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| Paleontologists divide the Earth's past into the following hierarchal organization beginning with the largest block of time |
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| Of the animal phyla, the only two to successfully populate terrestrial habitats in large numbers of species and individuals are the |
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| arthropods and the chordates. |
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| In the Mesozoic era the first vertebrate animal group to live successfully on land was the |
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| The two existing fish families, Chondrichthyes (sharks) and Osteichthyes (bony fish) have evolved anatomical solutions to increase swimming speed and maneuverability. Which modifications is NOT found in Chondrichthyes? |
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Definition
| buoyancy control through swim bladder |
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| Adaptations in reptiles DO NOT include |
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| Characteristics that evolved in birds to allow for flight include |
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Definition
| thin, hollow bones in the skeleton |
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| Both birds and mammals share the physiological characteristic of endothermy. How do these animals maintain a high body temperature? |
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Definition
| They have high metabolic rates. |
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| A characteristic unique to almost all mammals and no other vertebrates is |
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Definition
| a placenta and internal development of offspring |
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| eras are divided into blocks of time called |
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| some periods are divided into |
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| Virtually all of the animals that survive at the present time originated in the sea at the beginning of the |
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Term
| the diversification of animal life began soon after the |
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Definition
| Cambrian period (545-490 M.Y.A.) |
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| the first vertebrates evolved about ? m.y.a. |
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| First terrestrial organisms? Appeared ? m.y.a. |
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Definition
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| first terrestrial animals, invading land about ? m.y.a. |
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Term
| vertebrates invaded the land during the ? period, ? m.y.a. |
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Definition
| Carboniferous period (360-280 M.Y.A.) |
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| first terrestrial vertebrates, followed by ? |
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Definition
| are particularly sharp declines in species diversity |
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| the most drastic mass extinction occurred in the ? period |
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Definition
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| the most well-studied extinction occurred at the end of the ? period |
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Definition
| Cretaceous period (65 M.Y.A.) |
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| extinctions are often followed by |
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| The Mesozoic era (248–65 M.Y.A.) has traditionally been divided into three periods |
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Definition
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous |
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Term
| During the ? period, the supercontinent of Pangaea began to break up, sea levels were rising, and the world’s climate became warmer and wetter |
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| The Mesozoic era (248–65 M.Y.A.) was a time of |
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Definition
| intensive evolution of terrestrial plants and animals |
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Term
| dinosaurs and mammals appeared at about the same time ? m.y.a. |
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| for over 150 million years, ? were the dominant land vertebrates |
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Term
| dinosaurs disappeared at the end of the ? period, about ? m.y.a. |
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Definition
| About 65 M.Y.A., at the end of the Cretaceous period |
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Term
| ? is an element rare on earth but abundant in meteorites |
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Definition
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Term
| Why is it widely accepted that a meteorite was the cause of the death of the dinosaurs? |
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Definition
| a layer of iridium is abundant in many parts of the world in a layer of sediment that dates to the end of the Cretaceous period; iridium is abundant in meteorites |
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Term
| the glaciation of Antarctica and the Northern Hemisphere became fully established by about ? m.y.a. |
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Term
| many very large mammals evolved during the ice ages, including |
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Definition
| mastodons, mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, and cave bears |
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Term
| About half of all vertebrates are |
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Definition
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| All fishes have four important characteristics in common |
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Definition
gills
vertebral column
single-loop blood circulation
nutritional deficiencies |
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Term
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Definition
| gills are used to extract dissolved oxygen from water |
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Definition
| all fishes have an internal skeleton with a spine |
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Term
| single-loop blood circulation |
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Definition
| blood is pumped in a single loop, from the heart to the gills, then to the body, then back to the heart |
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Definition
fishes are unable to synthesize the aromatic amino acids and must consume them in their diet
this trait has been inherited by all of their vertebrate descendants |
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Term
| The first fishes were jawless ? that appeared in the sea about ? M.Y.A. |
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Definition
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Term
? are the only jawless fishes found today,
they include ? |
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Definition
| Agnathans; hagfish and lampreys |
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Term
| Jawed fishes appeared around ? m.y.a. |
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Definition
