Evolutionary Biology Paleontology and the Fossil Record: Reading the clues by Devin Reese, PhD. Reading Quiz Teach with this 1. Which is the BEST definition of paleontology? The study of sediments and rocks that are more than 10,000 years old. The study of sediments and rocks that are more than 1 million years old. The study of fossils of organisms that lived more than 10,000 years ago. The study of fossils of organisms that lived more than 1 million years ago. 2. 19th century geologists were the first to notice fossils in nature. true false 3. What sorts of environments foster the formation of fossils? Buried and oxygen-rich Buried and oxygen-rich Exposed and oxygen-rich Exposed and oxygen-poor 4. Sedimentary rocks left from ancient bodies of water are not the only places that fossils have been found to date. true false 5. What is the most likely reason for this mastodon later fossilizing? James St. John, Flickr CC-BY-deed It was in water and had hard body parts that won't decay. It was in water and had soft body parts under its thick skin. It was near land and had hard body parts that won't decay. It was near land and had thick skin covering its soft body parts. 6. Which statement is MOST accurate about fossilization? Fossilization always occurs when the right environmental conditions are in place. Fossilization provides an unbiased record of the organisms that used to live in a place. Fossilization is biased solely because environmental conditions vary over the landscape. Fossilization is uneven and nonlinear, making for a biased record of what used to live in a place. 7. Paleontologists deduce that these footprints found in Texas were made by an Acrocanthosaurusi dinosaur 113 million years ago. What sort of fossils are they? Copyright Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Body fossils Trace fossils Amber fossils Not fossils at all 8. The pink layer (Jutana Formation) is the 3rd oldest layer visible. Copyright Hughes et al., 2019 true false Use the image below to answer questions 9 and 10. image ©Geoscientist-In-the Park David Tarailo, sponsored by the Geological Society of America, GeoCorps Program, 2012. 9. This shows the stratigraphic layers in Zion National Park. Which is the BEST explanation for why the fossils on the bottom layer (Kaibab) look different from the fossils in the Moenave Formation? Each layer represents a different part of the landscape. Each layer represents a different habitat or ecosystem. Each layer represents a different slice of geologic time. Each layer represents a different type of sediment or rock. 10. In the 270-million-year old Kaibab Formation are fossils of little shelled animals called trilobites. Which is the BEST explanation for the absence of trilobites the 240-million-year-old Moenkopi layer and above? Trilobites went extinct about 150 million years ago. Trilobites went extinct about 200 million years ago. Trilobites went extinct about 250 million years ago. Trilobites went extinct about 300 million years ago. 11. Which of these things can MOST reliably be learned from fossils? The physical characteristics of a particular species now extinct. The composition of an entire ecosystem no longer seen on Earth. The absolute abundance of a particular species (total number of organisms). The relative abundance of different species across environments. 12. Fossils, in conjunction with other types of evidence, are valuable in detailing the history of life on Earth. true false Score Quiz
