Reading the fossil record
1.[3p] Which filters make the fossil record a biased sample?
Which filters make the fossil record a biased sample?
Select all that apply
The answer is: Rapid burial is needed, so water-margin organisms are over-represented, Hard parts survive far better than soft ones, The rock must escape metamorphism, subduction and erosion for millions of years
2.[3p] About 250,000 fossil species are described against an estimated 4 billion that have lived. One species in how many is on record?
About 250,000 fossil species are described against an estimated 4 billion that have lived. One species in how many is on record?
3.[3p] A lineage has 20 specimens spread over 10 million years. What is the mean gap between successive specimens, in millions of years?
A lineage has 20 specimens spread over 10 million years. What is the mean gap between successive specimens, in millions of years?
4.[3p] What did the Tiktaalik search specify in advance?
What did the Tiktaalik search specify in advance?
The answer is: Late Devonian rock of about 375 million years, freshwater or deltaic, unmetamorphosed and exposed
The answer is: Late Devonian rock of about 375 million years, freshwater or deltaic, unmetamorphosed and exposed
The answer is: Late Devonian rock of about 375 million years, freshwater or deltaic, unmetamorphosed and exposed
5.[3p] Trackways dated to 395 million years show that Tiktaalik was not the ancestor of tetrapods, which undermines the prediction that found it.
Trackways dated to 395 million years show that Tiktaalik was not the ancestor of tetrapods, which undermines the prediction that found it.
The answer is: False
6.[2p] Basilosaurus is about 16 m long with a hind limb about 0.6 m. What percentage of body length is the limb?
Basilosaurus is about 16 m long with a hind limb about 0.6 m. What percentage of body length is the limb?
7.[3p] Why is the involucrum, rather than a swimming character, used to identify Pakicetus as a whale?
Why is the involucrum, rather than a swimming character, used to identify Pakicetus as a whale?
The answer is: It has no function connected to being aquatic and occurs in no other mammal group
The answer is: It has no function connected to being aquatic and occurs in no other mammal group
The answer is: It has no function connected to being aquatic and occurs in no other mammal group
8.[2p] The clay layer at Gubbio holds iridium at about 9 parts per billion against a background of 0.3. By what factor is it enriched?
The clay layer at Gubbio holds iridium at about 9 parts per billion against a background of 0.3. By what factor is it enriched?
9.[3p] Put these fossil forms in the order they appear in the rocks, oldest first.
Put these fossil forms in the order they appear in the rocks, oldest first.
Acanthostega
Tiktaalik
Basilosaurus
Panderichthys
Pakicetus
Show the answer
a, b, c, d, e