What term describes the remains and traces of past life found in rock?

The term that describes the remains and traces of past life found in rock is the fossil record. The fossil record is a crucial aspect of paleontology and provides significant insights into the history of life on Earth. It consists of various forms of evidence, including bones, teeth, shells, and imprints left by living organisms. These fossils allow scientists to study the development and extinction of species over geological time, understand evolutionary processes, and reconstruct ancient environments. This extensive collection of information has helped establish the timeline of life on our planet, making it a fundamental concept in biology and Earth sciences.

The other terms listed refer to different concepts; biogeography focuses on the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographical space and through geological time; protocells refer to simple, early forms of cellular life that are thought to have preceded true cells; and vestigial structures are anatomical features that have lost their original function through the course of evolution. Each of these terms plays a role in the understanding of biological sciences, but none directly describes the concept of fossilized remains and traces of ancient life.