Professor Nick Cutter (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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fandomhigh2024-11-13 06:59 pm
itsananomaly) wrote in fandomhigh2024-11-13 06:59 pm
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Introduction to Fossils - Wednesday Period 1
“Good morning,” Cutter said as he began that week’s class, “this week we’re going to be looking at Micro and Macro Fossils,” he explained, “starting with micro fossils, a micro fossil is a fossil that is generally between 0.001 mm and 1 mm in size the visual study of which requires the use of light or electron microscopy. A fossil which can be studied with the naked eye or low-powered magnification, such as a hand lens, is referred to as a macrofossil,”
“Microfossils are a common feature of the geological record, particularly from the Precambrian to the Holocene and are more commonly from deposits found in marine environments but they can be found in brackish, fresh water and terrestrial sedimentary deposits,” he went on, “while every kingdom of life is represented in the microfossil record, the most abundant forms are protist skeletons, microbial cysts from the Chrysophyta, Pyrrophyta, Sarcodina, arcitarchs and Chitnozoans, together with pollen and spores from the Vascular plants,”
“A microfossil is a descriptive term applied to fossilized plants and animals whose size is just at or below the level at which the fossil can be analyzed by the naked eye. A commonly applied cutoff point between micro and macro is 1 mm. Microfossils may either be complete (or near-complete) organisms in themselves (such as the marine plankters foraminifera and cocolithophores) or component parts (such as small teeth or spores) of larger animals or plants. Microfossils are of critical importance as a reservoir of paleoclimate information, and are also commonly used by biostratigraphersto assist in the correlation of rock units.
“Meanwhile Macrofossils otherwise known as Megafossils are the preserved remnants of the organic beings and their activities that are large enough to be visible without a microscope. Macrofossils come in many varieties and form in various ways depending on their environment and what is being fossilized including plant, fungi and animal remnants”. Cutter continued, “plant macrofossils include leaf, needle, cone and stem debris and can be used to identify types of plants formerly growing in the area. Such botanical provide a valuable complement to pollen and faunal data that can be used to reconstruct the prehistoric terrestrial environment. Algal macrofossils (for instance, brown kelp, sea lettuce and large stromatolites) are increasingly used to analyze prehistoric marine and aquatic ecoystems The study of these fossils is called paleobotany. Plant macrofossils are increasingly being used along with pollen microfossils to reconstruct past climates.”
“Vertebrate macrofossils include the teeth, skulls and bones.Vertebrate macrofossils are used to reconstruct extinct animals, determine their behaviors and how they evolved. Invertebrate macrofossils include remains such as shells, tests, faunal armor and exoskeletons. The bodies of small and soft bodied invertebrates rarely fossilize. Meanwhile, large and hard bodied invertebrates more commonly fossilize. Well preserved body fossils are of particular use in helping to reassemble extinct animal body structures. Fungi macrofossils include fungal bodies and fillaments and most fungi fossils are found in amber, Fungi fossils are under-researched compared to animal and plant fossils. Macrofossils of fungi are rarer and are more commonly found as microfossils. Trace fossils are fossilized evidence of animal behaviour and include tracks, burrows and dung and Trace fossils are the primary type of fossils used by paleontologist to reconstruct extinct animal behaviors and finally Chemo Macrofossils are fossils are the fossilized chemical remains of an organism. For example coal is the fossilized chemical remains of extinct plant matter.”
“For the rest of the class I would like you to go through themoddable worksheets that have been left out for you,” Cutter finished, “and as always I’ll be around to answer any questions that you may have,”
“Microfossils are a common feature of the geological record, particularly from the Precambrian to the Holocene and are more commonly from deposits found in marine environments but they can be found in brackish, fresh water and terrestrial sedimentary deposits,” he went on, “while every kingdom of life is represented in the microfossil record, the most abundant forms are protist skeletons, microbial cysts from the Chrysophyta, Pyrrophyta, Sarcodina, arcitarchs and Chitnozoans, together with pollen and spores from the Vascular plants,”
“A microfossil is a descriptive term applied to fossilized plants and animals whose size is just at or below the level at which the fossil can be analyzed by the naked eye. A commonly applied cutoff point between micro and macro is 1 mm. Microfossils may either be complete (or near-complete) organisms in themselves (such as the marine plankters foraminifera and cocolithophores) or component parts (such as small teeth or spores) of larger animals or plants. Microfossils are of critical importance as a reservoir of paleoclimate information, and are also commonly used by biostratigraphersto assist in the correlation of rock units.
“Meanwhile Macrofossils otherwise known as Megafossils are the preserved remnants of the organic beings and their activities that are large enough to be visible without a microscope. Macrofossils come in many varieties and form in various ways depending on their environment and what is being fossilized including plant, fungi and animal remnants”. Cutter continued, “plant macrofossils include leaf, needle, cone and stem debris and can be used to identify types of plants formerly growing in the area. Such botanical provide a valuable complement to pollen and faunal data that can be used to reconstruct the prehistoric terrestrial environment. Algal macrofossils (for instance, brown kelp, sea lettuce and large stromatolites) are increasingly used to analyze prehistoric marine and aquatic ecoystems The study of these fossils is called paleobotany. Plant macrofossils are increasingly being used along with pollen microfossils to reconstruct past climates.”
“Vertebrate macrofossils include the teeth, skulls and bones.Vertebrate macrofossils are used to reconstruct extinct animals, determine their behaviors and how they evolved. Invertebrate macrofossils include remains such as shells, tests, faunal armor and exoskeletons. The bodies of small and soft bodied invertebrates rarely fossilize. Meanwhile, large and hard bodied invertebrates more commonly fossilize. Well preserved body fossils are of particular use in helping to reassemble extinct animal body structures. Fungi macrofossils include fungal bodies and fillaments and most fungi fossils are found in amber, Fungi fossils are under-researched compared to animal and plant fossils. Macrofossils of fungi are rarer and are more commonly found as microfossils. Trace fossils are fossilized evidence of animal behaviour and include tracks, burrows and dung and Trace fossils are the primary type of fossils used by paleontologist to reconstruct extinct animal behaviors and finally Chemo Macrofossils are fossils are the fossilized chemical remains of an organism. For example coal is the fossilized chemical remains of extinct plant matter.”
“For the rest of the class I would like you to go through the
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