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B12 > Evidence for Evolution (10.2) > Flashcards

Evidence for Evolution (10.2) Flashcards

1
Q

State what evolution is a process of

A

Change

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2
Q

State what the modern theory of evolution states

A

All living organisms share a common origin 3.8-4.1 billion years ago

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3
Q

Describe palaeontology

A

Study of ancient life represented by fossils

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4
Q

Describe fossils

A

Preserved remains, impressions or traces of organisms found on the surface of Earth

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5
Q

Describe amber

A

Fossilised tree sap

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6
Q

State what preserved remains are usually

A

Hard structures that are not easily destroyed/slow to decompose

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7
Q

Provide some examples of commonly preserved remains

A

Bone, shell, wood, leaves, pollen, spores

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8
Q

Describe what the fossil record refers to

A

The total number of fossils discovered

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9
Q

State what the fossil record provides evidence of

A

The evolution of living organisms through geological time

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10
Q

State what fossils tell paleontologists and palaeobotanists about

A

The kind of organisms and their interactions with Earth

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11
Q

State what the fossil record allows humans to do

A

Put a time scale on evolution

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12
Q

Describe fossilisation

A

Preservation of the hardened remains or traces of organisms in rocks

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13
Q

State what the chances of an organism becoming fossilised after death can be classified as

A

Small

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14
Q

State whether or not soft-bodied organisms are unlikely to be preserved

A

Yes. They are unlikely to be preserved.

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15
Q

State why soft-bodied organisms are unlikely to be preserved

A

Soft body parts decay readily or are subject to predation and scavenging

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16
Q

State when fossilisation has a chance of occuring

A

When an organism is buried by sediments

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17
Q

State what burying an organism in sediment reduces the chances of

A

Decay

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18
Q

State how burying an organism in sediment reduces the chance of decay

A

Reduces oxygen exposure for decomposer microorganisms and hides from scavengers

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19
Q

State what occurs when sediments of sand, silt or mud in the sea, a lake or slow-flowing stream accumulate over the organism

A

The organism is preserved

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20
Q

State what the weight of many layers of sediments squeezes out

A

Water between the particles of sand, silt or mud

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21
Q

State what occurs as the deposit deepens in the sediment

A

Temperature increases and soft sediments become solid rock

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22
Q

State where sediments generally accummulate

A

Water bodies

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23
Q

State where a large proportion of fossils are found

A

Ancient bodies of water once existed

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24
Q

State whether or not organisms on land are less likely to be preserved than those that live in aquatic environments

A

Yes

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25
Q

State whether or not delicate plant parts, such as flowers, are rarely fossilised

A

Yes. Flowers are rarely fossilised.

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26
Q

State whether or not the fossil record is biased

A

Yes.

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27
Q

State to what the fossil record is biased to

A

Certain parts of/whole organisms and certain environmental conditions

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28
Q

State what the bias of the fossil record limits

A

Evidence of past life and our understanding of it

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29
Q

List the 4 major types of fossils

A
  1. impression fossils
  2. mineralised fossils
  3. trace fossils
  4. mummified organisms
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30
Q

Describe impression fossils

A

Fossils where only the shape/impression of the structure remains

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31
Q

State what occurs to impression fossils in limestone rocks

A

Fossil retains 3D shape

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32
Q

State what occurs to impression fossils in shale rocks

A

Physically compressed and fossils are flattened

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33
Q

State what is formed if the vacant space of an impression mould is later filled with foreign material

A

3D ‘sculpture’ of the organism is formed

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34
Q

State what the 3D ‘sculptures’ of impression organisms are referred to as

A

Cast fossils

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35
Q

Describe trace fossils

A

Fossils preserving evidence of activity/behaviour, without containing parts of the organism

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36
Q

State whether or not trace fossils contain parts of the organism

A

No

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37
Q

Provide 2 examples of trace fossils

A
  1. Casts of burrows

2. Footprints

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38
Q

Describe mummified organisms

A

Fossils trapped in a substance under conditions that reduce decay.

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39
Q

Provide 2 examples of mummified organisms

A
  1. Insects trapped in amber

2. Animals frozen in ice

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40
Q

Describe mineralised fossils

A

Fossils that occur when minerals replace the spaces in structures of organisms

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41
Q

State what minerals eventually replace in mineralised fossils

A

May replace the entire organism

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42
Q

State what is left when minerals replace mineralised fossils

A

Replica of the original fossil

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43
Q

State what the process of minerals replacing an entire organism is referred to as

A

Petrification/Mineralisation

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44
Q

Provide 3 examples of minerals involved in the fossilisation of some organisms

A
  1. opal
  2. pyrite
  3. silica
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45
Q

