| Geology 105 - Paleontology | ||||||
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Know these terms:
| Red Queen Hypothesis | mass extinction |
Be able to answer these questions:
1. Why was Cuvier's conclusion that some organisms have become extinct so revolutionary?
2. Explain Van Valen's evidence that long-lived species are no more likely to survive than short-lived species, and explain the implications of this finding for ecological and evolutionary theory.
3. Characterize the Permo-Triassic extinction event by duration, victims, intensity. Cite 3 changes in the physical environment which could have precipitated this crisis.
4. Cite at least 5 lines of evidence that an asteroid smacked into Earth at the close of the Cretaceous. Explain why this may not be the cause of the Cretaceous-Terrtiary extinction.
5. What do the extinctions in the Late Devonian, Late Ordovician, Late Triassic and Eocene-Oligocene have in common?
6. Why is Sepkowski's model of periodic extinctions no longer seen as valid?