Key Term Erosion, n. Fossil, n. Fossil record, n.. GETTING INTO THE FOSSIL RECORD VOCABULARY NOTE-TAKING CHART Synonym/Explanation Transport of material from weathering or wearing away of rock and earth (and any fossils they contain) caused by wind, sun, and/or water The natural remains or traces of past life. Something is considered to be a fossil if it is at least 10,000 years old. All of the fossils that have existed throughout life's history, whether they have been found or not. Example/ Image?Showing Sentence A lot of rain can cause erosion and eventually landslides Fossil footprints can tell a story about what animals were doing thousands of years ago. The fossil record is evidence of evolution. Paleontology. n. Uplift, n. Abiotic/Physical Factors: Benthic: Biological/ Biotic Factors: Common ancestor Diversity The study of life in the past. The process that causes part of the Earth's crust to rise above surrounding areas. Non-living factors such as erosion, wind and sun exposure. Living at the bottom of the ocean or on the ocean floor. Living factors such as decomposers, scavengers and predators. An ancestor that two or more kinds of organisms have in common. For example, the common ancestors of two biological siblings (sisters and brothers) include their parents and grandparents; the common ancestors of a coyote and a wolf include the first carnivorous canine and the first mammal. In biology, a measure of the variety of the Earth's animal, plant, and microbial lineages. Different measures of biological diversity (biodiversity) include number of species, number of lineages, variation in morphology, or variation in genetic characteristics. Paleontologists are people who study fossils and other types of evidence to learn about life in the past. Uplift can cause layers of rock to become exposed at the surface. Sunlight is an important abiotic factor for photosynthesis. live on the bottom of the river. Trees are a major biotic part of a forest. The common ancestor of the dog is the first canis whose offspring evolved into Canis familiaris (dog) and Canis lupus (wolf). The parents brought a diverse selection of pies and cakes to the school bake sale. (Both pies and cakes are baked goods)
1. What kinds of questions are answered by the fossil record? TALKING Notes What types of species existed in the past? What was the ecosystem like? How has biodiversity changed over time? In what order did living things evolve? How old are living things? 2. What kinds of things can become fossils Leaf imprints, footprints, bones, and insects, etc 3. Which is most likely to fossilize: a bird or a jellyfish? Explain your answer A bird is more likely to fossilize because bones are hard and fossilize easier than the soft body parts of a jellyfish. 4. Of all the living things alive today how many will become fossils Only 10% of living things today will become fossils. Once a fossil has been formed, it might still be destroyed, list how the fossil could be destroyed What type of rock are fossils found in? Moving, crushing, weathering, eroding, or melting. Fossils are found in sedimentary rocks. Explain why there are gaps in the fossil record There are gaps in the fossil record because only 10% of living things fossilized, there are many processes which destroy fossils, and many fossils may never be found.
Getting Into the Fossil Record
Terms List Abiotic/Physical Factors: Non-living factors such as erosion, wind and sun exposure. Benthic: Living at the bottom of the ocean or on the ocean floor. Biological/Biotic Factors: Living factors such as decomposers, scavengers and predators. Body Fossil: Body parts of organisms that become fossils, such as bones, teeth, skin, leaves, tree trunks. Cast: Casts are formed when sediment leaks into a mold and hardens to form a copy of the original structure. Compression: Fossils formed when an organism is flattened (compressed), leaving a dark stain in the rock. Coprolite: Fossilized feces. Decomposer: An organism that breaks down the tissue and/or structures of dead organisms. Erosion: Weathering or wearing away of rock and earth (and any fossils they contain) caused by wind, sun, and/or water. Fossil: The natural remains or traces of past life. Something is considered to be a fossil if it is at least 10,000 years old. Fossil Record: ALL of the fossils that have existed throughout life s history, whether they have been found or not. Groundwater: Water found underground as a result of rainfall, ice and snow melt, submerged rivers, lakes, and springs. Ichnology: The study of trace fossils. Igneous Rock: Type of rock produced when molten magma (lava) cools and solidifies. Inorganic: Not containing carbon. Not from living things. Ex., mineral Impression: Fossilized prints or marks made by a living thing. Leaf prints, skin prints and footprints are good examples. Intertidal: The coastal zone between the low and high tide mark where waves impact the land. Metamorphic Rock: Rock produced when any type of rock is changed by heat, pressure, and chemical activity in the Earth. Mineralization: The process whereby living material is replaced with minerals. Mold: The impression of an organism left behind in the rock. Paleontology: The study of life in the past. Paleontologists are people who study fossils and other types of evidence to learn about life in the past. Plate tectonics: The concept that explains the movement of the Earth s crustal plates, sea floor spreading, and a number of other geologic processes of the Earth s surface. Rock Cycle: The process through which one type of rock (igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic) is converted into another. Scavenger: An organism that feeds on dead and dying organisms. Sedimentary Rock: Rock that is formed when layers of small particles (sediment) are compressed and cemented together. Trace fossil: Evidence left by organisms, such as burrows, imprints, coprolites, or footprints. Uplift: The process that causes part of the Earth s crust to rise above surrounding areas. This can cause layers of rock to become exposed at the surface.