Provide 1 example of a mineralised fossil

A
  1. Petrified wood
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46
Q

State 2 ways the age of a fossil can be determined

A
  1. Relative dating

2. Absolute dating

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47
Q

Describe relative dating

A

Dating based on statigraphy

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48
Q

Describe statigraphy

A

Study of the relative positions of the rock strata, or layers of rock which contain fossils

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49
Q

State what the age of the lowermost strata is

A

Oldest

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50
Q

State what the age of the highermost strata is

A

Youngest

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51
Q

State what the age of a fossil is estimated relative to

A

Known age of the layers of rock above and below the layer in which the fossil is found

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52
Q

State in what regions relative dating can be difficult

A

In regions where rock layers have eroded, buckled, moved or reburied

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53
Q

State what the eroding, buckling, moving or reburying of rock strata can result in

A

Alteration in the original sequence of strata

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54
Q

Describe an index fossil

A

Fossil used to define and identify geological periods

55
Q

State where index fossils are often found

A

In similar sites to which an absolute age has been determined

56
Q

Provide 1 example of an index fossil in Europe

A

Ammonoids (extinct molluscs)

57
Q

Describe absolute dating

A

Quantitative method of determining the age of a rock or object using radioactivity

58
Q

State what absolute dating provides in comparison to relative dating

A

More precise estimate of age

59
Q

State whether or not absolute dating will also provide an exact date

A

No

60
Q

State the 2 classifications of absolute dating methods

A
  1. Radioisotopic

2. Non-radioisotopic

61
Q

State what radioactive elements decay into

A

Different forms

62
Q

State at what rate radioactive elements decay into different forms

A

Rates that are constant for a particular element

63
Q

State what the rate of decay of a particular element is independent of

A

The nature of the rocks or the environmental conditions to which they are exposed

64
Q

Describe the half-life of a radioactive element

A

Time taken for half the original quantity of the radioisotope to decay

65
Q

State what the half-life of a radioactive element can be used to calculate

A

The age of the rock in which it is contained

66
Q

Describe structural morphology

A

Study of the form and structure of organisms

67
Q

State what structural morphology gives an insight into

A

Relationships between species

68
Q

State what the field of comparing structures of organisms is referred to

A

Comparative morphology or comparative anatomy

69
Q

State what features of organisms that have a fundamental similarity based on a common ancestry are called

A

Homologous features

70
Q

State what homologous features evolve

A

Different functions

71
Q

State what the similar structures of species provide evidence of

A

Organisms shared a common ancestor from which they diverged over time

72
Q

Describe divergent evolution

A

The evolution of two or more different species from a common ancestral species

73
Q

State what mutations in the genetic sequences regulating the length of bones in a limb can result in

A

The limb being used in different ways

74
Q

Provide 1 example of homologous features

A

Forearms of humans, cats, whales and bats (Pentadactyl limb)

75
Q

State what homologous features are evident in

A

Groups of organisms that share a common ancestor

76
Q

Describe analogous features

A

Features that serve the same function but have evolved independently

77
Q

State why analogous features may evolve

A

Unrelated organisms have experienced similar selective pressures

78
Q

State what biologists must distinguish between when they attempt to determine evolutionary relationships

A

Homologous and analogous features

79
Q

State when convergent evolution occurs

A

When similar features evolve independently in unrelated groups of organisms

80
Q

Describe vestigial organs/structures

A

Structures that are remnants of organs that had a function in ancestral species but have become reduced in size due to lack of use over time

81
Q

Provide 3 examples of vestigial organs/structures

A
  1. wisdom teeth
  2. inner eyelids
  3. ear muscles
82
Q

State what the comparison of organisms is complicated by

A

The way organisms change substantially between life stages

83
Q

Provide the name of the field of biology that studies the process of how organisms change from a zygote to adult

A

Developmental biology

84
Q

Describe development biology

A

Study of evolutionary relationships of the same stage of development and comparison between organisms

85
Q

State what organisms that share a common ancestor also share

A

Similar master genes

86
Q

Describe comparative embryology

A

Source of evidence of evolutionary relationships

87
Q

State what comparative embryology is based upon

A

The passing of the embryo through similar stages of development

88
Q

Describe stromatolites

A

Dome/mound built up of layers of lime-secreting cyanobacteria and trapped sediment

89
Q

State the 4 methods of radioisotopic dating

A
  1. Fission track
  2. Radiocarbon
  3. Pottasium/Argon
  4. Uranium series
90
Q

State the 6 methods of non-isotopic dating

A
  1. Palaeomagnetism
  2. Thermoluminescence
  3. ESR
  4. Amino acid racemisation
  5. Varve
  6. Tree-ring
91
Q

