators an important factor for increasing species diversity? (Red Queen Hypothesis)

answer

RQH- the host evolves defenses against the predator and the parasite, in tune evolved to overcome host defenses "arms race". Both sides must constantly evolve just to maintain the status quo.

question

What types of symmetry are found within metazoans?

answer

Radial Symmetry No Symmetry (asymmetrical) Bilateral Symmetry

question

What was Pikaia and what is its importance today?

answer

Humans exsist because Pikaia survived the Burgess decimation Pikaia is an example of an organism with similiar characteristics of humans. For Example: *notochord- rod like structure, resembles spine *gills- resemble internal gas exchange *single dorsal nerve cord on the top of brain

question

What was the importance of the Ediacaran fauna?

answer

It is first ecosystem to be discovered in earth history. It is an integrated ecosystem. It was dominated by filer feeding organisms. There were very low oxygen

question

Why does the fossil record become richer during the Cambrian?

answer

They had shells, there was now something to fossilize

question

Early Fish

answer

Pikaia is considered the first form of a fish- looked like a worm. It has 4 distinct features crucial to later fish. -Head distinct from its tail -bilateral symmetry (left side of body looks like the right side) -V shaped muscles -Nerve cord running down the body

question

What are examples of living and fossil jawless fishes?

answer

Ostracoderm and Astraspis

question

Discuss the evolution of shark teeth.

answer

Jaws come from gill arch supports Evolution remodels exsisting structures (descent with modification) Sharks and bony fishes have jaws with teeth, the teeth are replaced periodically.

question

Today, Lungfishes live in South America, Africa, and Australia. Explain this distribution of Lungfishes.

answer

Lungfishes can live without water due to Estivation. They can breathe air in water with low oxygen levels. They can dig holes in the mud where they build a nest and remain there until water levels rise again.

question

How did jaws evolve? What is the importance of jaws?

answer

Jaws evolved from gill arch supports

question

Describe the first land community. When did it appear?

answer

consisted of mostly amphibians adventuring on land. During Carboniferous period.

question

Did limbs and air breathing occur before or after tetrapods emerged to live on land? Please explain.

answer

Before. Panderichthys developed first external nostril used to breath in shallow, low oxygen ponds. Limbs began to shaped arm like while still a fish. muscles, skeleton, and other shit needed to form first before they could actually walk on land.

question

Discuss the transition from Lobefin Fishes to Amphibians. Place the following in correct order of appearance (Acanthostega, Eusthenopteron, Panderichthys, Ichthyostega, and Tiktaalik), and, for each, discuss the characteristics that were important during this transition.

answer

panderichthys: external nose holes tiktaalick: first animal with neck and shoulder blade acanthostega: first with fingers(8) Ichthyostega: strong pectoral girdle(breast bone). 7 toes pederes: 5 toes

question

How does the transition from Lobefin Fishes to Amphibians supports the Darwin's theory of descent with modification? (IMPORTANT - you will see this)

answer

bones on lobefin fish shifted over time to become vital components of the arm.

question

List and describe the problems that organisms had to overcome before they could inhabit the land. Why would vertebrate animals move to the land?

answer

Low oxygen in the water and less competition on land for food. Safer on land too.

question

Were the first tetrapods good swimmers or good walkers? Explain.

answer

they were good walderlers. They still had many amphibian characteristics, like lateral lines, so early tetrapods lived in the water and hunted on land. The more they developed the more time they spent on land.

question

What are some of the characteristics that you share with Tiktaalik?

answer

neck and sholderblades

question

Which lobefin fish gave rise to Amphibians?

answer

the Coelecanth gave rise to amphibian- used fins to waddle

question

What fish has a wrist?

answer

tiktallick

question

What is the importance of Tiktaalik and Panderichthys?

answer

first animals move onto land. amphibians

question

What were the first vertebrates to live their whole lives on land?

