All species of living organisms, from bacteria to monkeys to blueberries, evolved at some point from a

different species. Evolution is an ongoing process. The theory of evolution is the unifying theory of
biology, meaning it is the framework within which biologists ask questions about the living world.

CHAPTER 3: HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH

The Earth is around 4.5 billion years old. The planet we call our home has undergone a series of
geological and biological challenges that have changed not only its landscape but also its inhabitants.
By studying the Earth's geological timeline, we will be able to trace the processes by which fossils and
living organisms have evolved since the time that life started until the present day.
Both the likeness and the differences between all present-day organisms indicate the presence of a
common ancestor from which all known species have originated and diverged from through the
process of evolution.

No discussion of the evolution of plat and animal lite can be undertaken without a brief review of the
geological time scale. I he geological time scale is a record of the life forms and geological events in
Earth’s history. Scientists developed the time scale by studying rock layers and fossils worldwide
Radioactive dating was used to determine the absolute divisions in the time scale. Geologic time may
be divided into epochs which last for less than ten million years, periods lasting tor tens of millions of
years, eras which last for hundreds of millions of years and in eons which last for billions of years.
At present, we are in the Holocene epoch of the Quaternary period of the Cenozoic era of the
Phanerozoic eon. The Earth's geological life may simply be subdivided this way:

1. The Precambrian life, composed of the Hadean, Arcana, and Proterozoic Eras, started more than
550 million years ago. This covers approximately 88% of the Earth's history. It started with the
planet's creation about 4.5 billion years ago from dust and gas orbiting the Sun and ended with the
emergence of complex, multi-celled organisms almost four billion years later.
It is during this time that the Earth was transformed from a ball of gas and dust to liquid rock
enveloped with hot, non-breathable gases mostly composed of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and sulfur.
The molten rock cooled down to form the Earth's crust and with that, the gases also changed
providing a cooler atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen. The Earth became more conducive to
life and allowed single-celled cyanobacteria to exist.
Pic diri it Cyclomedusa, dickisonia, ichat ako ta kung diri kana nga part kay mangita ko sang keneme,
butngi lang 2 ka slides

The earliest life comprising Precambrian (Ediacaran) biota was long believed to include only
tiny, sessile, soft- bodied sea creatures. However, recently, there has been increasing scientific
evidence suggesting that more varied and complex animal species lived during this time, and possibly
even before the Ediacaran period. Fossils believed to represent the oldest animals with hard body
parts were recently discovered in South Australia.

These sponge-like fossils, named Coronacollina acula, date back as far as 560 million years, and are
believed to show the existence of hard body parts and spicules that extended 20-40 cm from the main
body (estimated about 5-cm long) Other fossils from the Ediacaran period are shown in Figure 3.2a/b.

Another recent fossil discovery may represent the earliest animal species ever found. While the
validity of this claim is still under investigation, these primitive fossils appear to be small, one-
centimeter long, sponge-like creatures. These from South Australia date back 650 million years,
actually placing the putative animal before the great ice age extinction event that marked the
transition between the Cryogenian period and the Ediacaran period.

Until this discovery, most scientists believed that there was no animal life prior to the Ediacaran
period. Many scientists now believe that animals may in fact have evolved during the Cryogenian
period. The latter part of Precambrian life, the Proterozoic era, was greatly affected by the movement
of the tectonic plates forming the supercontinent Rodinia.

The Earth’s core and atmosphere cooled down and brought about the lce Ages. The production of
oxygen of the primitive cyanobacteria caused a drastic change in the chemical composition of the
Earth's atmosphere. Many species of bacteria and protists were killed by the presence of higher
concentrations of oxygen. New types of organisms evolved using biochemical adaptations enabling
them to survive the presence of oxygen. This allowed the domination of aerobic eukaryotes, the first
multicellular organisms.

2. The Paleozoic era known as "Old Life", started more than 540 million of years ago and lasted for
more than 300 million years. This era is divided into six geologic periods: Cambrian, Ordovician,
Silurian, Devonia Carboniferous, and Permian. This era began with the breakup of the supercontinent
Rodinia into the continents Gondwana and Laurentia. Laurentia and Gondwana were continents
located near the equator that subsumed much of the current-day landmasses in a different con-
figuration. At this time, sea levels were very high, probably at a level that hasn't been reached since.

As the Paleozoic progressed glaciations created a cool global climate, but conditions warmed near the
end of the first half of the Paleozoic. During the latter half of the Paleozoic, the landmasses began
moving together. Eventually a single supercontinent, called Pangaea, was formed in the latter third of
the Paleozoic. Glaciations then began to affect Pangaea's climate, affecting the distribution of animal
life.
Figure 19 (Lak-angi lang di anay ta)

The Cambrian period ushered the most massive occurrence of evolution and divergence of the
species. This period, which occurred approximately 542-488 million years ago, marked the most rapid
evolution of new animal phyla and animal diversity in Earth's History. It is believed that most of the
animal phyla in existence today had their origins during this time, often referred to as the Cambrian
explosion.