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Which of the following (choose all that apply) can be seen as challenges when dealing with taxonomy in the fossil record?

a) Incomplete fossil preservation
b) Taxonomic bias
c) Lack of fossil diversity
d) Uniformitarianism

1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

Challenges in taxonomy related to the fossil record include incomplete fossil preservation, taxonomic bias, and a lack of fossil diversity, whereas uniformitarianism is not a direct challenge in taxonomy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The challenges when dealing with taxonomy in the fossil record include, first and foremost, incomplete fossil preservation, which occurs because not all organisms fossilize well, and even those that do may not be preserved entirely. Secondly, taxonomic bias is a challenge, which refers to the preferential preservation and discovery of certain organisms over others due to size, hard parts, or scientific interest. Thirdly, a lack of fossil diversity in the record can make it difficult to accurately reconstruct past biodiversity and evolutionary relationships. While uniformitarianism, the principle that the same geological processes operating in the past as in the present, generally aids in understanding the fossil record, it does not directly represent a challenge in the context of taxonomy.

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