Summary
Objectives
- Being able to explain the basic features of evolution.
- Being able to explain the main characteristics of different eras of life.
Summary
- Evolution refers to the gradual change of species.
- Fossils are remnants of organisms.
- By comparing the structure of organisms and the stages of individual development, the development and relatedness of species are determined.
- New species develop over long periods of time, e.g. with population isolation and mutations.
- Life was formed in the ocean.
- Life gradually moved to land during the Paleozoic era. The presence of ozone layer (which was created as a result of photosynthesis) enabled organisms to develop and live on land.
- Dinosaurs were the dominant animals of the Mesozoic era.
- Birds and mammals have spread to different ecosystems in the Cenozoic era.
- Keywords: fossil, vestige, selective breeding, genetic similarity, natural selection, species, biological evolution, cultural evolution, geological eras of life; Precambrian era, Paleozoic era, Mesozoic era, Cenozoic era
| Era | Million years ago | Most notable events | New organisms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin of life | 4 600 | The formation of compounds. | Prokaryotes |
| Precambrian era | 4 600 – 550 | Photosynthesis, nucleus, organelles, sexual reproduction, multicellular organisms | Bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes, first multicellular organisms |
| Paleozoic era | 550 – 250 | Fish developed; life moved onto land | Phyla (+ vertebrates), mosses, ferns, gymnosperms |
| Mesozoic era | 250 – 65 | Dominated by reptiles | reptiles, birds, mammals, angiosperms |
| Cenozoic era | 65 – | Dinosaur extinction in the beginning, diversifying of birds and mammals | Human develops during the last million years |