EVOLUTION AND ORIGIN OF BIODIVERSITY

HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH

How old is the Earth?

The Earth is about 4.6 billion years old. Studying the Age of the Earth involves looking at fossil records
and the Theory of Evolution. The Earth has an extensive calendar or timeline where many events and
changes have occurred, called the Geologic Time Scale.

The Geologic Time Scale (Sequencing events ) - The geologic time scale ranges from the time when the
Earth was formed until the present. It is divided into an eon, which spans hundreds to thousands of
million years. An eon is further divided into an era, which is sub divided into periods, epochs, and ages.

The GTS is divided into four eons: Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic

The Phanerozoic eon is divided into 3 eras: paleozoic, Mesozoic & Cenozoic

Supereon: The Precambrian (Early life on Earth)

 The Precambrian

-(4.6 billion years ago (bya) to 541 million years ago (mya)

-88% of Earth's geologic time

- Lower levels of oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere

- Life was exclusively unicellular

- Photosynthetic bacteria created the oxygen-rich atmosphere

Early Hadean landscape of the Earth (Formation of the Earth's crust and the oceans)

The Hadean Eon marks the formations of crust and oceans. The earth was bombarded with asteroids
that brought water to earth. LIFE? There was no life in this eon.

Supereon: The Precambrian (Dividing the time before and after rapid biodiversification)

ARCHAEAN (4 - 2.5 bya) - Origin of life, photosynthetic cells, oxygenic photosynthesis and finally
cyanobacteria fossils at the end of the eon.

The Archaean dates the origin of life on Earth (Stromatolites as the oldest fossil over recordes)

- The Archaean Eon(~4-2.5 bya)was when Earth had cooled down enough for the first signs of life
to appear. Stromatolites date back ~3.7 bya, the oldest identifiable fossils ever recorded.

Supereon: The Precambrian (Dividing the time before and after rapid biodiversification)
PROTEROZOIC (2.5 bya- 538.8 mya)- Proterozoic meaning "old ancient life" The increase in oxygen levels
in the atmosphere cooled the planet, creating the first glaciation

2.5 bya-542 mya - Rocks with evidence of abundant oxygen, fist eukaryotic fossils, first red algae, first
sponges, bilateral symmetry, rapid rise of oxygen

2.5 bya-542 mya - The rapid rise of oxygen gave way to the first global glaciation known as the Huronian
glaciation[2.3 bya]. It was followed by the Sturtian glaciation[716-660 mya], and then by the Marinoan
glaciation[650-635 mya] The series of global glaciation was known as the snowball earth events

Stable continents and eukaryotic life in the Proterozoic (Adjustments above the Earth's crust)

Stable regions (i.e. Gondwanalad) via active tectonic plates were formed in the Proterozoic Eon (~2.5
bya to 541 mya). Earth was full of greenhouse gasses until ~1.8 bya, as oxygen level in the atmosphere
rose. Eukaryotic cells appeared. By 715 mya, glaciation occured followed by a slow warming.

Phanerozoic eon (Dividing the time before and after rapid biodiversification)

PALEOZOIC ERA (538.8mya -252mya) - The first era of the Phanerozoic eon Begins with an explosion and
ended with a devastation

The Cambrian Explosion (Booming of biodiversity in the Phanerozoic) - The Phanerozoic Eon (~541 mya
to present) began with the Cambrian explosion. When Precambrian biota such as Dickinsonia costata
went extinct, new groups rapidly emerged. Which includes some of the modern phylas: mollusks,
arthropods and others

Periods of the paleozoic era (The periods of great diversification)

The Cambrian Period (increased complexity of marine life) - The Cambrian Explosion (541-485)gave rise
to major groups of animals. First arthropods, like the trilobites, as well as most marine phyla like
mollusks, invertebrates, and echinoderms all appeared in this period

The ordovician period And the Silurian (Moving forward to a life on land) - The first land plants and fungi
emerged in the Ordovician (585-444 mya), while bony and jawless fishes arose in the Silurian (444-419
mya). The Ordovician-Silurian extinction ended the Ordovician period.
THE DEVONIAN PERIOD (The Age of Fishes) - Evolution of fishes was at peak during the Devonian Period
(419-359 mya), such as the lobe-finned tetrapod fish, Tiktaalik. On land, insects, ferns, trees, seeded
plants and amphibians thrived. The Late Devonian mass extinction wiped out ~80% of the species in
both land and sea.

