Paleontology is the branch of science concerned with fossil animals and plants. Eg. The search for and recovery of fossils, the reconstruction and cleaning of fossils, identification and cataloging of fossils. Paleontology has a central position in the study of evolution. Approximately 250 000 fossil species have been discovered. Burrows, footprints, and chemical remains can fossilize and remain dormant for a paleontologist to discover it. Paleontologists can determine:
-Different species that lived on this earth at various times in the past
-The complexity of living organisms from the distant past to the present
-Living species and their most closely matching fossils
Radiometric dating is a technique used to date materials such as rocks or fossils. Radiometric dating using a single isotope is not perfect, but when data from a variety of isotopes are combined, scientists can determine an age estimation. 3.8 billion years was the oldest fossil discovered.
Biogeography is the study of the geographic distribution of life on earth. It explores the variation and distribution of live over Earth's surface from the past and present. Biogeography aims to reveal where organisms have once lived and why they are found, or not found, in a certain geographical area.
Some fundamental concepts in biogeography include:
evolution, extinction, and dispersal
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