Final answer:
A fossil found in multiple rock layers and then absent from the fossil record indicates that the organism lived for a period before becoming extinct. The depth of fossils in rock layers helps determine their age and contributes to understanding Earth's history and evolutionary trends.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a fossil is found in many rock layers and then leaves the fossil record, it suggests that the organism lived for a period and then became extinct. The position of fossils within rock layers reveals relative age, with fossils in deeper layers being older since newer layers form on top. This stratification is a key aspect of the fossil record, which is a collection of fossils that provides evidence for the order and timing of organismal life on Earth, the evolutionary transitions between species, and moments of mass extinction.
As per the layers of rock and the age of fossils, the deeper the layer in which a fossil is found, the older the fossil is. This helps paleontologists and biologists to reconstruct the history of life on Earth and understand evolutionary processes. For instance, species that are found in contiguous rock layers and show gradual changes over time represent the concept of gradual speciation, whereas abrupt appearances or disappearances in the fossil record can indicate events such as punctuated equilibrium or mass extinction.