The Carboniferous period (The Age of Amphibians) - The Carboniferous Period (359-252 mya) has a
tropical climate. Mammalian and reptilian ancestors appeared, while large amphibians ruled the
swampy forests.Areas subjected to alternating marine and terrestrial conditions turned forest covers
into present-day coal deposits.

The permian Period (The largest extinction in the supercontinent Pangea) - During the Permian (299-252
mya),the supercontinent Pangea was the largest. Reptiles diversified. Conifers advanced and synapsids,
ancestorsof mammals, ruled the continent.At the end, the largest extinction in history occurred. This
extinction event is known as the permian-triassic extinction event or the great dying

PHANEROZOIC EON

 MESOZOIC ERA (252mya-66mya)- The age of reptiles. The middle era of the Phanerozoic eon

The Mesozoic era (The Age of Reptiles and the K-Pg extinction) - The Mesozoic Era (252-66 mya) has the
Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Dinosaurs dominates, then came nectar-drinking insects,
birds, and mammals. A fourth extinction event and then the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction
wiped out dinosaurs

 CENOZOIC ERA (66mya-present ) - It's mammal time!

The new life in the Cenozoic Era

The cenozoic era (The life after the extinction of dinosaurs)- The Cenozoic Era (66-0 mya)has the
Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary periods. In this era, more mountains uplifted as continents and
plate tectonics move, revealing rocks and fossils along the slopes.

Transitioning from the k-pg extinction (The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary) - The Paleogene (66-23
mya) includes the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene epochs. Some rocks from this period have layers
known as K-Pg boundary, with higher iridium traces, signifying an asteroid source.

SURVIVING THE DARK AFTERMATH OF THE K-PG EXTINCTION (Transitioning to the Paleocene) - The
Paleocene epoch (~66-56 mya) began with dark clouds blocking thesunlight. Soon, the rebounding
tropical Earth was refilled with surviving flora and fauna like ferns, pioneer species, and mammals,
Laurasia broke up into North America and Eurasia.

THE WARMEST FIVE MILLION YEARS OF CENOZOIC (Tropical polar regions of the Eocene) - In the Eocene
(56-34 mya),global warming was at peak. Tropical species reached the polar regions with slightly lower
temperatures. Early whales, like the Bacilosaurus, appeared with the first grasses, primates, new insects
and modern bird orders.
Global cooling and minor extinctions (Emergence of large mammals including the first apes) - The
Olegocene (34-23 mya)began with global cooling and extinction, reducing the tropics to near-equator
and expanding the grasslands. Large mammals,like the first apes, and truecarnivores, like the saber-
tooth,soon emerged.

DOMINANT GRASSLANDS AND EMERGENCE OF KELP FORESTS - The Miocene (23-5.3 mya) saw dominant
grasslands while forests were reduced. Temperature cycles caused new vegetation systems like deserts,
coniferous forests, and tundra. Kelp forests hosted new marine species. The first hominins appeared in
Africa.

THE SPREADING OUT IN NEOGENE PERIOD (Migration through land bridges) - The Neogene (23-2.6 mya)
has two epochs, the Miocene and Pliocene. Climate cycles defined longitudinal biotic zones, each with
organisms having specific requirements, niches, and tolerances. The Himalayas, and the Andes, and the
Cascades were formed.

THE RESILIENT LIFE DURING EARTH'S QUATERNARY ICE AGES (Species evolve and survive climate shifts) -
The last ~2.6 mya is the Quatetnary Period, which includes two epochs, the Pleistocene and the
Holocene. Bipolar glaciation influenced the Earth's climate, giving rise to stronger generationsof species
that have adjusted to climate shifts.

PLEISTOCENE NORTH AMERICAN ICE AGE (The rise and fall of the North American temperate mammals)
- In the Pleistocene (2.6 mya to 11,500 ya), North America ice ages endured by huge mammals, like the
mammoths and wooly rhinos, that went extinct by the end of the epoch.

-The Holocene Epoch began 11,500 years ago. Humans caused significant changes to the environment
over a short time. Knowledge also advanced to respond to a warming world.

MODERN DAY BIOSPHERE - Now, the Earth's biosphere has diverse and varrying organisms. Which
include mammals, aves, reptiles, amphibians, and various marine organisms present in the Earth's
oceans.

SUMMARY