Ear212 - 100 Short Questions Part 1 - Palaeontology

Front 1

What is the name given to the study of the ecology of an individual fossil taxon?

Back 1

Palaeoautecology

Front 2

What term describes organisms with large body size that mature late, live a long timeand produce few offspring?

Back 2

K-strategists

Front 3

Name two characteristics of K-strategists.

Back 3

Large body
slow to mature

few offspring

Tendency to occupy niches in systems which are already near or at population limit

Tend to occur in stable systems

Low juvenile mortality

Front 4

What term describes organisms with small body size that mature early and producemany offspring in a single reproductive episode?

Back 4

r-stratergists

Front 5

Name two characteristics of r-strategists.

Back 5

Fast to mature
High fecundity
High dispersal rate

small body types

many offspring

Tend to occupy high stress/unstable environments

High juvenile mortality

Front 6

What is the earliest embryonic stage of ammonites called?

Back 6

Ammonitella

Front 7

What is the name given to the study of fossil communities?

Back 7

Palaeosynecology

Front 8

What term describes a group of animals with similar morphology that exploit the same type of resource in a similar way?

Back 8

Guild

Front 9

Tiering, as defined by Ausich and Bottjer (1982), describes the vertical stratification of what type of marine animals above and below the sediment surface?

Back 9

Benthic animals

Front 10

During which period in Earth History did infaunal tiering first exceed 50cm in depth?

Back 10

Permian

Front 11

What term is usedto describe the sedimentary rock fabric caused by the activities of burrowing organisms?

Back 11

Bioturbation

Front 12

What is the scientific term for 'resting traces'?

Back 12

Cubichnia

Front 13

What is the scientific term for 'dwelling traces'?

Back 13

Domichnia

Front 14

Name the common marine ichnogenus that consists of a vertical U-shaped burrow withspreite?

Back 14

Diplocraterion

Front 15

Name the common ichnogenus that consists of a sub-horizontal U-shaped burrow withspreite?

Back 15

Rhizocorallium

Front 16

Which ichnofacies indicates quiet, deep, muddy environments and is dominated bypascichnia and agrichnia?

Back 16

Nereites

Front 17

Which ichnofacies indicates mobile, sandy substrates and is dominated by verticaldomichnia?

Back 17

Skolithos

Front 18

Which ichnospecies defines the base of the Cambrian?

Back 18

Treptichnus pedum

Front 19

If burrow A cross-cuts burrow B, which burrow formed in a shallower tier?

Back 19

B

Front 20

What happens to burrow size as oxygen levels in the marine environment decrease?

Back 20

Burrow size decreases

Front 21

Approximately how many families of marine invertebrate became extinct in the LatePermian?

Back 21

~90%

Front 22

What term is given to fossil taxa that temporarily disappear from the rock record, e.g. inthe aftermath of extinction events?

Back 22

Lazarus taxa

Front 23

Which large igneous province is associated with the late Triassic mass extinction event?

Back 23

Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP)

Front 24

What is the name given to the temporary size decrease in surviving taxa in the immediate aftermath of extinction events?

Back 24

Lilliput Effect

Front 25

Approximately how many families of continental organisms became extinct during theend-Cretaceous event?

Back 25

~6%

Front 26

Name an important use of Microfossils

Back 26

Dating (biostratigraphy)

Palaeoecological reconstruction

Front 27

Give an example of a method used in the preparation of sediment sample for microfossil analysis.

Back 27

Application of dyes, such as Rose Bengal to distinguish living specimens from dead.

Washing (water, sieving, etc)

Rubbing

Chemical extraction

Thin section identification

Front 28

Name a microfossil group with a calcareous shell.

