Open Earth Systems: An
Earth Science Course
For Maryland Teacher
Professional Development
EARTH HISTORY AND THE FOSSIL RECORD
DAY 1 - Weds. July 8
AM Instruction: Solar System Origin
Activity 1: Period of planetary orbits
Activity 2: Planets on your birthday
Instruction: Early Earth & Habitability
-lunchtimePM Instruction: Major Events in Earth History
Activity 3: Exploring Geologic Time with TS-Creator
Instruction: Concepts in Radioisotope-dating
Activity 4: Simulating Radioactive Decay
DAY 2 - Thurs. July 9
AM Instruction: Climates of the Past
Activity 5: JHU Soil Profile
Instruction: Fossil Record of Life
-lunchtimePM Instruction: Conversation with Steven Stanley
Activity 6: Fossil Identification
LINDA HINNOV, Instructor
OUTLINE
Fossil and Chemical Remains of Life
The Six Kingdoms
Taxonomic Groups
Phylogeny and the Tree of Life
Prokaryotes
The Protista
The Fungi
The Plant Kingdom
The Animal Kingdom
Fossil and Chemical Remains of Life
Fossilization
Rapid disintegration (A) or
covered by sediment (B);
re-exposure by sediment
disturbance (C). Dissolution
can occur in uncompacted
sediment (D). In compacted
sediment fossil may leave an
impression (E), and mineral
replacement can replace
original body (F); some bodies
can remain intact (G).
Tectonics (I) can cause
deformation
to the fossil; metamorphism
can obliterate the fossil (H).
http://www.trilobita.de/english/fossilize.htm
Fossil and Chemical Remains of Life
FOSSILS:
•Tangible remains or signs of
ancient organisms
•Found in sedimentary rocks or
sediments, especially marine
sediments
•Thousands to millions of years old
•Most fossils are hard
parts of organism
– Teeth, skeleton
•Trace fossils
–Tracks
–Trails
–Burrows
•Fossil need not be skeletal
•Mold--3D negative imprint
•Hard parts may be
completely replaced by
minerals
Stanley
(2005)
•Impressions--2D
preservation of outlines
and surface features
•Carbonization-Concentrated residue of
remaining carbon
The Six Kingdoms
EUKARYOTES: organisms whose
cells contain complex
structures enclosed within
membranes
Stanley (2005)
PROKARYOTES: microscopic single-celled
organisms that have neither a distinct nucleus with
a membrane nor other specialized organelles
Taxonomic Groups
•
•
Taxonomy
– Study of composition and relationship of
the taxonomic groups
Taxonomic groups
– The six kingdoms and their subordinate
groups
– Taxa
Stanley (2005)
Phylogeny and the Tree of Life
• Primitive traits
–
–
Appear early in
evolutionary history
e.g., hagfish group traits
Phylogeny
• Derived traits
•Tree of life
–
Evolved later
–
Present only in some
•Structure formed by
subgroups
–
e.g., jaws, lungs, claws or
branches of species
nails, feather, fur, and
mammary glands
• Horse ancestry
–
Detailed phylogeny
from abundant fossil
record
• Three clades
–
Subfamilies
• All members of the
modern horse family
belong to Equus and
originated in North
America
Stanley (2005)
Prokaryotes
•
•
Bacteria gain nutrition
in a variety of ways
– Photosynthetic
– Chemosynthetic
– Consumers
At least 3 billion years
old
Archaebacteria
–Can tolerate extreme conditions
•Very high temperatures
–Hot springs
•Low or no oxygen
•Acidic conditions
Stanley (2005)
Eubacteria
Cyanobacteria
–Divided by
structure of cell
walls
–Cyanobacteria
•Photosynthetic
–Spherical
–Filamentous
•Can form mats
or scum
Oscillatoria
Protozoans: Animal-like protista
•Amoebas: Change shape
