Concept explainers
The Cambrian period is considered as the first geological time period of the Paleozoic Era. This period is very crucial in the history of life that exist on the earth. We begin to see various fossilized remains of animals of the Cambrian period. Sometimes this event is referred to as the Cambrian explosion.
Explanation of Solution
Cambrian explosion is the term that indicates a burst of animal diversity. During the Cambrian period, the body plans characteristic of most bilateral phyla took shape. This period of rapid diversification in the fossil record is known as the Cambrian explosion.
The fossil record reveals that a large accumulation of new characters in a comparatively short span of time during which the important attributes of modern animal phyla emerged. For instance, arthropods possess segmented bodies with jointed legs, a protective cuticle, compound eyes with several lenses, and other appendages for feeding and sensing the surroundings. Cambrian fossils encompass the remains of organisms with some, however, not all, of the major features exist currently in arthropods
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Chapter 33 Solutions
BIOLOGY:HOW...ACCESS-W/FLYER (48 MO.)
- Why is animal evolution during the early Cambrian referred to as an “explosion”?arrow_forwardwhat geology was occuring aroung the cambrian explosion that may have contributed to this diversification of life?arrow_forward-How long is the time span between the appearance of free atmospheric oxygen and evidence of complex (multicellular) forms? -How much time is there between complex forms and the Cambrian Explosion?arrow_forward
- Was there molecular oxygen in the earth's primitive atmosphere? How has that molecule become abundant?arrow_forwardWhat factors influenced the isotopic composition of oxygen in skeletons of marine organisms during the modern ice age?arrow_forwardIn what way was the evolution of eukaryotic cells linked to the increase in the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere that occurred during the Precambrian?arrow_forward
- How the evolution of oxygen was involved in the initial evolution of terrestrial life?arrow_forwardThe Cambrian explosion is a conundrum: how can the long prior history of the phyla, revealed by molecular divergence, be reconciled with their absence, and then sudden appearance, in the fossil record?arrow_forwardExplain what significant events happened during the Five major extinction events between the late Cambrian until the late cretaceous period.arrow_forward
- Biology 2eBiologyISBN:9781947172517Author:Matthew Douglas, Jung Choi, Mary Ann ClarkPublisher:OpenStax