Week 2: Evolutionary History of Life

Question 1

What are the advantages of being big?

Answer 1

• Increases female fertility/fecundity and male competitive ability
• Better predatory ability
• Maintain body heat

Question 2

What are the disadvantages to being big?

Answer 2

Diffusion!
- surface area : volume
- rate of diffusion is compromised
Diffusion is more important for insects, hence their size

Question 3

Name the eras from oldest to youngest

Answer 3

Precambrian - Palaeozoic - Mesozoic - Cenozoic

Question 4

In what era did eukaryotic organisms first appear?

Answer 4

Precambrian

Question 5

The end of the Mesozoic (the age of reptiles) is marked by…

Answer 5

The Cretaceous extinctions (dinosaurs) and the abundance of flowering plants

Question 6

Describe the supercontinents:

Answer 6

• Rodinia is the oldest super continent
• Rodinia separated into the southern super continent Gondwana and the northern - Laurasia
• Gondwana and Laurasia then formed Pangea
• Pangea separated gradually into what is now seen

Question 7

List the 6 periods of the Palaeozoic (ancient life) era

Answer 7

1. Cambrian
2. Ordovician
3. Silurian
4. Devonian
5. Carboniferous
6. Permian

Question 8

List the 3 periods of the Mesozoic (middle life/age of reptiles) era

Answer 8

1. Triassic
2. Jurassic
3. Cretaceous

Question 9

List the 3 periods of the Cenozoic (modern life) era

Answer 9

1. Paleogene
2. Neogene
3. Quaternary