Fossil Record

What does the fossil record document?

Answer explanation

The fossil record documents the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of many life-forms throughout the history of life on Earth.

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How does the fossil record help support the theory of evolution?

Answer explanation

It can show the possibility of common ancestors by comparing features of now-extinct animals to each other or to modern organisms.

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Certain fossils, such as Trilobites found after the Cambrian explosion, are found in the same geologic time period all over the world. What is the importance of fossils that are consistently found in the same geologic time period?

Answer explanation

These fossils hold critical clues as to the development of species. They are used to identify geologic periods and their characteristics, or they are used to date the age of a particular rock layer.

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The diagram below shows four columns that represent rocks from different geographic regions. Each layer within a column represents a brief period of time. Which of the four fossils would be the most useful as a reference to determine the age of newly discovered fossils? Why?

Answer explanation

Fossil A would be the best index fossil since it appears in only one layer (brief period of time) and is found in all four columns, thus representing a wide geographic distribution.

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The following diagram shows where, in layers of rock, fossils of certain organisms are found. The information in the diagram supports which of the following conclusions?

• Trilobites became extinct before dinosaurs appeared on Earth.

• Mammals did not appear on Earth until after the dinosaurs went extinct.

• Birds descended directly from trilobites and dinosaurs.

• Jellyfish live longer than any other organism on Earth.

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The data table below provides information on the ancestors of the modern horse. Over the evolutionary history of the horse, there have been several trends in how their bodies have changed. Which trend shows a decrease?

• The length of the skull

• The length of their molars

• The number of toes on the fore feet

• The height of the animal

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Three different rock layer sequences from three locations, each with different trilobite fossils, are shown here. Based on the relative positions of the fossils, which of the following conclusions is best supported by the fossil evidence?

• Cyclopygidae appeared after Ceratopigidae.

• Cyclopygidae was the first trilobite to appear.

• Auritimidae was the last trilobite to appear.

• Remopleiridae appeared before Auritimidae.

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This diagram provides information on the diversity, in number of species, for four major groups of animals over time. What is the only group that experienced an increase of diversity between 413 million years ago and 265 million years ago?

• Mollusks

• Arthropods

• Echinoderms

• Chordates

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Over the evolutionary history of a certain kind of fish, the trend is for an increasing number of teeth. The data table provides information for several examples. A fossil of a new species of this type of fish (W. amatequorum) is discovered. The complete fossil skeleton is found, and it has 34 teeth. The most reasonable estimation for the age of this fossil would be which of the following?

• About 20 million years old

• About 30 million years old

• About 70 million years old

• About 100 million years old

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Match the following

• Fossils

• The state of no longer existing

• Extinction

• Remains, impressions, or traces of an organism that lived in the past

• Sedimentary layers

• The mineralized remains of organism and the rock layers in which they are found

• Diversity

• Variation among organisms in an ecosystem

• Fossil record

• Rock formed in layers from deposition and solidification

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