WEEK 2 – HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES

The learners

• describe general features of the history of life on Earth, including generally accepted dates and sequence of
the geologic time scale and characteristics of major groups of organisms present during these time periods.
(STEM_BIO11/12-IIIc-g-8)

I. Geologic Timescale

• A system of chronological dating used by geologists, paleontologists, and other earth scientists to describe the
timing and relationships between events that have occurred throughout Earth's history.

https://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/2008/08034scotese/images/fig01.htm

A. EONS

• A unit of time representing a billion years.

• Subdivided into three distinct eons: Hadean, Archean, and Phanerozoic.
• The current eon is the Phanerozoic, which began around 541 million years ago.

Hadean Eon (4.5 – 3.8 b.y.a.)

• Formation of the solar system

• Formation of rocky Earth
• Cosmic bombardments
• Primal oceans
• Reducing atmosphere

Achaean (3.8 – 2.5 b.y.a.)

• Formation of first solid rock

• Volcanism & Radioactive decay
• Prokaryotic life began in the boundary between Hadean and Achaean

Proterozoic (2.5 b.y.a. – 550 m.y.a)

 • Full scale of Oxygen
• First abundant fossils (stromatolites)
• Multicellular organisms evolved in the ocean
• Oldest evidence of ice ages

B. Eras

• Subdivisions of a phanerozoic eon, lasting hundreds of millions of years.

• Subdivided into three
– Paleozoic
– Mesozoic
– Cenozoic

Paleozoic (540 m.y.a. – 252 m.y.a.)

• Cambrian explosion: a period of rapid diversification and evolution of marine life, including the first
trilobites, brachiopods, echinoderms, and even early ancestors of fish.

• Rise and fall of marine life:

• Land colonization: By the late Paleozoic, plants and animals began venturing onto land, paving the way
for the terrestrial ecosystems of later eras.

• Geological events:

• Supercontinent formation and breakup: The Paleozoic saw the formation and breakup of several
supercontinents, including Pannotia and the later Pangaea.

• Mountain building: Mountain-building episodes like the Caledonian and Appalachian orogenies
occurred during this time, leaving behind impressive geological formations.

• Climate change: The Paleozoic experienced a range of climatic conditions, from warm and humid
periods to icehouse episodes. These fluctuations had significant impacts on life on Earth.

• Extinctions:

• End-Ordovician extinction: This major extinction event wiped out nearly 85% of marine life, likely
due to a combination of factors like climate change and asteroid impacts.

• Late Devonian extinction: Another significant extinction event, affecting reefs and marine
ecosystems, possibly caused by ocean anoxic events.

• Permian-Triassic extinction: The "Great Dying," the most devastating extinction event in Earth's
history, occurred at the end of the Paleozoic, wiping out over 96% of marine species and impacting
land life as well.

Mesozoic (252 m.y.a. – 66 m.y.a.)

• The Mesozoic Era had a lot of “firsts”.

• Reptiles and dinosaurs dominated the Mesozoic Era.
• Other than the significant evolution in the Mesozoic Era, climate and tectonic activity shaped the
landscape. For example, Pangaea started to separate.
• Often dubbed the "Age of Reptiles,"
• Gradual rifting of Pangaea
• Climate varied from hot and humid to cold one
• Extinction events:
– End-Triassic extinction: This event wiped out about 75% of marine life and 20% of land life, likely
due to volcanic activity and climate change.
– Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction: This infamous event, often attributed to a massive asteroid
impact, marks the end of the Mesozoic and the dinosaurs' reign. It also led to the extinction of many
other marine and terrestrial species, paving the way for the rise of mammals in the Cenozoic Era.

Cenozoic (66 m.y.a. - present)

 • The Cenozoic Era, often referred to as the “Age of Mammals,” spans from about 66 million years ago to
the present day.
• It is characterized by the proliferation and diversification of mammals, the rise of modern ecosystems, and
significant climatic shifts, including the cooling of the Earth and the formation of ice caps in polar regions.
• It’s the era when humans began to evolve.

C. Periods

• Subdivisions of an era, typically lasting tens to hundreds of millions of years.

