LIFE ON PLANET EARTH

ORIGIN OF THE EARTH

Contracting cloud formed our solar system

H20, H2, Fe, Silicates, HCN, NH3, CH4, H2CO, and other small
inorganic and inorganic molecules present
Planets formed~ 4.6-4.5 billion years ago
Earth was hot
Asteroid impacts, internal compression, radioactive decay of
minerals
Much of rocky interior melted
Many heavier elements moved toward interior
Lighter elements floated toward surface

EARTH

Crust
-surface zone
-basalt, granite, and other low density
Mantle
Core
Earth 4 billion years ago
-thin-crusted inferno
Earth 3.8 billion years ago
-life arose when the Earth cooled

The Early Earth

Early Earth was formed about 4.6 billion years ago
The atmosphere was very different than it is now, containing
little or no oxygen
Once the surface cooled enough for rocks to form, the
surface was covered with volcanic debris
About 3.8 billion years ago, the earth cooled enough for
liquid water to remain
Thunder storms drenched the planet and oceans covered
most of the surface
Electrical storms changed the composition of the atmosphere
-no oxygen
-water vapor
-water vapor condensed
Distance of the Earth from the Sun kept temperatures at a
range that allowed water to exist in liquid form

CHEMOSYNTHESIS THEORY OF THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE

Life from non-life
-synthesis and accumulation of small organic molecules
-joining of these monomers into polymers
-aggregation of these molecules into droplets to form localized
micronutrients
-origin of heredity
Could organic molecules have evolved under these conditions?
-in the 1950s, Stanley Miller and Harold Urey tried to stimulate
the conditions of the early Earth
-they showed how several amino acids could be created under
these conditions
MILLER AND UREYS EXPERIIMENT
They made sparks representing lightning through a mixture of
hydrogen, methane, ammonia and water representing the
atmosphere
Lacked free O2
Energy input in forms of heat and electrical sparks that mimic
geothermal heat and lightning
Various similar experiments succeeded in producing all 20 amino
acids, several sugars, lipids, purines & pyrimidines, and ATP
(when phosphate was added)
HYPOTHESIS OF THE ORIGIN OF LIFE

The leap from a mixture of organic molecules to a living cell is

large
Tiny bubbles of organic molecules (called Proteinoid Spheres)
have characteristics of living systems such as selectively
permeable membranes and means of storing and releasing
energy. They may have become more and more like living cells
over time

ORIGIN OF LIFE

Evidence indicates that about 200-300 million years after the

accumulation of liquid water on Earth, cells similar to modern
bacteria were common
Changing Earth
-photosynthetic bacteria became common and oxygen began
to accumulate in the atmosphere and ozone layer formed
-the rise in oxygen caused some life forms to go extinct, while
others evolved ways to use oxygen for respiration
Photosynthesis

-the cyclic pathway of photosynthesis evolved early for about

3.5-3.2 billion years ago
-sunlight served as a source of energy
(does the cyclic pathway generate O2?
-dominated the living world- 2 B years (stromatolites are
hardened remnants of the large mats(?) of these autotrophs)

Other theories of the Origin of Life

-deep sea vents
-RNA world (first molecule)
-Panspermia
DEFINITION AND ATTRIBUTES OF LIFE
The condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects
and dead organisms
LIFE: No concrete definition
Attributes of Life:
-Organization: complex and organized
-Metabolism: acquire, use and release materials and energy
-Maintenance and Repair: homeostasis (capacity to regulate
internal conditions for adaptation)
-Growth and Development:
-Response to Stimuli:
-Reproduction:
-Heritability and Adaptation: capacity to change/evolve

PROKARYOTES AND EUKARYOTES

Origin of Life
-evidence indicates that about 200-300 million years after that
accumulation of liquid water on Earth, cells similar to modern
bacteria were common
Characteristics of the Cells
-small
-with membranous outer boundary
(semi permeable & no compartmentalization)
-prokaryotic cells: pro-before; karyote- nucleus/kernel
HYPOTHESIS OF ORIGIN OF EUKARYOTIC CELLS
Endosymbiotic Theory
- Prokaryotic cells begin to evolve internal cell membranes- this
was the ancestor of eukaryotic cells
- Smaller prokaryotes began living inside this ancestor and
over time it became an interdependent relationship
- One group which entered the cell had the ability to use
oxygen to generate ATP. These evolved into mitochondria

Another
group
of
Prokaryotes
which
carried
out
photosynthesis evolved with/into chloroplasts
Mitochondria and chloroplasts have many characteristics of
free living bacteria:
1. contain DNA similar to bacterial DNA
2. have ribosomes of similar size and structure to those of
bacteria
3. reproduce by binary fission like bacteria

Eukaryotes
- Eukaryotes evolved about 2.1 billion years ago
- Possess several membrane-bound organelles
-Some originated from infoldings of the plasma membrane
-Some originated through endosymbiosis

STAGES OF THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

earth formation-4.6 BYA

volcanic activity
abiogenesis of simple carbon monomers (primordial soup)
abiotic synthesis of polymers (Proteinoids)
aggregation of polymers-proteinoid microspheres-3.7 BYA
osmoheterotrophs- 3.7 BYA
prokaryotic cells- 3.5 BYA
photosynthetic variants- 2.5 BYA
sexually reproducing eukaryotic organisms- 1 BYA

The major steps in the evolution of life forms are

Rock formation

Place

Age

Isua metaquartite
W. Greenland
3.8
Thees
S. Africa
3.7
Swart
E.
3.4
Earliest Mammals
500 M years ago
Geologic time scale- shows development of organisms

