Fossils and the History of Life

What is a fossil?

• an increase in diversity

• a preserved remain or trace of a formerly living thing

• the variety of species on Earth

• the limitations on an engineering solution

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Which is an example of a trace fossil?

• a bone

• a mosquito encased in amber

• a footprint

• a tooth

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What is one major pattern in the fossil record?

• adaptive radiation occurs

• mass extincion

• explosions

• increases in complexity

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What typically happens after a mass extinction occurs?

• only organisms who lived in water survive

• nothing; all the species die out

• adaptive radiation

• biodiversity

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Which is an example of a body fossil?

• an animal burrow

• a bone

• a footprint

• a toothmark

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A fossil can form when

• an organism leaves an imprint in sediment, which hardens into stone.

• groundwater minerals seep into preserved bone and shell materials.

• an organism is trapped in sticky plant resin that hardens into amber.

• all of the above.

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Scientists conclude that a fossil species is extinct when:

• it vanishes from the rock strata

• it cannot be studied further

• the first fossil of a species is discovered

• too many have been found

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Why doesn't the fossil record include every species that has lived on Earth?

• Very few living things end up as fossils.

• Scientists are unable to determine what species some fossils are.

• Most fossils on Earth have not yet been found.

• The record has not been updated in many years.

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Which factor most likely caused the Cambrian Explosion?

• increasing oxygen levels in the atmosphere

• changes in oceans

• developments in living organisms

• all of the above

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How many mass extinctions do scientists see evidence for in Earth's history?

• 1

• 3

• 5

• 10

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