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One - Introduction and the Evolution of Life on Earth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 April 2023

By
Norman Maclean
Edited by
Norman Maclean
Norman Maclean
Affiliation:
University of Southampton
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Summary

This chapter serves as an introduction to the book. It discusses the origin of Planet Earth and its Moon, their dependence on the Sun for energy, and the evolution of life on Earth. The evolution of the first living cell seems to have been a single event and all life on Earth is directly derived from this individual primary organism. The first life forms were anaerobic bacteria, but these later gave rise to photosynthesising cyanobacteria, which produced oxygen. The presence of oxygen eventually led to the emergence of aerobic animals and plants. The chapter then details the emergence of the oceans and supercontinents Pangea and Gondwanaland, the eventual break-up of the supercontinents and the development of the varied ecosystems which characterise Planet Earth at the present time.

Keywords

SunMoonPlanet EarthPhotosynthesisCyanobacteriaOrigin of lifeGondwanalandPangeaExtinctions
Type
Chapter
Information
The Living Planet
The State of the World's Wildlife
 , pp. 1 - 17
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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References

Attenborough, D. (2020) A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future. London: Witness Books/Penguin Random House.Google Scholar
Fortey, R. (2000)Trilobite!: Eyewitness to Evolution. New York: Vintage Books.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gould, S.J. (2000) Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the History of Nature. New York: Vintage Books.Google Scholar
Grossnickle, D.M. and Newham, E. (2016) Therian mammals experience an ecomorphological radiation during the Late Cretaceous and selective extinction at the K–Pg boundary. Proc R Soc B 283(1832): 20160256.Google Scholar
Lyons, T. and Planavsky, N. (2012) Extreme climate change linked to early animal evolution. Science Daily (Sept. 26, 2012).Google Scholar
Stringer, C. (2011) The Origin of Our Species. London: Penguin Books.Google Scholar
Theobald, D.L. (2010) A formal test of the theory of universal common ancestry. Nature, 465: 219–222.Google Scholar
Tudge, C. (2000) The Variety of Life: A Survey and a Celebration of all the Creatures that Have Ever Lived. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar

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