Relict

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• In biology
  Biology
  
  Biology is a branch of the natural sciences concerned with the study of living organisms and their interaction with each other and their environment ....
   a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas. The distribution of a relict is characterized as endemic
  Endemic (ecology)
  
  Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a particular geographic location, such as a specific island, Habitat type, nation, or other defined zone....
  . The tuatara
  Tuatara
  
  The tuatara is a reptile endemism to New Zealand which, though it resembles most lizards, is actually part of a distinct lineage, order Sphenodontia....
   is an example of a relict. It now lives only on a few small islands off New Zealand. The term "relict" can also refer to an ancient species that survives while related species go extinct. The horseshoe crab
  Horseshoe crab
  
  The horseshoe crab or Atlantic horseshoe crab is a marine chelicerate arthropod. Despite its name, it is more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to crabs....
   is an example of this type of relict. Horseshoe crabs are most closely related to the eurypterid
  Eurypterid
  
  Eurypterids are an extinct group of arthropods related to arachnids, which include the largest known arthropods that ever lived. They are members of the extinct class Eurypterida and predate the earliest fishes....
  s, which disappeared in the Permian-Triassic extinction event
  Permian-Triassic extinction event
  
  The Permian?Triassic extinction event, informally known as the Great Dying, was an extinction event that occurred , forming the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geologic periods....
  .
• In ecology
  Ecology
  
  Ecology is the science study of the distribution and Abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their nature environment ....
  , an ecosystem
  Ecosystem
  
  An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical factors of the environment....
   which originally ranged over a large expanse, but is now narrowly confined, may be termed a relict.
• In geology
  Geology
  
  Geology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitute the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structural geology, physical properties, dynamics, and History of the Earth of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed....
  , the term "relict" refers to structures or minerals from a parent rock that did not undergo metamorphosis when the surrounding rock did, or to rock that survived a destructive geologic process. For example, the wavy patterns often seen in marble
  Marble
  
  Marble is a nonfoliated metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone, composed mostly of calcite . It is extensively used for Marble sculpture, as a architecture material, and in many other applications....
   are relicts of layering in the original limestone
  Limestone
  
  File:Limestone Formation In Waitomo.jpgLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geology record....
  .
• In agronomy
  Agronomy
  
  Agronomy is the science and technology of using plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science....
  , a relict crop is a crop which was previously grown extensively, but is now only used in one limited region, or a small number of isolated regions.
• In Historical linguistics
  Historical linguistics
  
  Historical linguistics is the study of language change. It has five main concerns:* to describe and account for observed changes in particular languages;...
  , a relict is a word that is a survivor of a form or forms that are otherwise archaic.
• A relict was also an ancient term for a widow
  Widow
  
  A widow is a woman whose husband has died. A man whose wife has died is a widower. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or viduity....
  , but has come to be a generic or collective term for widows and widowers.

See also

• relic
  Relic
  
  A relic is an object or a personal item of Religion significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, shamanism, and many other religions....
  
• living fossil
  Living fossil
  
  Living fossil is an informal term for any living species of organism which appears to be the same as a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives....