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48 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Which of the 'big five' mass extinctions resulted in 2nd level ecological disruptions without significantly effecting reef ecosystems? |
Late Devonian, End Cretaceous |
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On what scale do alpha, beta and gamma diversity differ? |
Spatial |
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Which type of diversity is plotted in Sepkoski Curves? |
Family-Level Diversity |
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Calculate Simpsons evenness index for the following fossil community |
Answer: 1 - ( (Total Number of specimens / Number of individual species) Squared) |
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How many Bambachian megaguilds are represented by the 5 species listed in the table below? |
Two - Megaguild: group of guilds that have the same space utilization, food source and overall body plan. |
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In which geological period appear the first representatives of the modern evolutionary fauna? |
Mesozoic |
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How did the diversity of the Paleozoic Evolutionary Fauna develop during the Mesozoic? |
Mesozoic Marine Revolution (MMR) |
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Which quantitative method results in a plot shown below? |
Rarefaction Curve: Randomly re-sampling a pool of N samples multiple times and then plotting the average number of species found in each sample. |
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What is described by the Signor-Lipps Effect? |
The first & last appearance of a fossil taxon is never truly known as the fossil record is never complete. |
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Define the term convergent evolution |
The process whereby organisms not closely related independently evolve similar traits as a results of having to adopt similar ecological niches and having the same selection pressures. |
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To what substrate were crinoids with lots of arms and a long flexible steam likely attached? |
Driftwood - Psudoplanktonic organisms are those that attach themselves to planktonic organisms or other floating objects. |
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In the diagram below mark the type of surviorship curve that is typically for population of organisms with an R-Strategy |
Type 3 |
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Name two characteristics of K-stragists |
Small numbers of slowly developing young (late onset of maturity) Large body sizes, Long life expectancy, Low rates of population growth. |
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Name two characteristics of r-strategists |
High fecundity (large numbers of offspring) small body size, short generation time, early maturity. |
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The base of which geological period is defined by the first appearance of ichnospecies? |
Cambrian |
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If burrow A cuts across burrow B, which was formed in a shallower tier? |
B |
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What happens to burrow size as oxygen levels in the marine environment decrease? |
Burrow size decreases |
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What is the name given to the study of fossil communities? |
Palaeosynecology |
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What is the term used to describe the sedimentary rock fabrics caused by the activities of burrowing organisms? |
Bioturbation |
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Give 2 examples of trace fossils that are underground miners |
Rhizocorallium |
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Which ichnofacies indicates quiet, deep, muddy environments and is dominated by pascichnia and agrichnia? |
Nereites |
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Which ichnofacies indicates mobile, sandy substrates and is dominated by vertical domichnia? |
Skolithos
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What term is given to fossil taxa that temporary disappear from the rock record, e.g. in the aftermath of extinction events? |
Lazarus Taxa |
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Which large igneous province is associated with the with the late Triassic mass extinction event. |
Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) |
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Name an important use of Micro fossils in geology |
Dating/Correlating rocks (Biostratigraphy) and Past environments (climate change) |
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Give an example of a method used in the preparation of sediment samples for micro fossil analysis. |
Foraminifera - Washing (water, chemicals, sieving, picking); Heavy liquid concentration. |
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Name a micro fossil group which has a calcareous shell. |
Foraminifera & Discoasters |
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Name a micro fossil group which has a siliceous shell. |
Diatom & Radiolarians |
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Name a micro fossil group which has organic-walled shells. |
Pollen & Spores |
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The life cycle of foraminifera is characterized by an alternation between two generation, one that reproduces sexually and one a-sexually, Name them. |
Gamont (Sexually) & Agamont (asexually) |
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In the classification of foraminifera, Loeblich & Tappan (1964) recognized 5 sub orders. Name the suborder of Foraminifera which has inperferate, porcelaneous and calcerious walls? |
Miliolina |
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In the classification of foraminifera, Loeblich & Tappan (1964) recognized 5 sub orders. Name the suborder of Foraminifera which have perferate, hyaline & calcerious walls?
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Rotaliina |
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In the classification of foraminifera, Loeblich & Tappan (1964) recognized 5 sub orders. Name the suborder of Foraminifera which use foreign particles to make their tests and cement them together with either organic or calcerious cements?
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Texturaliina |
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In the morphology of foraminifera, what is the term used for the chamber arrangement where chambers are coiled in a helical spire? |
Trochospiral |
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Name an abiotic environment factor that controls the distribution and abundance of benthic foraminifera. |
Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen |
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Name an important biotic environment factor that controls the distribution and abundance of benthic foraminifera. |
Competition |
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In the study of modern foraminifera, what is the name of the non-vital stain that is commonly used differentiate 'live' and 'dead' individuals? |
Rose Bengal |
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The proportions of three wall structures of foraminifera are commonly plotted on ternary diagrams to differentiate particularly shallow-water environments. Name the 3 wall structures... |
Textulariina, Rotaliina & Miliolina |
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Name a diversity index that is commonly used in the study of benthic foraminifera. |
Fisher alpha index (Fisher et al, 1943). |
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Larger foraminifera are said to be adapted to nutrient deficient conditions, what term is used for nutrient deficient conditions? |
Oligotrophic |
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Give the name of a genus of Larger Foraminifera |
Nummulites |
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Name an area on Earth where the environment is described as Hyper Saline |
Arabian Gulf |
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Name a genus of benthic foraminifera that is typical of lagoon environments |
Bulimina |
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Name two key morphological features of planktic foraminifera |
Globular Chambers, Open apertures, Uniform distribution of pores over surface |
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Name an important ecological factor that controls the distribution and abundance of planktic forminifera |
Temperature |
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It is known that planktic forminifera occupy different depths in the water column. Typically, what are the morphological characteristics of species that occupy surface water? |
Thinner Walled, Smaller, Spinose &/or symbiant bearing |
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It is known that planktic forminifera occupy different depths in the water column. Typically, what are the morphological characteristics of species that occupy deeper water?
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Non Spinose &/or keeled species, thicker walled, larger. |
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The coiling direction of the planktic foraminifera Neogloboquadrina is commonly used for reconstructing past water temperatures. Name the species that coils anti-clockwise and dominates colder waters |
Pachyderma |