Describe fission track dating

A

Uranium-235 sometimes undergoes spontaneous fission and the subatomic particles emitted leave tracks through nearby mineral

92
Q

State the dating range of fission track dating

A

100 million-5000 years

93
Q

Provide some examples of materials datable by the fission track method

A

Pottery, glass, volcanic materials

94
Q

Describe radiocarbon dating

A

Measure of the loss of the isotope carbon-14 taken up by an organism when it was alive

95
Q

State the dating range of radiocarbon dating

A

50,000-1,500 years

96
Q

Provide some examples of materials datable by the radiocarbon dating method

A

Wood, shell, peat, charcoal, bone, animal tissue, soil

97
Q

Describe potassium-argon dating

A

Measure K-40 to Ar-40 decay in volcanic rocks lying above or below fossil bearing strata

98
Q

State the dating range of potassium-argon dating

A

100 million-50,000 years

99
Q

Provide some examples of materials datable by the potassium-argon dating method

A

Volcanic rocks and minerals

100
Q

Describe uranium series dating

A

Measure of the decay of U-235 and U-238 into Th-230 and U-234 respectively

101
Q

State the dating range of uranium series dating

A

1 million-1500 years

102
Q

Describe palaeomagnetism

A

Shows the alignment of the Earth’s magnetic field when the rock sample was last heated above a critical level

103
Q

Describe thermoluminescence

A

Measure of the light emitted by a sample of quartz/zircon grains that have been exposed to sunlight or fire in the distant past

104
Q

Describe ESR

A

Measure of the microwave energy absorbed by samples previously heated or exposed to sunlight in the distant past

105
Q

Describe amino acid racemisation

A

Measure of the gradual conversion of left- to right-handed amino acid isomers in the proteins preserved in organic remains

106
Q

Describe varve

A

Measure of the annually deposited sediment layers (varves) found in many lakes

107
Q

Describe tree-ring

A

Measure of the annual growth rings of trees

108
Q

State what tree ring estimates can be cross referenced to

A

Carbon dating

109
Q

Describe radiometric dating

A

Quantitative technique used to determine the proportion of particular isotopes within rocks around or within the fossil

110
Q

State to what year carbon dating can be used to estimate the age of samples

A

60000 years

111
Q

State what the method of radioactive carbon dating is limited to

A

Samples that are not older than 60000 years

112
Q

State why radioactive carbon dating is limited to samples that are not older than 60000 years

A

Because after that time period, there is very little carbon-14 left in the fossil

113
Q

State what type of radiometric dating technique can be used in place of radioactive carbon dating for samples older than 60000 years

A

Potassium-argon dating

114
Q

State the limit of thermoluminescence dating

A

500000 years

115
Q

State what the amount of light emitted from an object when thermoluminescently dated is equivalent to

A

Amount of radiation absorbed by an object

116
Q

State the specific substance whose age is determined via ESR

A

Calcium carbonate in limestone, coral, fossil teeth, molluscs and egg schells

117
Q

State whether or not samples are destroyed by ESR

A

No

118
Q

State whether or not samples are destroyed by thermoluminescence dating

A

Yes

119
Q

State what type of technique electron spin resonance is considered

A

A spectroscopic technique

120
Q

State what ESR detects

A

Atoms with orbitals containing unpaired electrons

121
Q

State the 4 major stages of fossilisation

A
  1. Organism death
  2. Decay of soft tissue and burial
  3. Sediment accumulation
  4. Uplift, erosion and exposure
122
Q

Describe fossil record

A

The remains/imprints of organisms from earlier geological periods preserved in sedimentary rock.

123
Q

State why fossilisation is a rare event

A

Rapid burial and suspension of the normal processes of decay must occur for fossilisation to be conducted

124
Q

Describe convergent evolution

A

The evolution of similar features in unrelated groups of organisms.

125
Q

State what features convergent evolution can be paired with

A

Analogous features

126
Q

Provide 1 example of analogous features

A

Fishes and dolphins have streamlined bodies

127
Q

State what features divergent evolution can be paired with

A

Homologous features

128
Q

Describe macroevolution

A

Evolutionary change, often of whole taxonomic groups

129
Q

Describe homeotic genes

A

Genes regulating development of anatomical structures.

130
Q

Describe master genes

A

DNA sequences that control formation of proteins necessary for large scale, embryonic development

131
Q

Describe coevolution

A

Two or more species evolve in tandem by exerting selection pressures on each other.

132
Q

Describe microevolution

A

Change in allele frequencies that occurs over time within a population.

133
Q

State 2 common types of relative dating methods

A
  1. Index fossils

2. Statigraphy

134
Q

Describe hox genes

A

Group of related genes that specify regions of the body plan of an embryo along head-tail axis.

B12 (41 decks)

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