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GEOL 2003 Vocab - Exam 1
Vocabulary
55
Geology
Undergraduate 2
01/10/2012

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Term
palaios
Definition
Greek word for "ancient"
Term
paleobiology
Definition
the study of life through geologic time; the reconstruction of fossils as living organisms
Term
fossil
Definition
from Latin meaning "dug up"; remains, traces or imprints of once living organisms preserved in sedimentary rocks and that are evidence of ancient life.
Term
biosphere
Definition
includes all living organisms interacting with the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere to maintain a steady-state system of energy flow
Term
environment
Definition
sum total of physical, chemical and biotic conditions influencing the responses of organisms
Term
habitat
Definition
specific set of physical and chemical conditions of a species or community
Term
biotope
Definition
topographic area characterized by both uniform physical conditions and biota.
Term
geobiology
Definition
study of the processes and evolution of the coupled Earth-life system through time; it integrated data and hypotheses from stratigraphy, sedimentology, geochemistry, molecular biology, climate modeling and paleontology.
Term
science
Definition
investigations employing observation, identification, description, and experiment to develop theoretical explanations of natural phenomena
Term
scientific method
Definition
the principles and processes of scientific study to gain knowledge; rules for concept formation, conduct of observations and experiments, and validation of hypotheses by observations and experiments.
Term
observations
Definition
by human senses aided by instruments; testable and repeatable by others using accurate & precise observations and terms
Term
data collection
Definition
multiple observations related to some question or phenomenon
Term
hypothesis formulation
Definition
one or more suggested explanations or predictions/retrodictions of the data set
Term
testing hypothesis
Definition
predict next outcome, event or observation and gather additional data about those outcomes
Term
theory development
Definition
well-tested hypothesis accepted by many scientists and used to produce results
Term
laws of nature
Definition
generally accepted principles that explain phenomena
Term
inductive reasoning
Definition
from particular to general; to conclude all class members have a feature seen in a sample
Term
deductive reasoning
Definition
from general to particular; following from the premises of proposition and assumptions
Term
accurate
Definition
having no errors; Latin: "done with care"
Term
precise
Definition
action repeated within narrow limits; Latin: "to shorten"
Term
lithostratigraphic unit
Definition
a body of rock characterized by its lithology, its observable mappable features: group, formation and member
Term
biostratigraphic unit
Definition
a body of rock strata characterized by its fossil content (biozone)
Term
geomagnetic unit
Definition
a stratigraphic interval having a constant magnetic field (polarity zone/chron)
Term
Phanerozoic Eon
Definition
542 to Present, hard shelled metazoans
Term
Proterozoic Eon
Definition
2500-542 Ma, metasedimentary strata
Term
Ediacaran Period
Definition
630-542 Ma, begins in Norway and Australia
Term
Archean Eon
Definition
4.6-2.5 Ga, origin of the Earth to Proterozoic
Term
prokaryotes
Definition
archaebacteria that feed on sulphur, formed through hydrothermal springs
Term
eukaryotes
Definition
eubacteria use sunlight, cell with organelles, modern protists, plants and animals; orginated through photosynthesis or making new cell walls
Term
benthic habitat
Definition
organisms that dwell upon (epifauna) or in (infauna) the substrate (distance above sediment/water interface)
Term
planktic habitat
Definition
organisms that dwell within the water column
Term
biological species
Definition
all individuals that draw their genes from the same pool, and if they reproduce, return genes there
Term
systematics
Definition
the scientific study of the kinds and diversity of organisms and of any and all relationships between them
Term
taxonomy
Definition
scientific naming and classification into groups by morphology
Term
holotype
Definition
one of a kind specimen that represents the species
Term
morphological species
Definition
species defined by their physical biochemical characters
Term
polytypic species
Definition
intergrading sets of morphologically distinct populations
Term
sibling species
Definition
look the same, but reproductively isolated, while living in the same place
Term
allopatric speciation
Definition
reproductive isolation due to geographic separation
Term
sympatric speciation
Definition
reproductive isolation after originally mating randomly (finches)
Term
parapatric speciation
Definition
reproductive isolation due to partial geographic isolation
Term
morphospecies
Definition
groups that look different and the variation is so large that it is expected to produce reproductive isolation
Term
phyletic gradualism
Definition
continuous, slow transformation (anagenetic)
Term
punctuated equilibrium
Definition
local, rapid changes, followed by stasis
Term
heterochrony
Definition
changes in rates of change from ancestors to descendants: size, shape, time of development
Term
peramorphosis
Definition
rapid growth, extended juvenile stages causes organism to grow larger
Term
paedomorphosis
Definition
slow down growth, ancestor juvenile becomes descendant's adult stage
Term
master genes model
Definition
hox genes control other genes during embryonic growth
Term
stationary model
Definition
evolution driven by the environment
Term
red queen model
Definition
evolution is constant, so number of species is constant
Term
driving factors
Definition
mutations, competition, environment
Term
taxonomic diversity
Definition
number of taxa and number of individuals
Term
coevolution
Definition
development of organism interactions that affect changes in both (ie flowering plans/insects)
Term
adaptation
Definition
promotion and maintenance of fitness of species or functional effect having selective benefit
Term
Cope's Rule
Definition
descendants are typically larger than their ancestors
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