Fossils as Evidence for Evolution Flashcards
What is a fossil
remains of organisms from millions of years ago found in rock
What are the two types of fossil
mineral replacement fossil
trace fossils
What is a trace fossil
a footprint
What is a mineral replacement fossil
Minerals from surrounding sediment replace the bones
What are the 4 important features of the fossil dicovery
shows organism existed that are now extinct
gives clues into lifecycle of extinct organisms
give clues into diet of organism
SEE SIMILARITIES between organisms then and now
Why is the fossil record not complete (3)
not all organisms become fossils due to decay
fossils are hard to extract
fossils may have been destroyed due to geological activity
What is extinction
no remaining living members of that species
What causes extinction (5)
environmental causes
new predators
new diseases
new competitors
natural disasters
What can fossils directly show us
features between different organisms can show us how species evolved from earlier ancestors