1. Cambrian (541 to 485 m.y.a.)

• First period in Paleozoic

• Cambrian Explosion
• Evolution of complex body plans
• First jawless fish – vertebrate lineage
• Supercontinent formation - Pannotia.
• Cambrian-Ordovician extinction

2. Ordovician (485.4 to 443.8 m.y.a.)

• Marine Dominance
• Vertebrate Evolution - First bony fish appeared towards the end of the period
• Ordovician-Silurian Extinction

3. Silurian (443.8 to 419.2 m.y.a.)

• Recovery and Diversification

• First Jawed Fishes
• First Vascular Plants on Land
• Silurian-Devonian Mass Extinction

4. Devonian (419.2 to 358.9 m.y.a.)

• Age of fishes
• First Tetrapods
• Continued evolution of plants

5. Carboniferous (359 to 299 m.y.a.)

a. Mississippian
b. Pennsylvanian

• Age of the coal forests

• Age of Amphibians
• Appearance of first reptiles
• Diversifications of insects
• ice Age

6. Permian (299 to 251 m.y.a.)

• Last period in Paleozoic

• A Supercontinent Takes Shape – Pangea
• Extreme climates
• Diversification of reptiles
• Great Dying - Permian-Triassic Extinction

7. Triassic (252 to 201 m.y.a.)

• First period in Mesozoic

• Recovery from Extinction
• From Supercontinent to Continents
• First Appearance of Dinosaurs
• First Appearance of Mammals
• Climate Shifts
 8. Jurassic (201 to 145 m.y.a.)

• Dominance of Dinosaur
• Continental Drift
• First flowering plants
• Evolution of Mammals
• Climate Shifts

9. Cretaceous (144 to 66 m.y.a.)

• Last period in Mesozoic

• Diversification of Dinosaurs
• Diversification of Angiosperms
• Deposition of extensive chalk
• Continues of breakup of Pangea
• Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction

Tertiary

• The term "Tertiary" was historically used to refer to a geologic period that followed the Cretaceous
Period and preceded the Quaternary Period.
• However, in modern geology, the Tertiary is no longer officially recognized as a formal period, and the
time span it covered has been reclassified into two separate periods within the Cenozoic Era

a. the Paleogene Period

b. the Neogene Period

10. Paleogene (66 to 23 m.y.a.)

• First Period in Cenozoic

• Recovery and diversification
• Changing landscapes

11. Neogene (23 to 2.6 m.y.a.)

• First Period in Cenozoic

• Age of Mammals
• Climate Change
• Ocean Changes
• Early Hominids

12. Quaternary (2.6 m.y.a. to present)

• Ice ages
• Rise of Humanity
• Dynamic Planet

D. Epochs

• Even smaller units within a period, ranging from a few million to tens of millions of years.

1. Paleocene (66 to 56 m.y.a.)

• First epoch of the Paleogene Period

• Recovery from extinction
• Mammals' evolution
• Adaptive radiation
• Floral changes
• Global Climate
• Continental drift

2. Eocene (56 to 33.9 m.y.a.)

• Last epoch of the Paleogene Period

• Diversification of Mammals
• Diversification of Angiosperms and Insects
• Grasslands expansion
3. Oligocene (33.9 to 23 m.y.a.)

• First epoch of the Neogene Period

• Cooling Planet
• Continuation of Mammals Evolution
• Decline of Tropical Forests

4. Miocene (23 to 5.3 m.y.a.)

• A world of grasslands
• Cooler Climates and Ice Sheets
• Rise of the Primates
• Golden Age of Mammals

5. Pliocene (5.3 to 2.6 m.y.a.)

• Last epoch of the Neogene Period

• Land bridge formation
• Mammals' evolution
• Expansion of grasslands
• Global diversity

6. Pleistocene (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago)

• First epoch in Quaternary

• Ice age
• Diverse megafauna
• Evolution of Hominins
• Migration of early humans
• Tool and Cultural developments
• Extinction of large mammals

7. Holocene (11,700 years ago, to present)

• Stable climate
• Climate change
• Rise of civilization and technology
• Biodiversity Changes
• Holocene or Anthropocene extinction

REFERENCES

• General Biology II Teaching Guide

• https://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/2008/08034scotese/images/fig01.htm
• https://www.thedelite.com/the-remarkable-discovery-in-the-grand-canyon/12/
• https://www.riversandoceans.com/colorado-river-grand-canyon/
• https://transitaddress.wordpress.com/2017/04/22/the-earth-diary/
• https://www.studyprobe.in/2023/06/precambrian-eon.html
• https://earthhow.com/paleozoic-era/
• https://earthhow.com/mesozoic-era/
• https://earthhow.com/cenozoic-era/
• https://natmus.humboldt.edu/exhibits/life-through-time/visual-timeline
• https://www.youstupidrelativist.com/EZMassOverkill.html
• https://research.amnh.org/paleontology/perissodactyl/concepts/deep-time/paleocene
•