Type
Proteinoid microsphere
Osmoheterotrophs
Prokaryotic cells

Extinction
Cambrian/Ordovician: 50% of animal families died
Devonian: (caused by environment) 30% of animal families died
Permian: (caused by environment) 90% animal families died; 95% are
marine species
Triassic: (caused by environment) 35% reptiles and marine families died

Cretaceous: (anthropogenic in nature) 80% of ruling reptiles (dinosaurs),

marine, foraminifera and mollusks

~600-700 MYA

Massive ice age caused by formation of a vast continent near

the south pole reducing circulation of warm air and water
70% of life killed
When the supercontinent finally broke apart, ice age ended
Created the right conditions for the evolution of more
complex multicellular life forms (Burgess Shale)
Cambrian/Ordovician: 50% of animal families died
Devonian: (caused by environment) 30% of animal families
died
Permian: (caused by environment) 90% animal families died;
95% are marine species, many trees, amphibians, most
bryophytes and brachiopods, all trilobites
Triassic: (caused by environment) 35% animal families;
reptiles and marine mollusks died
Cretaceous: (anthropogenic in nature) 80% of ruling reptiles
(dinosaurs), marine, foraminifera and mollusks

Current extinctions are caused by human activities.

EXTINCTION
Local, ecological and true extinction
The ultimate fate of all species just as death is for all individual
organisms
99.9% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct
(approximately all species are extinct)
Background vs. mass extinction
- Low rate vs. 25-90% of total
- Five great mass extinctions in which numerous new species
(including mammals) evolved to fill new or vacated niches in
changed environment
- 10 million years or more for adaptive radiations to rebuild
biological diversity following a mass extinction
Extinction open up new opportunities for speciation and adaptive
radiation but you can have too much of a good thing!
Factors affecting extinction rates:
- Climate change

Cataclysmic event (volcano eruption, earthquake)

Human activities
Habitat loss/ fragmentation
Introduction of exotic/ invasive species
Pollution
Commercial harvesting
Accidental killing
Harassing
Pet trade
Urbanization
Damming/ flooding
Agricultural land conversion
What happened during the last ice age- the Pleistocene Epoch?
- Pleistocene epoch: 1,808,000 to 11,500 years BP
- Ice age- period of long term reduction in the temperature of
the Earths climate, resulting in an expansion of the
continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers
(glaciation)
- Used to refer to colder periods with extensive ice sheets over
the North American and Eurasian continents
Pleistocene- Ice Age
- During the most recent ice age (max ~20,000 years ago)
worlds sea level ~130 m lower than today
- Due to large amount of sea water- evaporated and deposited
as snow and ice in northern hemisphere glaciers
- Majority of glaciers had melted ~10,000 years ago
- Lowered sea levels, some present day islands connected
during the last ice age
- Greatly influenced distribution, abundance and diversity of
life in the Philippines
- South East Asia reconstruction
- Philippines created 50- 0 million years ago

BIOMES OF THE WORLD

Terrestrial communities defined by vegetation and climatic

conditions
- Tundra
- Taiga/Boreal Forest
- Desert
- Savanna
- Grassland
- Deciduous Forest

- Tropical rain forest

Effect of changes in precipitation and temperature
Tundra
- 50 cm/ year (almost no precipitation)
- 10C mean temperature
- Near polar ice caps
- Fauna: rain deer and owls
Taiga/ Boreal/ Coniferous forest
- 200 cm/ year
- Near 0C (-20C)
- Terrestrial community
- Dominated by pine trees
- Biggest biome of the world (by land area)
Desert
- Less than 50 cm/ year
- -7C to 30C
- Exposed soil
- Cactus, tumble weed, lizards, snakes, birds, rodents, frogs
Savanna
- Large grazing land with few tall, thorny trees
- Giraffe, lion, tigers
Grassland
- 10 cm/ year
- 10C
- Grasses, legumes, cogon and talahib for Phils
- Cattle, herbivores, rodents, carnivores, snakes, eagles
Temperate deciduous forest
- 150 cm/ year
- 0C-20C
- Experiences 4 seasons: Spring, Autumn, Winter, Fall
- Chipmunk, squirrel
Tropical rain forest
- 300 cm/ year
- 20C-30C
- Most diverse species

BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES

Ecosystem Diversity of the Philippines

Forest
- Dipterocarp
- Montane
- Mossy
- Pine

- Limestone
- Mangrove
Grassland
Agro-ecosystem
Freshwater
- Lake
- River
- Marsh
Brackish/ Estuarine
- mangrove
Saltwater/ Marine
- Rocky shores
- Sandy shores
- Coral reefs
Others:
- Pine/ coniferous forest
- Limestone forest
- Mangrove forest (pneumatophores: roots sprouting off the
ground for air!)
- Tropical grassland
- Marshland

Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

- Atoms: basic building block of matter
- 92 occur naturally in nature: elements
- 8- 99% earths crust
- Law of conservation of matter
Most abundant elements of the Earths crust
- 46.6% Oxygen
- 3.6% Calcium
- 27.7% Silicon
- 2.8% Sodium
- 8.1% Aluminum
- 2.6% Potassium
- 5.0% Iron
Elements of the Living System
- Carbon
- Nitrogen
- Hydrogen
- Phosphorous
- Oxygen
- Sulfur
Element Cycles
- Water Cycle
- Carbon Cycle
- Oxygen- Carbon Cycle (plant-animal air cycle)
- Nitrogen Cycle

Phosphorous Cycle (no atmospheric/gaseous phosphorous)

Sulfur Cycle