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Biology 355 - Evolution > Topic 2 - Earth's History > Flashcards

Topic 2 - Earth's History Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the three main domains of the Tree of Life?

& what is it based off of?

A
  • Eukarya, Bacteria, Archaea

- mostly from highly conserved DNA sequences (genes encoding ribosomal RNA)

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2
Q

What are the 2 defining features of life? (biologists view)

A
  1. Ability to capture energy

2. Ability to use that energy to replicate (make copies) - ability to evolve

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3
Q

What were the 2 earliest milestones critical for the emergence of life?

A
  1. the first organic molecules (sugars, amino acids, purines, pyrimidines)
  2. first self-replicating polymers (RNA - ability to self-replicate and catalyze)
    - the RNA world
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4
Q

History of Earth and the Fossil Record

1. When did the universe emerge?

A

14 billion years ago

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5
Q

History of Earth and the Fossil Record

2. When did the solar system emerge?

A

4.6 billion years ago

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6
Q

History of Earth and the Fossil Record

3. When was the first evidence of cellular life?

A

3.7 billion years ago

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7
Q

History of Earth and the Fossil Record

4. When was the first evidence of multicellular life?

A

640 million years ago

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8
Q

History of Earth and the Fossil Record

- What is the general order of earth’s history and the fossil record?

A

14 bill – 4.6 bill – 3.7 bill – 640 mill

Universe - solar system - cellular life - multicellular life

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9
Q

What where the 4 major events for early evolution?

A
  1. Genetic Code
  2. Cells
  3. 2 Important Biochemical Pathways
  4. Linear Chromosomes
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10
Q

What was the importance behind the evolution of the genetic code?

A
  • nearly universal
  • provided a link between nucleic acids and proteins

allows for early catalytic capability of building blocks and link to a LUCA

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11
Q

What advantages did the formation of cells bring? (2)

A
  • formation of membranes (self-assembling lipid bilayers)
  • compartmentalization (reactions could not occur in open environments)
    1. concentrate all reactants & catalysts to increase reaction rates
    2. increased reaction surface area
    3. protect reaction from competition
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12
Q

What were the two early biochemical pathways?

A
  • Autotrophic (CO2 fixing) allowing photosynthesis

- Aerobic respiration pathways (increased atmospheric O2 levels)

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13
Q

What were some advantages to these two early biochemical pathways?

A
  • using elements around them to synthesize molecules of life
  • switch from heterotrophic to autotrophic organisms leading to more complex carbon compounds
  • a by product of photosynthesis
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14
Q

What did linear chromosomes allow evolution to progress?

A
  • bacterial chromosomes only have 1 OoR meaning replication was slow and limited in size
  • compared to a linear chromosome allowing multiple OoR (rapid) and an increase in size of chromosome to carry more information
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15
Q

What are 3 distinguishing features of Eukarya?

A
  1. cytoskeleton
  2. 1 of several linear chromosomes
  3. membrane-bound organelles
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16
Q

What was the origin of organelles?

A

Mitochondria and Chloroplasts descended from bacteria via Endosymbiosis
- engulfed smaller organisms and prevented them from collapsing establishing a symbiotic relationship with them

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17
Q

How can we establish the endosymbiotic relationship?

A
  • through the ancestral and symbiont and tracking the movement of chromosomes between them
  • certain algae lack the photosynthetic capability and engulf a symbiont with this ability
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18
Q

Are Eukarya a monophyletic group?

A
  • there may have been several independent origins of eukaryotic-like cells
  • evidence indicate eukarya evolved from a single common ancestor
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19
Q

What 2 points were essential attributes necessary for the multicellularity of cells?

A
  1. gene regulation (cell differentiation) - since different cells now have different functions
  2. Cell-cell communication (about cell positioning and state of differentiation) - chemical signalling
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20
Q

What is an important note about cancer?

A
  • cancer can only evolve in cells with gene regulation
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21
Q

What was the first milestone in the evolution of complex life?

A

Separating genes (forming membranes) – lead to compartmentalization – lead to larger more complex genomes

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22
Q

What was the second milestone in the evolution of complex life?

A

Separate unicells to symbiotic unicells – eukaryotic cells – formation of symbiotic organelle and the transfer of genes between them

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23
Q

What was the third milestone in the evolution of complex life?

A

formation of multicellular organisms – evolution of a cell, tissue differentiation, and somatic/germ cells

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24
Q

What does the fossil record include? and how accurate is it?

A
  • fossils only occur in sedimentary rock
  • probability of fossilization depends on species and habitat
  • fossil must occur near exposed or near-exposed strata
  • estimate <1% of once living species are known as fossils
  • they indicate life @ that time NOT a time period
25
Q

What is radiometric dating?

A
  • measures the decay of certain radioactive elements in minerals that form in igneous rock
26
Q

What are examples of radioisotopes?

A
  1. U235 – Pb207 (700 mill)
  2. K40 – Ar40 (1.3 bill)
  3. C14 – N14 ( 5700 years)
27
Q

What is one catch between igneous and sedimentary rock?

A

Fossils only form in sedimentary rock, however radiometric dating is an estimate using that rock type - thus the best radiometric dating is done using sedimentary rock wedged between two layers of igneous rock

28
Q

When was the Archaean Era?

A

2.5 billion years ago

29
Q

What originated from the Archaean Era, changed and allowed life to take off?

