1.    How old is the fossil flower found at the Green River Formation, Colorado?

2.   They (i.e., flowering plants) owed their success in part to animals, most notably insects, that _____________________ the plants while flying from flower to flower in search of food.

3.    Is there any evidence that Zosterophylls reproduced through the production of spores?  

4.    Are any of the Zosterophylls still extant (alive) or are all of these plants extinct (dead)?   

5.    Based on fossils shown at this web site, how far back can seeds be found in the fossil record?   

6.    In what respect did seed-bearing plants radically alter Earth's vegetation?  Why were seeds an important adaptation to vascular land plants?  

7.    When did Flowering Plants arrive on the scene during the course of plant evolution?

8.    What are fossils?

9.    How are fossils formed?

        10.    What is a trilobite and how did it protect itself?

       11.    What did trilobites eat?

       12.    When did trilobites exist on earth?  Are they still alive and well?

        13.    How many species of this invertebrate are thought to have existed over the course of time?  Was it a diverse group?

Go to the Kansas Fossils - (http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/museum/plants.htm) to answer questions 15

         14.    What type of plant did Walchia represent?    

Go to the Devonian Web Page to find the answers to questions

        15.    What did Archaeopteris represent?

        16.    When was the Devonian Period and what types of plants and animals are found in the fossil record from this period?

        17.    List an animal that went extinct about 8,000 years ago in North America only to be reintroduced later by European colonists.  Since it had existed here but went extinct, and then was reintroduced, do you think that this species represents an endemic (indigenous to North America) or an exotic (an introduced species)?

        18.   What is the state fossil of Louisiana?

        19.   According to the Gould and other evolutionary biologists, is evolution a fact or a theory?
 

PART II.  The ASU Museum is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm; and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00-4:00 pm; No admission charge.  Assignment due on Friday, 16 Sept. 2005.  Answers can be e-mailed directly to me at mhuss@astate.edu.

Answers for the following are found in the lower level and lobby of the ASU museum:

1.    Who is Mona?  What kinds of foods would she likely eat, if she were a living animal?  Are the teeth structure of this animal consistent with consuming this type of food?  How?

2.    Who introduced the notion that continents move (continental drift) over time?  When did this person first propose this hypothesis?

3.    Among the items located along the wall across from mastodon exhibit, pick a fossil that peeks your interest.  Name the Era, Period, and the time frame for the period of the fossil that attracted your attention.

4.    Are any plant fossils found on display in this portion of the museum?  If so, what kinds and when did these exist?  

Answers for the following are found in the upper level and main portion of ASU museum:

5.    Paleolama or stout-legged lama became extinct about ________________ years ago.

6.    Calamites were _____________________________ (plants, animals).

7.    Rayonnoceras were __________________ (plants, animals).

8.    Fossilized remains of animals know as crinoids are found primarily in ___________________ rock.

9.    The stem surfaces of many large plants from the Coal Age are  __________ in appearance.

10.    Where did the mosasaur live?  Was this animal most likely a predator or herbivore?

11.    Mammals inherited the earth during the ______________ period about 60-40 million years ago.

12.    Can petrified wood be found in some areas of Arkansas?  If so, give examples of places, where it has been found.

13.    What type of animal was Phareodus?  Did Phareodus possess teeth?

14.    Albinism (absence of melanin pigment) occurs about one in every __________________ human beings.

15.    Albinism in plants results in a lack of chlorophyll in plant leaves.  What physiological consequence do you think that this would have on the biology of these unusual plants?

16.    The common name for Ursus americanus is ____________.  Do you suppose this animal is a carnivore (animal eater), herbivore (plant eater), or omnivore (eats this and that).

17.    Compare the physical characteristics between ducks and members of the sandpiper family.  Given that both animals live near the water, why do you suppose these look so different and possess different adaptations?

18.    Based on the exhibit in the museum, what type of interaction occurs among woodpeckers, trees, and fungi?  

19.    What kinds of materials did Native American Peoples take advantage of in order to fashion such items as clothing, baskets, tools, and pottery?  Give at least one example for each.

Clothing -                                    Baskets -
 

Tools -                                       Pottery -
 

20.    Looking at the exhibits of human artifacts from different societies and cultures, what general features and needs are shared by all peoples from every age in time?  How are plants and animals related to these needs?

21.    Is this the first time you have visited this museum?