ICHNOLOGY Science of Organism Behaviour Reading Answers

May 28, 2024

ICHNOLOGY- Science of organism behaviour Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. ICHNOLOGY- Science of organism behaviour Reading Answers have a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the questions you have to find the correct word from the passage and write true or false.

Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS Reading practice papers, which feature topics such as ICHNOLOGY- Science of organism behaviour Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Read the Text Below and Answer Questions

ICHNOLOGY- Science of Organism Behaviour

Ichnology is the scientific term for the study of tracks and traces. This includes vertebrate footprints, nests, and burrows The term also refers to invertebrate movement traces, burrows and borings. Ichnology is the single greatest evidence for

behaviour of extinct animals. Fossilised tracks and trackways (ichnofossil) are the only direct evidence of what extinct animals did when they were alive. They are like snapshots from the animal's life and can provide us with important information about locomotion (e.g., posture, kinematics), behaviour (e.g., herding), and even soft tissues (e.g., foot scales, body feathers).

A trace fossil, also ichnofossil is a fossil record of biological activity but not the preserved remains of the plant or animal itself. Trace fossils contrast with body fossils, which are the fossilized remains of parts of organisms' bodies, usually

altered by later chemical activity or mineralization. Ichnology is the study of such trace fossils. The field encompasses those aspects of organism-substrate interrelationships that focus on how plants and animals leave a record of their

activity in the sediment. Whether it be a trilobite that makes a footprint, a dinosaur that digs a nest, or a dense population of shrimp that thoroughly churns the sea- floor, its record in the rock is something to interest and excite the iconologist

The term in its broadest sense also includes the remains of other organic material produced by an organism; for example coprolites (fossilized droppings) or chemical markers (sedimentological structures produced by biological means; for

example, the formation of stromatolites). However, most sedimentary structures (for example those produced by empty shells rolling along the sea floor) are not produced through the behaviour of an organism and thus are not considered

trace fossils. The study of traces - ichnology - divides into paleoichnology, or the study of trace fossils, and neoichnology.

Trace fossils provide us with indirect evidence of life in the past, they are formed by organisms performing the functions of their everyday life, such as walking, crawling, burrowing, boring, or feeding. tetrapod footprints, worm trails and the burrows made by clams and arthropods are all trace fossils. Perhaps the most spectacular trace fossils are the huge. three-toed footprints produced by dinosaurs and related archosaurs. These imprints give scientists clues as to how these animals lived. Although the skeletons of dinosaurs can be reconstructed, only their fossilized footprints can determine exactly how they stood and walked. Such tracks can talk much about the gait of the animal which made them, what its stride was, and whether or not the front limbs touched the ground.

Most trace fossils are known from marine deposits. Essentially, there are two types of traces, either exogenic ones, which are made on the surface of the sediment (such as tracks) or endogenic ones, which are made within the layers of sediment

(such as burrows). Surface trails on sediment in shallow marine environments stand less chance of fossilisation because they are subjected to wave and current action. Conditions in quiet, deep-water environments tend to be more favourable for preserving fine trace structures. Trace fossils are important palaeoecological and paleoenvironmental indicators because they are preserved in situ, or in the life position of the organism that made them. Because identical fossils can be created by a range of different organisms, trace fossils can only reliably inform us of two things: the consistency of the sediment at the time of its deposition, and the energy level of the depositional environment.

Section 2

Solution and Explantion

Questions 28-30

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

Why the empty shells on the sea shore are notconsidered trace fossils?

They have behavioural changes compared to coprolites
They undergo rigorous chemical processes
They are not produced through the behaviour of organisms
They do not leave record of their fossilization

Answer: C
Supporting statement:“........However, most sedimentary structures (for example those produced by empty shells rolling along the sea floor) are not produced through the behaviour of an organism and thus are not
considered trace fossils..........”
Keywords: empty shells, behaviour
Keyword Location: para 2, line 13
Explanation:The para clarifies that empty shells are not considered trace fossils because they are not produced through the behaviour of organism

Why the skeletons of dinosaurs are not enough to determine their past activity?

Structure varied from species to species
Skeletons are not considered traced fossils
Skeleton structure could not be rebuilt properly for examination
Only fossilized footprints can determine how they stood and walked

Answer: D
Supporting statement:“.........Although the skeletons of dinosaurs can be reconstructed, only their fossilized footprints can determine exactly how they stood and walked..........”
Keywords: skeletons, fossilized
Keyword Location: para 3, line 9
Explanation: The para explains that fossilized footprints are necessary to understand how dinosaurs stood and walked, which cannot be determined solely from skeletons.

How do Ichnologists trace fossils?