A
  • it is the origin of cellular life
  • lead to the diversification of archaea and bacteria
  • two biological pathways evolved: photosynthesis and autotrophic pathways and aerobic respiration
30
Q

When was the Proterozoic Era?

A

2.5 billion years ago till about 542 million years ago

31
Q

What was the significant evolution accompanying the Proterozoic Era?

A
  • origin of eukaryotes
  • origin of multicellular organisms
  • the oldest fossil around 640 million years ago
  • but there was little detail to determine structures but we did see a burst of life
32
Q

What time period does the Paleozoic Era encompass?

A

between 542-251 million years ago

33
Q

Name the 6 Periods encompassed in the Paleozoic Era in order to the most recent

A 
COS-DC-P
Cambrian
Ordovician
Silurian
Devonian
Carboniferous
Permian
34
Q

Name the key traits of the Cambrian Period?

A
  • introduced many phyla (especially marine), including algae and JAWLESS vertebrates
35
Q

Name the key traits of the Ordovician and Silurian Periods?

A
  • diversification of animal groups, earliest land plants emerged, and JAWED fishes
36
Q

Name the key traits of the Devonian Periods?

A
  • BONY fishes
  • invertebrates (trilobites, ammonoids)
  • insects
  • seed plants
37
Q

What are the key traits from the Carboniferous Period?

A
  • abundant land plants (mosses and liverworts, early vascular plants, seed plants)
  • winged insects
    amphibians and reptilians
  • this formed the present day coal beds used
38
Q

What are the key traits of the Permian Period?

A
  • diversification of fishes, insects and other animals groups
  • earliest form of mammal-like vertebrates
39
Q

What is a challenge faced by the early plants?

A
  • to avoid desiccation

- to have structural support

40
Q

What are the remaining 2 Eras and there periods in order to the most present?

A

Mesozoic (250-65 million years ago)
- Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous

Cenozoic (65 million to present)
- Tertiary, Quarternary

41
Q

What is one defining feature of the Mesozoic Era?

A
  • it is well inhabited by plants and animals
42
Q

What are the key points from the Triassic Period?

A
  • seed plant domination on land
  • first dinosaurs emerged
  • first mammals appeared
43
Q

What are the key points from the Jurassic Period?

A
  • “Marine Revolution”
  • radiation of dinosaurs
  • first birds and flowering plants
44
Q

What are the key points from the Cretaceous Period?

A
  • radiation of mammals, birds, and flowering plants

- coincidentally

45
Q

Birds vs their Ancestors

A
  • birds are theropod dinosaurs/ transition from feathered dinosaur to birds
  • increased brain size?
46
Q

Two groups from which all dinosaurs evolved from?

A
  1. Ornithischia

2. Saurischia

47
Q

What are the seven differences of birds compared to their ancestors?

A
  • no teeth
  • larger brain with fused skull bones
  • reduction of digits of the forelimb
  • fusion of pelvic bones
  • fewer tail vertebrae
  • enlarged, keeled sternum
  • reinforcing processes on the ribs
48
Q

Who where the ancestors to the birds?

A

Saurischian theropod dinosaurs

49
Q

What were the other 3 differences between mammals and their synapsid vertebrate ancestors and their ancestors?

A
  • hair: allowed thermal regulation

- mammary glands and changes in diet and their masculature

50
Q

How many years before present did the tertiary and quaternary periods occur?

A
  • Tertiary: 65 million to 5.3 million

- Quaternary: 2.56 million years till present

51
Q

What were the defining features of the tertiary period of the Cenozoic Era?

A
  • cooling climate
  • radiation of modern groups (mammals, birds, snakes, teleost fishes, flowering plants)
  • diversification of pollinating insects
52
Q

What are the defining features of the quaternary period of the Cenozoic Era?

A
  • consists of the Pleistocene-Holocene Periods
  • glaciation and lowered sea levels
  • extinctions occurring
  • and the rise of hominins
53
Q

What are 2 significant points that dictated what the Cenozoic Era appeared like?

A
  • groups were recognizable at the beginning of this period

- there was enough variation in the landscape that continental localization affected the climate

54
Q

Evolution of Primates (and Humans)

What was the order of evolution to humans?

A 
First primates
First monkeys
First apes
First hominins
Earliest Homo
H. erectus
Modern H. sapiens
55
Q

What is the timeline for the first primates?

A
  • primates during the early Cenozoic Era (Paleocene)
  • moneys during the Oligocene period
  • apes during the miocene period
    around 22 million years ago
56
Q

What was the first timeline of the first hominins?

A

Sahelanthropus - late Miocene 6 million years ago

Australopithecus - later on 3.5 million years ago

57
Q

What was the first timeline of the first Homo species?

A
  • earliest Homo during the late Piocene and early Pleistocene around 1.9 million years ago
  • H. erectus was around 1.6 million years to 200,000 years ago
  • H. sapiens was around 170,000 years ago
58
Q

Name the order of evolution from chimpanzees to homo sapiens.

A 
Chimpanzee
Australopithecus afarensis
Australopithecus africanus
Homo habilis
Homo erectus
Homo neaderthalensis
Homo sapiens
59
Q

Name the 5 Eras in order from oldest to present day, including their important Periods.

A

APP-MC

  • Archaean
  • Proterozoic
  • Paleozoic: Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian
  • Mesozoic: Triassic, Jurrassic, Cretaceous
  • Cenzoic: Tertiary and Quaternary

Biology 355 - Evolution (7 decks)

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