•Flagellates: Flagellum for
locomotion
•Ciliate: Cilia for locomotion
The protista
Multicellular algae
Unicellular algae: Plant-like protista
•Dinoflagellates
•Diatoms
•Calcareous nannoplankton
Halimeda
(green algae)
Ulva
(green algae)
Amoeba
Dinoflagellate
Protozoans with skeletons
Planktonic
foraminfer
Zooflagellate
Diatom
Stanley
(2005) Radiolaria
Paramecium
Calcareous nannoplankton
The Fungi
• Decomposers--Obtain nutrients from
dead organisms
• Diverse--Yeasts; Mushrooms
• Poor fossil record
Laetiporus sulphureus
(Basidiomycota)
Chytridium
(Chytridiomycota)
Pilobolus
(Zygomycota)
Scarcoscypha coccinea
(Ascomycota)
http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Fungi&contgroup=Eukaryotes
•Vascular: Vessels for
transport of water, dissolved
nutrients, food
•Non-vascular:
Transportation of materials
by diffusion
Angiosperms
Plant Kingdom
• Flowering plants
• Pollen carried by
pollenators (animals)
Ruellia humilis
Hippomane mancinella
Stanley
(2005)
Gymnosperms
• “Naked seed” plants
• Conifers: Cone-bearing
plants
– Eggs fertilized in cone by
pollen
– Pollen bears sperm;
carried by wind
Seedless vascular plants
Nonvascular plants
• Evolved first
• No leaves or roots
Araucaria heterophylla
Asplenium trichomanes
http://www.albion.edu/plants/
Halimeda
Psilotum
Animal Kingdom
INVERTEBRATES
VERTEBRATES
Cnidarians
•Jellyfish and corals
•Inner and outer body layer
Jelly-like layer in between
•Use tentacles to catch prey
Stinging cells
•Sexual and asexual reproduction
Sponges
•Strain particles from water
•Mostly eat bacteria
•Flagella pump water through
internal canals
•Calcium carbonate or silica
spicules support structure
COELOMATES
Stanley (2005)
Animal Kingdom
INVERTEBRATES
VERTEBRATES
PROTOSTOMES
Arthropods
•Insects, crustaceans,
spiders, trilobites
•Trilobite
-Three-lobed body
-External skeleton
-Gill-like structure for
respiration
-Legs; primitive eyes
Mollusks
•Cephalopods
•Bivalves
•Gastropods
•Monoplacophorans
Stanley (2005)
Segmented worms
•Fluid-filled coelom
•Each segment has own coelomic cavity
•Expand, contract for movement
Onychophorans
•Between segmented worms, arthropods
Animal Kingdom
INVERTEBRATES
VERTEBRATES
COELOMATES
with lophophores
Brachiopods
•Two-valved shell
•Lophophores
-Pump water
-Strain food
Bryozoans
Stanley (2005)
•“Moss animals”
•Colonial
•Closely related to
brachiopods
-Lophophore extended from
skeleton to feed
-Calcified skeleton
Animal Kingdom
INVERTEBRATES
VERTEBRATES
Crinoids
ECHINODERMS
•”Sea lilies”
• Sieve food using arms
• Pass food to mouth with tube feet
• May swim
• May be attached by flexible stalk
Echinoids
Spiny-skinned form
Five-fold symmetry
Starfishes
Sea urchins
Stanley (2005)
Animal Kingdom
INVERTEBRATES
VERTEBRATES
Amphibians
•First to live on land as adults
•Metamorphosis
Fishes and Amphibians
Fishes
•Ray-finned fishes
-Fins supported by thin
bones
radiating from body
• Lobe-finned fishes
-Evolved into amphibians
-Coelacanth
Stanley (2005)
Primitive Chordate
•Lancelet
•Notochord is skeleton
•Can swim
•Usually rests
Notochord
•Develops into vertebral column
•Usually bony
Animal Kingdom
INVERTEBRATES
VERTEBRATES
Reptiles
•Eggs with protective shells
•Ectothermic
Dinosaurs
Birds
•Endothermic
Therapsids
•Ancestral mammals
Mammals
Stanley (2005)
•Endothermic, with hair
•Bear live young
•Monotreme mammals
-Lay eggs
•Marsupial
-Offspring develop in pouch
•Placental