1: History of Animal Life on Earth

Question 1

gives the bulk of insights into the history of life

Answer 1

fossil record

Question 2

measures the decay of radioactive elements in igneous rocks

Answer 2

radiometric dating

Question 3

commonly used for bio materials less than 75,000 yrs old in radiometric dating

Answer 3

carbon-14

Question 4

layers of sediment deposited at different times
(geologic time scale based on this)

Answer 4

strata

Question 5

• some time periods are more well-represented in the fossil record than others
• only a tiny fraction of fossils have been recovered
• the fossil record is biased toward more abundant, widespread, and longer lived species

Answer 5

limitations of the fossil record

Question 6

hypothesis that DNA and protein sequences evolve at a relatively constant rate

Answer 6

molecular clock

Question 7

the rapid diversification of life in the history of biodiversity

Answer 7

cambrian explosion

Question 8

what diversified during the Cambrian?

Answer 8

chordates

Question 9

The earliest true vertebrates were…

Answer 9

jawless fish w bony armor

Question 10

vertebrates with jaws and paired limbs
(first known appeared during the silurian)

Answer 10

gnathostomes

Question 11

the first terrestrial animals were…

Answer 11

arthropods

Question 12

• where winged creatures evolved
• arthropods reached gigantic sizes
• tetrapods diversified

Answer 12

Carboniferous

Question 13

transitional form between fishes and early tetrapods

Answer 13

tiktaalik

Question 14

the first terrestrial vertebrates evolved from…

Answer 14

lobe-finned fishes

Question 15

• first appeared around the carboniferous
• gave rise to sauropsids, synapsids
• became very diverse during the mesozoic

Answer 15

amniotes

Question 16

lineage of reptiles and birds; became one of most diverse amniote groups in mesozoic

Answer 16

sauropsids

Question 17

lineage of therapsids and mammals

Answer 17

synapsids

Question 18

widespread/rapid losses of biodiversity over a short period of time; species are lost faster than they can be replaced

Answer 18

mass extinction events

Question 19

85% of all species wiped out

Answer 19

ordovician-silurian mass extinction (443 MYA)

Question 20

75% of all species wiped out

Answer 20

devonian mass extinction (374 MYA)

Question 21

80% of all species wiped out

Answer 21

Triassic mass extinction (200 MYA)

Question 22

• 78% of all species wiped out
• nonavian dinosaurs, most marine reptiles, pterosaurs, many early mammal groups killed
• asteroid in Mexico

Answer 22

cretaceous-paleogene mass extinciton (66 MYA)

Question 23

• largest mass extinction event
• wiped out around 95%
• likely by volcanic eruptions in Siberia

Answer 23

Permian mass extinction

Question 24

• age of the reptiles
• warm climates
• predation escalated

Answer 24

the mesozoic (252-66 MYA)

Question 25

predators and prey evolving alongside each other

Answer 25

evolutionary arms race

Question 26

2 lineages of sauropsids

Answer 26

lepidosaurs, archosaurs

Question 27

lizards, snakes, tuataras

Answer 27

lepidosaurs

Question 28

crocodiles, dinosaurs, birds

Answer 28

archosaurs

Question 29

one of three major vertebrate groups capable of flight

Answer 29

pterosaurs

Question 30

only surviving archosaurs today

Answer 30

crocodiles, birds

Question 31

first appeared during late triassic; has 2 major groups

Answer 31

dinosaurs

Question 32

"lizard-hipped" 2 major subgroups: sauropods, theropods

Answer 32

saurischia

Question 33

“Bird-hipped”herbivorous dinosaurs w highly specialized teeth (stegosaurus, triceratops, parasaurolophus)

Answer 33

ornithischia

Question 34

“Lizard-hipped” large herbivores w small heads/long necks (brachiosaurus, diplodocus)

Answer 34

saurischia

Question 35

bipedal, mostly carnivorous dinosaurs (tyrannosaurus, velociraptor, carnotaurus)

Answer 35

theropods

Question 36

small bird-like dinosaur; has avian and non-avian dinosaur traits

Answer 36

archaepteryx

Question 37

the earliest true mammals first appeared in Jurassic (mesozoic mammals were mostly small in size but highly specialized)

Answer 37

synapsids

Question 38

- 66 MYA - Present - beginning of modern world - adaptive radiation of mammals - human evolution - pleistocene events - 6th mass extinction event

Answer 38

the cenozoic

Question 39

three mammal groups that first appeared in the Cenozoic

Answer 39

rodentia, cetacea, carnivora

Question 40

had very similar anatomy/behavior w modern humans; first hominin to leave africa

Answer 40

homo erectus

Question 41

first appeared in Africa around 20,000 years ago; evolution separate from apes

Answer 41

homosapiens

Question 42

last epoch before modern day

Answer 42

pleistocene

Question 43

- continents were situated as they are today - global temps dropped - sea levels dropped during glacial periods= land bridges

Answer 43

pleistocene events

Question 44

occured at end of pleistocene and into holocene; climate change/human activity led to these extinctions

Answer 44

megafaunal extinction

Question 45

first mass extinction event driven by a single species- Homo sapiens

Answer 45

holocene mass extinction

Question 46

factors driving holocene mass extinction

Answer 46

climate change, habitat destruction, unsustainable resource use, hunting