answer

amphibians

question

When is a fish not a fish but an amphibian? thin skin covers body

answer

3-chambered heart breath with lungs reproduce in water legs tail ear to hear

question

Why did fishes start breathing air?

answer

low oxygen lvls in water

question

Why did the first amphibians make excursions out of the water and onto land?

answer

food, oxygen, sex

question

What characteristics are common to all chordates?

answer

a dorsal nerve cord, a notochord, pharyngeal gill slits, and a post-anal tail. However, when you look at humans you only see the nerve cord.

question

What characteristics do you share with lobe fin fishes?

answer

arm bones

question

What characteristics link echinoderms to chordates?

answer

we all share the same type of cell division during our embryonic state

question

What is the fate of the gill arches in fishes

answer

move to form our neck, jaw and ear bones

question

How could such a complex structure like an eye evolve?

answer

millions of years of evolution

question

In lobefin fishes, when do nostrils appear?

answer

in panderichthys

question

What do teeth, breasts, feathers, and hair have in common?

answer

all mammal characteristics

question

Describe the skull of Carboniferous age Amphibians.

answer

first with small brain. third eye. lateral lines

question

Discuss the relationship between oxygen and carbon dioxide during the Carboniferous Period.

answer

high o2, low co2. very little decomposition in high o2 environment.

question

Describe the general Carboniferous forest ecology.

answer

super dense, constant warm temps, very humid.

question

How did coal form? Describe the environment to where coal forests grew. When and where did it form?

answer

formed when organic matter didnt decompose and was buried. Stored carbon

question

The earliest occurrence of reptiles in the fossil record occurs during what time? To which amphibian group are reptiles most closely related

answer

during carboniferous. Oldest reptile founded trapped in a tree stump.

question

cynodonts

answer

a carnivorous, mammallike fossil reptile of the late Permian and Triassic periods, with well-developed, specialized teeth

question

What are the three major groups of reptile? (Hint: skull type)

answer

1. anapsid: no additional opening behind the orbit of the eye. 2. synapsid: one opening behind the orbit of the eye. 3. diapsid: two openings behind the orbit of the eye.

question

What characteristics do you share with Theriodonts?

answer

Mammal-like reptiles that lived from the Middle Permian to the Middle Cretaceous; Theriodont jaws that made chewing a lot easier (similar to our teeth) back teeth were larger to chew meat; Synapsid skull-THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE

question

What climatic/atmospheric conditions enable insects of the Carboniferous Period to grow so large?

answer

During this time period due to the growth of rainforests; we see increased oxygen production; this enables insects and other animals to grow larger and flourish

question

Morganucodonts

answer

early Mammaliaformes during the late Triassic-Skeletons found in South Africa-small animals 10 cm 94 inches) and weighed about an ounce, like modern shrews. they had small teeth and were carnivores who ate insects, worms, and grubs. They had long snouts and brains, and were good climbers and jumpers, the neck and spine was flexible.

question

What were the Multituberculates?

answer

They are the most advanced nontherian mammals, and were successful in the Late Jurassic, Cretaceous, and early Cenozoic. They often made up more than half the mammals in Late Cretaceous faunas and were replaced by true rodents. There teeth were used for grasping and puncturing rather than gnawing.

question

Discuss the change needed to the skeleton of Acanthostega to enable an animal to move on land.

answer

connection between the pelvis and hind limbs extremely useful for terrestrial organisms to walk around on land- terrestrial locomotion

question

Know the times of the following firsts: jawless fish, sharks, land plants, lobe-fin fishes, amphibians, reptiles, trilobites, worms, and Therapsid.

answer

-Jawless fish: 480 MYA caledonian -Sharks: 420 MYA Silurian -Land plants: 420 MYA Silurian -Lobe-fin fish: 415 MYA devonian -Amphibians: 375 MYA Devonian -Reptiles: 340 MYA Amniote -Trilobites: 521 MYA Cambrian -Worms: -Therapsid: 275 MYA Permian

question

What are the benefits of an amniotic egg compared to an amphibian egg?

