Principles of Paleontology

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Principles of Principles of PaleontologyPaleontology

What is a Fossil?What is a Fossil?

Old? How old?Old? How old?Made of Rock? Modes of PreservationMade of Rock? Modes of PreservationRemains of Living ThingsRemains of Living Things

Why study Fossils?

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Aspects of PaleontologyAspects of Paleontology

TaxonomyTaxonomyEvolutionEvolutionPaleoenvironmentPaleoenvironmentPaleoecologyPaleoecologyPaleogeographyPaleogeographyBiostratigraphyBiostratigraphy

GeologyGeologyFossil recordFossil record

TaxonomyTaxonomyLinneasBinomial NomenclatureIdentification of species,plant and animalNaming of all living speciesInternational codes

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Principles of TaxonomyPrinciples of Taxonomy

Principle of Species: Principle of Species: All individual living All individual living things belong to species, groups within which things belong to species, groups within which they are more closely related to one another they are more closely related to one another than to individuals of another species.than to individuals of another species.

Principle of Taxonomy:Principle of Taxonomy: Living things can be Living things can be classified into a hierarchical system that classified into a hierarchical system that reflects their natural degree of relationship. reflects their natural degree of relationship.

EvolutionEvolutionCharles Darwin

• Evolution• Natural Selection• Origin of Species

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Principles of EvolutionPrinciples of Evolution

Principle of Evolution: Principle of Evolution: Living things have Living things have evolved through time in an orderly fashion, evolved through time in an orderly fashion, without repetition or reversal, to produce without repetition or reversal, to produce modern life.modern life.

Principle of Natural Selection :Principle of Natural Selection : Organisms that Organisms that inherit favorable variations for their immediate inherit favorable variations for their immediate environment will tend to survive more often environment will tend to survive more often than others.than others.

Principles of EvolutionPrinciples of Evolution

Principle of the Origin of Species: Principle of the Origin of Species: Species Species originate by evolution from preoriginate by evolution from pre--existing forms existing forms by means of natural selection.by means of natural selection.

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PaleoenvironmentPaleoenvironment

Functional Morphology

Georges Cuvier

Extinction

Correlation of Parts and ExtinctionCorrelation of Parts and Extinction

Law of correlation of parts Law of correlation of parts akaaka principle of principle of paleoenvironmentpaleoenvironment: : Morphology of the parts of Morphology of the parts of an organism reflects the functioning of those an organism reflects the functioning of those parts in the environment.parts in the environment.

Principle of Extinction: Principle of Extinction: All species eventually All species eventually become extinct. Extinction is the rule, not the become extinct. Extinction is the rule, not the exception.exception.

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Principles of Principles of PaleoecologyPaleoecologyJames Valentine

Steven Stanley

CommunitiesProvincesFunctional Morphology

Principle of Principle of PaleoecologyPaleoecology

Principle of Principle of PaleoecologyPaleoecology:: Fossil organisms Fossil organisms were adapted to their environments, therefore a were adapted to their environments, therefore a fossil assemblage can b e interpreted as fossil assemblage can b e interpreted as representing a certain representing a certain paleoenvironmentpaleoenvironment..

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Principles of BiogeographyPrinciples of Biogeography

Alfred Russel Wallace

“Wallace’s Line”

Biogeography

Natural Selection

Principle of BiogeographyPrinciple of Biogeography

Principle of Biogeography: Principle of Biogeography: Organisms are Organisms are distributed geographically in patterns which distributed geographically in patterns which reflect their adaptations and history.reflect their adaptations and history.

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BiostratigraphyBiostratigraphy

Principles of Geology

James Hutton

Uniformitarianism

1726-97

Scope of Geologic Time


Principle of Principle of UniformitarianismUniformitarianism: : Given enough Given enough time, the history of the earth can be interpreted time, the history of the earth can be interpreted from rocks on the basis of present day from rocks on the basis of present day processes. Natural laws donprocesses. Natural laws don’’t change with t change with time. The present is the key to the past.time. The present is the key to the past.

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Nicholas Steno (1638 - 1686)

Fossils = Remains of Living Things

Principle of Superposition


Principle of Superposition: Principle of Superposition: In an undisturbed In an undisturbed sequence of strata, the oldest rock is on the sequence of strata, the oldest rock is on the bottom and the layers become successively bottom and the layers become successively younger toward the top, which is the youngest.younger toward the top, which is the youngest.

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First Geologic Map

Principle of Fossil Successionaka

Law of Faunal Succession

William Smith 1769 –1839)


Principle of Fossil Succession: Principle of Fossil Succession: Fossils occur in Fossils occur in an orderly sequence such that a layer of strata an orderly sequence such that a layer of strata may be identified and positioned in the may be identified and positioned in the sequence according to its fossil content.sequence according to its fossil content.

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Principles of Paleontology