Question

Define paleontology. Explain the importance of fossils in deciding evolutionary relationships?

Answer 1

Paleontology:

1. Paleontology is the study of the evolution of life on the earth using fossils as evidence.
2. Plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and single-celled organisms that have been replaced by rock material or impressions of species preserved in rock are called fossils.

Fossils:

Fossils are the preserved remains of ancient living organisms. Only a part of the dead organism is preserved in a fossil.

Importance of fossils:

1. The organisms that lived long ago, such as the time period they lived in, their structure, and so on, are all revealed by fossils.
2. It helps to understand the evolutionary path of species.
3. It helps in creating connections between two groups of organisms, for example, the presence of feathers in some dinosaurs indicates that birds and reptiles are closely linked.
4. It also helps in understanding complex body development from simple body forms that existed.