Short answer questions

Question 1

1. Which of the ‘big five’ mass extinctions resulted in 2nd level ecological disruptions without significantly effecting reef ecosystems?

Answer 1

End-Ordovician

Question 2

2. On what scale do alpha, beta, and gamma diversity differ?

Answer 2

Alpha: Within habitat diversity
Beta: Species competition
Gamma: landscape= OCEAN

Question 3

In which geological period appear the first representatives of the modern Evolutionary Fauna?

Answer 3

Cambrian

Question 4

How did the diversity of the Paleozoic Evolutionary Fauna develop during the Mesozoic?

Answer 4

Stenotopic organisums

Question 5

What is described as the Signor Lipps effect?

Answer 5

The first and last appearance of a taxon is never truly known

Question 6

Define the tern convergent evolution?

Answer 6

Organisms that are not closely related develop similar characteristics due to environmental control.

Question 7

Name two characteristics of K-strategists

Answer 7

Large body
slow to mature
few off spring
Low juvenile mortality

Question 8

Name two characteristics of R-stratagists

Answer 8

fast to mature

High infant mortality

Question 9

The base of which geological period is defined by the first appearance of an ichnospeceis?

Answer 9

Base of the Cambrian period

Question 10

If burrow A cross cuts Burrow B, which burrow formed in a shallower tier?

Answer 10

B

Question 11

What happens to burrow size as oxygen levels in the marine environment decrease?

Answer 11

Decreases in size

Question 12

What is the name given to the study of fossil communities?

Answer 12

palaeosynecology

Question 13

what term is used to describe the sedimentary rock fabric caused by the activities of burrowing organisms?

Answer 13

Bioturbation

Question 14

Give two example of trace fossils that are underground miners?

Answer 14

diplocraterion and rhizocordium

Question 15

Which inchnofacies indicates quiet, deep, muddy enviroments and is dominated by pascichnia and agrichnia ?

Answer 15

Nereites (off shore/ deep)

Question 16

Which ichnofacies indicates mobile, sandy substrates and is dominated by vertical domichnia?

Answer 16

skolithos (shore face)

Question 17

what term is given to fossil taxa that temporarily disappear from the rock record?

Answer 17

Lazarus taxon

Question 18

Which large igneous province is associated with the late Triassic mass extinction event?

Answer 18

Central Atlantic magmatic province

Question 19

name an important use of micro fossils in geology?

Answer 19

dating(biostratighraphy)

Question 20

Give an example of a method used in the preparation of sediment samples for micro fossil analysis?

Answer 20

Dying, washing, chemical extraction and thin section analysis.

Question 21

name a micro fossil groups with a clacareous shell?

Answer 21

foraminifera

Question 22

name a micro fossil groups with a clacareous shell?

Answer 22

foraminifera

Question 23

name a micro fossil groups with a siliceous shell?

Answer 23

Siliceoflagellate

Question 24

name a micro fossil groups with a organic-walled shell?

Answer 24

Dinoflagelattes

Question 25

the life cycle of foraminfera is charicterised by an alteration between two generations once that reproduces sexually and one that reproduces asexually

Answer 25

gamont and agamont

Question 26

Sub order of foraminifera that have perforate, hyaline calcareous walls?

Answer 26

Rotalinia

Question 27

sub order of foraminifera with imperforate, porcelaneous clacareous walls.

Answer 27

milionlina

Question 28

sub order of foraminfera with particles to make their tesst and cement the with either organic matter or clacaraous cements?

Answer 28

textulinia

Question 29

name for the the arrangement of chambers in a coiled helical spire?

Answer 29

trochspiral

Question 30

abioti environmental factor that controls distribution and abundance

Answer 30

Temperature

Question 31

biotic environmental factor that controls distribution and abundance

Answer 31

food

Question 32

stain used in for telling living and dead specimens apart

Answer 32

rose-bengal

Question 33

three wall structure names that used in ternary diagrams used to differentiate particular shallow water enviroments?

Answer 33

hyaline Porcelaneous agglutinated

Question 34

name of diversity index for benthic foraminifera?

Answer 34

fisher alpha index

Question 35

name for large foraminifera

Answer 35

nummulite zenehesis

Question 36

name and genus of benthic foraminifera that is typical of lagoon enviroments

Answer 36

quincoequelina