If you were a paleontologist studying clams, you would have an easier research project than if you were studying early plants. Why? Include in your discussion the term "megafossils."

Concepts to Consider: Megafossils are the fossilized parts of a plant or animal. Because the earliest plants were typically softer than mollusks, fossils are harder to find and identify (although thousands have been identified and studied); spores occur in the fossil record earlier than megafossils found to date, so older plant fossils may be waiting to be discovered. Clams are aquatic and are more likely to be covered by sediments before decomposing, and their shell is a tough calcareous material and so does not decompose readily.