Bio 4

• Scientists know so much about dinosaurs even though these animals went extinct long ago through fossils
• It is through these fossils that scientists know so much about animals and plants that have long been extinct
• Explain fossil records as evidence of evolution

  1. Describe how fossils are formed

  2. Identify the different types of fossils

  3. Explain how fossils provide evidence of evolution
• Fossils


  Preserved remains of organisms from earlier periods of Earth's history
• Ancient Earth looked vastly different from Earth of today
• Permineralization


  1. Groundwater filling up spaces in organisms

  2. Dissolved minerals crystallizing to produce rocks in the shape of the animal or plant
• Permineralization


  • Petrified wood fossil
• Carbonization


  Organisms leaving behind residual carbon while other elements are shed off
• Carbonization


  • Plant fossils
• Replacement


  Minerals in organisms' bodies being replaced by other minerals
• Replacement


  • Petrified tree trunk
• Mold fossils


  Hollow area in sediment in the shape of an organism or part of an organism
• Cast fossils


  Sediments and minerals filling up the body cavities of an organism
• Trace fossils


  Traces left behind by organisms in the past, such as fossilized animal tracks, eggs, and coprolites
• True form fossils


  Entire organisms whose bodies have been preserved
• Relative dating


  Estimating sequences of events, usually involving sequencing rock layers through stratigraphy
• Absolute dating


  Giving a numerical estimate of the age of rock layers and fossils, such as through radiometric dating
• Index fossils


  Fossils of organisms that lived during a specific time period and have characteristics that make them useful for dating the rocks in which they are found
• Fossilization involves many different processes, examples of which are permineralization, replacement, and carbonization
• Relative dating methods involve estimating the sequence of events that are involved in Earth's history, while absolute dating methods give a numerical estimate of the age of rock layers and fossils
• Fossils provide evidence of evolution
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• Boyer, Rodney F.: 'Concepts in Biochemistry'
• Hickman, Cleveland Pendleton, Susan L.. Keen, Allan Larson, William C.. Ober, and Claire W.. Garrison: 'Animal Diversity'
• Hickman, Cleveland P.: 'Integrated Principles of Zoology'
• Miller, Stephen A., and John P. Harley: 'Zoology'
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• Starr, Cecie, Ralph Taggart, Christine A. Evers, and Lisa Starr: 'Biology: the Unity and Diversity of Life'