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Term
| jaws evolved from the frontmost of a series of |
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Definition
| cartilaginous arch supports that reinforced the tissue between gill slits |
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Term
| Sharks and bony fishes appeared about ? M.Y.A. and shared the seas with spiny fish and placoderms for ? million years |
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Definition
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| Sharks and bony fish have dominated the seas for the last ? million years |
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Definition
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| Sharks, along with skates and rays, belong to the class |
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Definition
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| ? reproduction is the most advanced of any fish |
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Definition
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| Bony fishes achieve maneuverability through the aid of a ?, which is ? |
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Definition
| swim bladder; a gas-filled sac that allows fish to regulate their buoyancy |
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Term
| sharks gain buoyancy with ? in their livers, but they must keep ? to counteract their denser-than-water bodies |
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Definition
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| Bony fishes comprise the class |
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Definition
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Term
| some bony fishes are lobe-finned subclass ? |
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Definition
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Term
| other bony fishes are ray-finned subclass: |
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Definition
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| Bony fishes are the most successful of all vertebrates there are about ? species |
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Definition
| there are nearly 30,000 species of bony fishes |
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Definition
a special sensory system that enables fish to detect changes in water pressure
also present in sharks |
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Definition
a bony covering on top of the opening of the gills
this allows the fish to ventilate the gills while remaining stationary |
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Definition
| frogs, salamanders, and caecilians |
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Term
| they were the first terrestrial vertebrates and evolved from the lobe-finned fishes |
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Definition
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| Amphibians have five key characteristics that allowed them to invade land successfully |
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Definition
legs
lungs
cutaneous respiration
pulmonary veins
partially divided heart |
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Term
| Approximately ? species exist today in the class Amphibia |
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Definition
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| All living reptiles share the following fundamental characteristics |
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Definition
amniotic egg
dry skin
thoracic breathing |
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Definition
| this innovation is a watertight environment that offers the embryo protection against drying out |
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Definition
| reptiles are covered by scales or armor in order to prevent drying out |
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Definition
| reptiles increase their lung capacity by expanding their chest cavity when breathing in air |
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Term
| Today some ? species of reptiles belong to the class Reptilia |
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Definition
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Term
| Reptiles improved on the evolutionary innovations of amphibians to terrestrial life by |
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Definition
reptilian legs were arranged to better support body weight and to facilitate more efficient locomotion
lungs and heart became more efficient in reptiles than in amphibians |
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Term
| Reptiles evolved around ? million years ago; ? lineages formed |
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Definition
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Term
| forms called ? were the first reptiles to be bipedal |
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Definition
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| Early archosaurs gave rise to four groups |
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Definition
dinosaurs, many of which grew to immense sizes
crocodiles, which have changed little
pterosaurs, the flying reptiles
birds |
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Term
| were the most successful of all land vertebrates |
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Definition
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Term
| Birds evolved from ? dinosaurs about ? M.Y.A. |
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Definition
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| Birds are endothermic, which means |
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Definition
| their high body temperatures enhance metabolism, satisfying the large energy requirements of flight |
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| The oldest bird of which there is a clear fossil |
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Definition
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| There are about ? species of birds in the class Aves today |
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Definition
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| Mammals evolved about ? M.Y.A. and belong to the class ? |
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Definition
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Term
| members of the class mammalia share three key characteristics |
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Definition
mammary glands
hair
middle ear |
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Term
| The first mammals evolved from |
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Definition
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| Over ? species of mammals exist now, half of them ?, and one-quarter of them ? |
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Definition
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Term
| Modern mammals have a number of characteristics that make them successful |
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Definition
endothermy
teeth
placenta
hooves
horns |
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Term
| endothermy allows for mammals |
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Definition
| to be active at any time of day or night and to colonize harsh environments |
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Definition
monotremes (egg-laying mammals)
marsupials (pouched animals)
placental mammals |
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