What are 3 ways organisms are fossilized?
Fossils form in five ways: preservation of original remains, permineralization, molds and casts, replacement, and compression.
How are organisms fossilized?
For an organism to be fossilized, the remains usually need to be covered by sediment soon after death. Sediment can include the sandy seafloor, lava, and even sticky tar. Over time, minerals in the sediment seep into the remains. The remains become fossilized.
What are four conditions required for fossilization of an organism?
The organism generally must have hard parts such as shell, bone, teeth, or wood tissue; the remains must escape destruction after death; and the remains must be buried rapidly to stop decomposition. This does make the fossil record biased because animals with soft bodies are less likely to form fossils.
Why is it rare for living organisms to become a fossil?
Fossils are rare because most remains are consumed or destroyed soon after death. Even if bones are buried, they then must remain buried and be replaced with minerals. If an animal is frozen like the baby mammoth mentioned above, again the animal must remain undisturbed for many years before found.
Which two conditions are the most important in order for an organism to become fossilized?
For a soft-bodied animal to be fossilized, its body must be protected from decomposition. The body is usually exposed to air and water with a lot of oxygen, so it decomposes rapidly. The animal is likely to be fossilized only if it is buried soon after it dies (or when it is buried alive!).
How well an organism can survive and reproduce is called what?
Fitness describes how well an organism can survive and reproduce in its environment. Individuals with adaptations that are well-suited to their environment can survive and reproduce and are said to have high fitness. This difference in rates of survival and reproduction is called survival of the fittest.