Through skeletal structures and footprints
Through animal's decayed bodies and chemical activity
Through organism- substate relationship of activity in sediments
Through animal imprints on rocks and mineralized sand

Answer: C
Supporting statement:“........The field encompasses those aspects of organism-substrate interrelationships that focus on how plants and animals leave a record of their activity in the sediment..........”
Keywords: organism-substrate, activity
Keyword Location: para 2, line 6
Explanation: The para states that ichnologists study how organisms leave records of their activities in sediments, focusing on organism-substrate relationships

Questions 31-33

Do the following statements agree with the information

given in the text? Write the correct answer.

TRUE - if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE - if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN - if there is no information on this

Ichnology is one of the evidences used to study behaviour of extinct animals

Answer: FALSE
Supporting statement:“........Ichnology is the single greatest evidence for behaviour of extinct animals..........”
Keywords: single greatest, behaviour
Keyword Location: para 1, line 5
Explanation: The para claims that ichnology is the single greatest evidence for the behavior of extinct animals, not just one of the pieces of evidence.

Surface trails are less susceptible to fossilization

Answer: TRUE
Supporting statement:“.........Surface trails on sediment in shallow marine environments stand less chance of fossilisation because they are subjected to wave and current action.........”
Keywords: trails, less
Keyword Location: para 4, line 5
Explanation:The para explains that surface trails are less likely to fossilize due to exposure to wave and current action.

Trace fossils are well preserved in situ or life position of organism

Answer: TRUE
Supporting statement:“........Trace fossils are important palaeoecological and paleoenvironmental indicators because they are preserved in situ, or in the life position of the organism that made them...........”
Keywords: preserved, in situ
Keyword Location: para 4, line 8
Explanation:The para confirms that trace fossils are preserved in the life position of the organism, making them valuable for paleoecological studies.

Questions 34-40

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

The only direct evidence to know what the extinct animals

did while they were alive is through (34)..... And (35)..........*. They are like animal life's (36)......... that can provide locomotive (37)......... Fine trace structures are well preserved under (38)..........and (39)...... environment. Things that can be known

by tracing fossils are sediment (40)... and energy level of the depositional environment.

Q.34

Answer: FOSSILISED TRACK
Supporting statement:“.........Fossilised tracks and trackways (ichnofossil) are the only direct evidence of what extinct animals did when they were alive.........”
Keywords: direct evidence, fossilised
Keyword Location: para 1, line 7
Explanation:The para identifies fossilized tracks as the only direct evidence of extinct animals' activities.

Q.35

Answer: TRACKWAYS
Supporting statement:“.........Fossilised tracks and trackways (ichnofossil) are the only direct evidence of what extinct animals did when they were alive.........”
Keywords: direct evidence, trackways
Keyword Location: para 1, line 7
Explanation:The para also highlights trackways as direct evidence of extinct animals' activities.

Q.36

Answer: SNAPSHOTS
Supporting statement:“.........They are like snapshots from the animal's life and can provide us with important information about locomotion (e.g., posture, kinematics), behaviour (e.g., herding), and even soft tissues (e.g.,
foot scales, body feathers).........”
Keywords: snapshots, animal's life
Keyword Location: para 1, line 8
Explanation:The para compares trace fossils to snapshots, capturing moments from an animal's life.

Q.37

Answer: INFORMATION
Supporting statement:“........They are like snapshots from the animal's life and can provide us with important information about locomotion (e.g., posture, kinematics), behaviour (e.g., herding), and even soft tissues (e.g., foot scales, body feathers)...........”
Keywords: locomotive, information
Keyword Location: para 1, line 8
Explanation: The para mentions that trace fossils provide important information about locomotion among other things.

Q.38

Answer: QUITE
Supporting statement:“........Conditions in quiet, deep-water environments tend to be more favourable for preserving fine trace structures..........”
Keywords: fine trace, quiet
Keyword Location: para 4, line 6
Explanation:The para explains that quiet conditions are more favorable for preserving fine trace structures.

Q.39

Answer: DEEP WATER
Supporting statement:“.........Conditions in quiet, deep-water environments tend to be more favourable for preserving fine trace structures.........”
Keywords: fine trace, deep-water
Keyword Location: para 4, line 6
Explanation:The para also states that deep-water environments are favourable for preserving fine trace structures.

Q.40

Answer: CONSISTENCY
Supporting statement:“.......Because identical fossils can be created by a range of different organisms, trace fossils can only reliably inform us of two things: the consistency of the sediment at the time of its deposition, and
the energy level of the depositional environment..........”
Keywords: sediment, consistency
Keyword Location: para 4, line 10
Explanation: The para highlights that trace fossils inform about the sediment consistency during deposition.