History of Life Flashcards
(23 cards)
The main three macroevolutionary changes over large time scales indicated by the fossil record:
- Emergence of terrestrial vertebrates
- Origin of Photosynthesis
- Long-term impacts of mass extinctions
What are the two largest mass extinction events?
- Permian extinction event [first largest]
- K-T Boundary Event (Cretaceous)
When did the earth & solar system form?
4.6GA
Which chemicals composed of the early atmosphere?
N, NO, CO2, CH4, H, HS
Was the first genetic material DNA or RNA?
RNA
Protocells
aggregates of abiotically produced molecules surrounded by a membrane/membrane-like structure
thoguht to be the precursor to the first cells;
Ribozymes
Enzyme-like RNA molecules that have been found to catalyze many different reactions
Early protocells with ribozymes would have been more effective at using _________/would have increased in number through _______ _________
resources; natural selection
Eons of the Geologic Record
- Hadean
- Archean
- Proterozoic
- Phanerozoic
The three eras of the phanerozoic are:
- Paleozoic
- Mesozoic
- Cenozoic
Stromatolites
oldest known fossils
Endosymbiotic theory
proposes that mitochondria and plastids were formerly small prokaryotes living within larger host cells
Endosymbiont
a cell that lives within a host cell
Serial endosymbiosis
a biological theory that explains how eukaryotic cells evolved
Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic cells have similarities in _____ ________ structures/functions
inner membrane
Ediacaran Biota
assemblage of larger/more diverse soft bodied organisms that lived from 635-541 MA
Cambrian Explosion
sudden appearance of fossils resembling modern phyla in the Cambrian period
Ribosomes of mitochondria are homologous to prokaryotes in terms of …
- size
- RNA sequence
- sensitivity to antibiotics
Which factors lead to the rise and fall of groups of organisms?
- Mass extinction events
- Adaptive radiation
- Plate tectonics
Adaptive Radiation
Occurs when a single species rapidly diversifies into many new species
There was an (increase/decrease) in the percentage of predators after both the Permian and K-T Mass Extinctions
increase
Mass extinction of terrestrial dinosaurs was followed by an (increase/decrease) in the number and diversity of mammals
increase
What lead to the (increase/decrease) in number/diversity in mammals after mass the mass extinction of terrestrial dinosaurs?
Lack of competition and/or predation
