Historical Geology - Mesozoic

Question 1

Discuss the global palaeogeographic events that occurred during the Mesozoic period.

Answer 1

The breakup of Pangaea and thebuilding of western North America

Question 2

Name some recovery taxa from the Mesozoic Biota.

Answer 2

– Ammonoids
– Bivalves
– Brachiopods

Question 3

Name the new reef builders in the Mesozoic period.

Answer 3

• Hexacorals build both solitary ((single-species) and colonial (multi-species) reefs

Question 4

Name the new marine vertebrates in the Mesozoic period.

Answer 4

• Placodonts- flat teeth for crushing shells
• Nothosaurs -Piscivorous (adapted to feeding on fish)
• both go extinct at the end of the triassic

Question 5

Name some sea monsters from the Mesozoic period.

Answer 5

• plesiosaurs
• ichthyosaurs
• mosasaurs?

Question 6

Name terrestrial plants from the Mesozoic period.

Answer 6

• gymnosperns (open seeds)

- angiosperms (flowering plants)

Question 7

What did angiosperms co-evolve with?

Answer 7

insects (pollination)

Question 8

When were dinosaurs introduced?

Answer 8

~220mya mid-Triassic

Question 9

What animals do we have today that are directly descended from dinosaurs?

Answer 9

Birds are descended from theropod dinosaurs

reptiles like crocodiles are cousins - not directly descended

Question 10

What were the first dinosaurs?

Answer 10

• Late Triassic of Argentina

– Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus

Question 11

What animals use vertebrate flight?

Answer 11

• pterosaurs

- birds

Question 12

What makes a mammal a mammal?

Answer 12

hair, sweat glands, mammary glands, Dentary-squamosal jaw joint (different than reptiles)

Question 13

What were the first mammal like?

Answer 13

• small (rarely larger than a squirrel), possible nocternal
• remain in the backfround during the mesozoic
• Fossorial (digs and lives underground) or semi-fossorial
• Ominivores