answer

amniotic egg gives more protection, incubates on land, and baby comes out looking like adult Amphibian eggs need to be in water and young must go through metamorphosis.

question

What climatic event led to the dominance of reptiles and decline of amphibians?

answer

-Growth of rainforest → tropical climate; more oxygen in air allows for animals to thrive on land; amphibians start to go extinct permian

question

What happened to Therapsid reptiles at the end of the Permian?

answer

-replaced by the archosauromorpha in the Triassic -Were the largest land dwelling mammal in permian; 4 main types -Some forms died in the middle of the Permian, but others flourished; small numbers served the mass jurassic extinction

question

Why are Extinctions important?

answer

-It allows the evolution of new species to replace the species which have gone extinct. The new species are often more evolved than the ones which went extinct.

question

Why were the reptiles so much more successful at living on land than the amphibians?

answer

-Amphibians have a skin that requires constant moisture and can only stay out of water for a certain period of time; reptiles have thick, coarse, dry skin that is better for living on land -They also have stronger legs that do not need buoyancy of water -Amphibian eggs require water or they will dry out and reptiles can lay eggs on dry land

question

Describe a typical Mesozoic mammal. Were there many different types of mammals in the Mesozoic?

answer

They were small and rare, yet they evolved into us and many other mammals that dominate the large and small bodied vertebrate faunas of the world today.

question

What is so special about the Duck-billed Platypus?

answer

Australia is the only continent with living MONOTREMES. They have been there since the Early Cretaceous (they once were in Gondwana). The surviving monotremes are egg-laying mammals, including the DUCKBILLED PLTYPUS . The platypus swims in muddy water with its eyes, ears, and nostrils ightly shut searching for crutacean prey w/electral sensors in its beak. (page 238-9)

question

Describe the earliest known mammal, Morganucodon. When did it live? What was the size, morphology, and ecology of Morganucodon?

answer

-Lived in Triassic time period (205 MYA) -Small animal with long tail; skull was 2-3 cm and body was 10 cm -Diet consisted of small animals and insects -Deciduous teeth being replaced by permanent teeth that were retained throughout the rest of the animal's life; upper and lower molars did not meet, like other mammals -Laid very small eggs

question

Describe the evolution of the mammalian inner ear bones and the lower jaw. (IMPORTANT)

answer

The middle ear bones were linked to the jaw in very early mammals, but later they came to be suspended from the skull. As the hearing pathway was seperated from the jaw the mammal no longer had to listen to itself chewing and could hear better. In the Jurrasic, mammalinian middle ear bones reorganized, and only advanced mammals evolved the complex spiral inner ear. Parts inside consist of Malleus, Incus, Stapes (pictured on page 202).

question

From what reptile group did mammals evolve? What are the differences between reptile and mammals?

answer

Mammals evolved from earlier, larger synapsids at the end of Triassic, and became the only survivors of the that lineage. Reptiles Characteristics-lower jaw has 4 bones and jaw hinges between the lower jaw, the dentary, and the squamosal Mammals Characteristics-suckle their young, are warm blooded: endothermic and homeothermic, they have hair (not scales) they have only one bone along their lower jaw

question

How are monotremes, marsupials, and placentals different with respect to the birth of their offspring?

answer

-Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs; babies grow inside egg until fully developed; the only living form is the platypus -Marsupials give birth to live young; young are carried in a pouch on the front of the mothers body; stay inside pouch until fully developed -Placentals give birth to live young; fetus is nourished during gestation; carried in mother until fully developed

question

By the end of the Cretaceous were there many types of mammals? Explain.

answer

-Beginning of Cretaceous time period there was tropical climate which lead to sea level rise; there were many shallow oceans that were dominated by mammals, reptiles, first birds appear -End of the Cretaceous is when mass extinction took place; dinosaurs and large reptiles died out due to changes in climate

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