Back 28

Foraminifera

Ostracods

Coccoliths

Front 29

Name a microfossil group with a SILICEOUS shell

Back 29

Diatoms

Radiolarians

Slicioflagellates

Front 30

Name a microfossil group with an Organic-Walled shell

Back 30

Dinoflagellates

Pollen

Prokaryotes

Front 31

In the classification of foraminifera, Loeblich and Tappan (1964) recognised 5 suborders.Name the suborder of foraminifera which have imperforate, porcelaneous calcareouswalls?

Back 31

Miliolina

Front 32

The life cycle of foraminifera is characterised by an alternation between two generations– one that reproduces sexually and one that reproduces asexually. Name these 2generations?

Back 32

Gamont (sexual)

Agamont (asexual)

Front 33

In the classification of foraminifera, Loeblich and Tappan (1964) recognised 5 suborders.Name the suborder of foraminifera which have perforate, hyaline calcareous walls?

Back 33

Rotalina

Front 34

In the classification of foraminifera, Loeblich and Tappan (1964) recognised 5 suborders.Name the suborder of foraminifera that use foreign particles to make their tests andcement them together with either organic or calcareous cements?

Back 34

Textulariina

Front 35

In the morphology of foraminifera, what term is used for the chamber arrangementwhere chambers are coiled in a helical spire?

Back 35

Trochospiral (?????)

Front 36

Name an abiotic environmental factor that controls the distribution and abundance ofbenthic foraminifera?

Back 36

Salinity

Temperature

Dissolved Oxygen

Nutrients

Tides

Substrate

Front 37

Name an important biotic environmental factor that controls the distribution andabundance of benthic foraminifera?

Back 37

Competition

Space

Food supply

Front 38

In the study of modern foraminifera, what is the name of the non-vital stain that iscommonly used to differentiate ‘live’ from ‘dead’ individuals?

Back 38

Rose-Bengal

Front 39

The proportions of three wall structures of foraminifera are commonly plotted onternary diagrams to differentiate particularly shallow-water environments. Name these3 wall structures?

Back 39

Porcelanous (Miliolina)

Agglutinated (Texturalina)

Hyaline (Rotalina)

Front 40

Name a diversity index that is commonly used in the study of benthic foraminifera?

Back 40

Fisher Alpha Index

Information Function

Front 41

Larger foraminifera are said to be adapted to nutrient deficient conditions. What term isused for nutrient deficient conditions?

Back 41

Oligotrophic

Front 42

Give the name of a genus of larger foraminifera?

Back 42

Marginopora vertebralis.

Nummulites gizehensis.

Front 43

Name an area on Earth where the environment is described as ‘hypersaline’?

Back 43

Arabian Gulf

Front 44

Name a genus of benthic foraminifera that is typical of lagoonal environments?

Back 44

Quinqueloculina cf. Q. limbata

Monalysidium acicularis
Textularia aegyptica

Front 45

What morphological features are typically associated with benthic foraminifera thatoccupy an epifaunal microhabitat?

Back 45

Rounded trochospiral

Plano-convex trochospiral

milioline

Bioconvex trochospiral

Front 46

Name two key morphological features of planktic foraminifera?

Back 46

Globular Chambers

Many have spines

Open Apertures

Uniform pore distribution over surface

Front 47

Name an important ecological factor that controls the distribution and abundance ofplanktic foraminifera?

Back 47

Temperature

Salinity

Nutrients

Surface water circulation pattern

Front 48

It is known that planktic foraminifera occupy different depths within the water column.Typically, what are the morphological characteristics of species that occupy surfacewaters?

Back 48

Spinose and/or sybiont bearing

Thinner walled

Smaller

Front 49

9. It is known that planktic foraminifera occupy different depths within the water column.Typically, what are the morphological characteristics of species that occupy deeperwaters?

Back 49

Non-spinose and/or keeled

Thicker walls

larger

Front 50

The coiling direction of the planktic foraminifera Neogloboquadrina is commonly usedfor reconstructing past water temperatures. Name the species that coils in ananticlockwise direction (left/sinistral) and dominates in colder waters?

Back 50

Neogloboquadrina pachyderma