Topic 9: Origin of Life, Prokaryotes, and Protists

Question 1

What are the 6 features of life? (Definition of Life)

Answer 1

1. Organization
2. Metabolism
3. Response to Stimuli
4. Homeostasis
5. Adaptation
6. Reproduction

Question 2

What is metabolism ?

Answer 2

A system of management of energy and materials via chemical reactions.

Question 3

What are the three eons of the Geological Record?

Answer 3

Archaean, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic

Question 4

What does Precambrian refer to?

Answer 4

Archaean and Proterozoic Eons

Question 5

What are the 3 sub categories of Phanerozoic?

Answer 5

Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic

Question 6

What makes an Eon Boundary?

Answer 6

they each correspond to mass extinction

Question 7

What is the Fossil Record?

Answer 7

Sedimentary Rocks that provide direct evidence of evolutionary history.

Question 8

What’s wrong with the fossil record?

Answer 8

It is biased and incomplete.

Question 9

What are the 5 types of fossils?

Answer 9

Mold, Cast, Replacement (petrified), Trace, Perserved.

Question 10

Mold Fossils

Answer 10

When a hollow space (impression) remains after the organism decays or dissolves.

Question 11

Cast Fossils

Answer 11

Forms when minerals fill the hollow space, creating a solid replica.

Question 12

Replacement Fossils

Answer 12

Original tissues are replaced by minerals, preserving the detailed structure of the organism.

Question 13

Trace Fossils

Answer 13

Provide evidence of an organisms behaviour, such as tracks, burrows, or feces.

Question 14

Perserved Fossils

Answer 14

Retain most of the original organic material of the organism.

Question 15

how do we determine the Age of a Fossil?

Answer 15

Relative Dating and Absolute Dating.

Question 16

Relative Dating

Answer 16

Sedimentary strata layered can indicate relative age of fossils to one another, but cannot get. exact date.

Question 17

What is an index (indicator) fossil?

Answer 17

A widespread common fossil that has a known age and can be used to reference other fossils found in strata.

Question 18

Absolute Dating (Radiometric dating)

Answer 18

Radioactive decay of isotopes of various elements provide a means of determining the age of fossils or rocks. (The decay has a known constant rate to give indications)

Question 19

Half Life

Answer 19

The time required for 50% of atoms in a given amount of isotopes to decay.

Question 20

What are the three major land formation caused by Continental Drift?

Answer 20

Pangaea, Laurasia, and Gondwana.

Question 21

Continental Drift

Answer 21

Tectonic plates to collide, separate, or slide past each other creating mountains, islands, and earthquakes. They can majorly effect Earths physical geography/climate and biodiversity.

Question 22

Mass Extinctions

Answer 22

Result of disruptive global environmental changes. More than 50% of Earths species became extinct.

Question 23

What were the most important of the 5 main mass extinctions?

Answer 23

Permian and Cretaceous.

Question 24

Permian Mass Extinction (The Great Dying)

Answer 24

Caused by volcanic activity and gradual environmental changes.
Created the formation of Pangea and defines the boundary between Paleo and Meso Eras.

Question 25

Cretaceous Mass Extinction

Answer 25

Caused by meteorite impact, which caused dust clouds that blocked out the sun. Killed the non-avian dinosaurs and separates the Meso and Ceno Eras.

Question 26

6th Mass Extinction (Holocene Extinction)

Answer 26

A human caused extinction that is ongoing as it decreases biodiversity faster than ever. Driven by population growth and overconsumption.

Question 27

Adaptive Radiation

Answer 27

Following mass extinctions, this is the rapid evolution of diversity in a set of taxa from an ancestral species. Allows for the Evolution of Novel Characteristics and the Colonization of New Regions.

Question 28

Evolution of Novel Characteristics

Answer 28

A new trait in a group leads to creation of own new niches/advantages.

Question 29

Colonization of New Regions

Answer 29

Environments with little competition.

Question 30

What are the four hypothesized steps of the events leading to life?

Answer 30

1. Abiotic Synthesis of Small organic molecules 2. Polymerization of Small organic polymers 3. Formation of Protocells 4. Emergence of Self-replicating Molecules

Question 31

1. Abiotic Synthesis of Small organic molecules

Answer 31

The formation of organic compounds from inorganic precursors through abiotic processes

Question 32

2. Polymerization of Small organic polymers

Answer 32

Small organic molecules can undergo polymerization reactions.

Question 33

3. Formation of Protocells

Answer 33

In water, certain organic molecules can spontaneously form hollow vesicles with a lipid bilayer - creating a protocell.

Question 34

4. Emergence of Self-replicating Molecules

Answer 34

Natural selection produced self-replicating RNA.

Question 35

What was the first life?

Answer 35

Prokaryokes

Question 36

Stromalites

Answer 36

The oldest fossil evidence of life.

Question 37

Great Oxygenation event

Answer 37

When O2 began accumulating in the atmosphere and oceans.

Question 38

What was the major development that CAUSED the Great Oxygenation event?

Answer 38

Photosynthetic prokaryotes (cynobacteria) evolved to use the sun's energy to fix CO2 into O2.