History of Life on Earth

• The earliest life forms we

know of were microscopic
organisms (microbes) that
left signals of their
presence in rocks about
3.7 billion years old. The
signals consisted of a type
of carbon molecule that is
produced by living things.
 An Oxygen Atmosphere

• When cyanobacteria evolved at least 2.4

billion years ago, they set the stage for a
remarkable transformation. They became
Earth’s first photo-synthesizers, making food
using water and the Sun’s energy, and
releasing oxygen as a result. This catalyzed a
sudden, dramatic rise in oxygen, making the
environment less hospitable for other
microbes that could not tolerate oxygen.
 Multicellular Life

• microbes did not have the specialized cells that are needed
for complex bodies.
• Something revolutionary happened as microbes began living
inside other microbes, functioning as organelles for them.
• Mitochondria, the organelles that process food into energy,
evolved from these mutually beneficial relationships.
• Also, for the first time, DNA became packaged in nuclei. The
new complex cells (“eukaryotic cells”) boasted specialized
parts playing specialized roles that supported the whole cell.
 The First Animals

• These clusters of specialized, cooperating cells

eventually became the first animals, which
DNA evidence suggests evolved around 800
million years ago. 
• Sponges were among the earliest animals.
While chemical compounds from sponges are
preserved in rocks as old as 700 million years,
molecular evidence points to sponges
developing even earlier. 
 Ediacaran Biota

• By about 580 million years ago (the Ediacaran

Period) there was a proliferation of other
organisms, in addition to sponges
• By the end of the Ediacaran, oxygen levels
rose, approaching levels sufficient to sustain
oxygen-based life. 
 The End-Ediacaran Extinction

• However, about 541 million years ago, most of

the Ediacaran creatures disappeared, signaling
a major environmental change 
• Burrows found in the fossil record, dating to
the end of the Ediacaran, reveal that worm-
like animals had begun to excavate the ocean
bottom. 
 The Cambrian Explosion
• The Cambrian Period (541-485 million years ago)
witnessed a wild explosion of new life forms.
• A shift also occurred towards more active animals, with
defined heads and tails for directional movement to
chase prey.
• Unique feeding styles partitioned the environment,
making room for more diversification of life.
• the end of the Cambrian nearly all existing animal types,
or phyla, (mollusks, arthropods, annelids, etc.) were
established, and food webs were emerging, forming the
foundation for the ecosystems on Earth today. 
 Causes of Mass Extinction

• End –Ordovician
– Beginning of glacial cycles on Earth, and
corresponding changes in sea level.
– Changes in atmospheric and oceanic chemistry
relating to the rise of the Appalachian mountains
 Causes of Mass Extinction

• End – Devonian extinction

– Climate change, possibly linked to the
diversification of land plants
– Decrease in oxygen levels in the deep ocean
 Causes of Mass Extinction

• End-Permian Extinction
– Volcanic activity
– Climate change
– Decrease in oxygen levels in the deep ocean
– Changes in atmospheric chemistry
– Changes oceanic chemistry and circulation
– The largest mass extinction event in Earth's history
affected a range of species, including many
vertebrates. 
 Causes of Mass Extinction

• End- triassic extinction

– Volcanic activity
• End-Cretaceous extinction
– Asteroid impact
– Volcanic activity
– Climate change
– Changes in atmosphere and oceanic chemistry
 Types of Fossils
1. Mold fossils – a
fossilized impression
made in the substrate. It
is an imprint left by the
shell of a hard skeleton
on surrounding rock. Ex.
Dinosaur bones burried
beneath many layers of
sediment.
 Types of Fossils
2. Cast Fossils or
internal mold –
formed when a
mold is filled in
Types of Fossils
 Types of Fossils
3. Trace fossils or
ichnofossils –
fossilized nests,
gastroliths, burrows,
footprints, etc.
 Types of Fossils
4. True form or body
fossils – fossils of
the actual animal
or animal part.
 Process called Fossilization

• Fossilization is the process by which a plant or

animal becomes a fossil.
 Process called Fossilization

1. Carbonization, or distillation - yields a

detailed carbon impression of the dead
organism in sedimentary rock. The heat and
pressure from being buried in sediment can
sometimes cause the tissues of organisms —
including plant leaves and the soft body parts
of fish, reptiles and marine invertebrates — to
release hydrogen and oxygen, leaving behind a
residue of carbon.
 Process called Fossilization

2. Permineralization, or petrification - After an

organism's soft tissues decay in sediment, the
hard parts — particularly the bones — are left
behind.
 Process called Fossilization

3. Replacement - the minerals in groundwater

replace the minerals that make up the bodily
remains after the water completely dissolves
the original hard parts of the organism.