19.3 Earth's Early History

Understand Key Concepts

  1. Earth's early atmosphere contained little or no

    1. water vapor.

    2. carbon dioxide.

    3. nitrogen.

    4. oxygen.

  2. In their experiment that modeled conditions on ancient Earth, Miller and Urey used electric sparks to simulate

    1. temperature.

    2. sunlight.

    3. atmospheric gases.

    4. lightning.

  3. Outlines of ancient cells that are preserved well enough to identify them as prokaryotes are

    1. microfossils.

    2. heterotrophs.

    3. autotrophs.

    4. phototrophic.

  4. What hypotheses have scientists proposed to explain Earth's early atmosphere and the way the oceans formed?

  5. The diagram below shows the apparatus that Miller and Urey used in their experiment. Explain both what water and gases were meant to represent and what Miller and Urey were hoping to accomplish.

    The apparatus that Miller and Urey used in their experiment.d

  6. How are proteinoid microspheres similar to living cells?

  7. How did the addition of oxygen to Earth's atmosphere affect the evolution of life?

  8. According to the endosymbiotic theory, how did mitochondria originate?

solve the CHAPTER MYSTERY

An archeological site.

MURDER IN THE PERMIAN

Solving a 250-million-year-old murder mystery isn't easy! In recent years, scientists have studied the chemistry of Permian rocks and changes in the fossil record. Some researchers determined that enormous and long-lasting volcanic eruptions in Siberia vented carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing a massive change in global climate. This put species and ecosystems under great environmental stress. Other researchers used geochemical analyses to show that atmospheric oxygen levels dropped to roughly half of what they are today. Huge parts of the oceans lost all oxygen. Because of the reduction in available oxygen, land animals near sea level might have been gasping for breath as you would on top of Mount Everest. Finally, there is evidence that an asteroid hit Earth! To this day, paleontologists are testing competing hypotheses that try to explain which of the events that occurred at this time caused the mass extinction. However, these hypotheses are constantly changing and have probably changed since this book was written.

  1. Compare and Contrast How do current hypotheses about the Permian extinction compare with the predominant theory about the Cretaceous extinction?

  2. Form a Hypothesis From the information in this book, suggest an explanation for the Permian mass extinction.

  3. Pose Questions What questions could you ask to find out whether your hypothesis is correct? What evidence would answer those questions?

  4. Connect to the What role have mass extinctions played in the history of life?

End ofPage 567

Table of Contents

Miller & Levine Biology
About the Authors
Changing the World of Biology Education
Contents
Diversity of Life: A Visual Guide DOL•1–DOL•64
Labs and Activities
Features
UNIT 1 The Nature of Life
1 The Science of Biology
2 The Chemistry of Life
Unit Project
UNIT 2 Ecology
3 The Biosphere
4 Ecosystems and Communities
5 Populations
6 Humans in the Biosphere
Unit Project
UNIT 3 Cells
7 Cell Structure and Function
8 Photosynthesis
9 Cellular Respiration and Fermentation
10 Cell Growth and Division
Unit Project
UNIT 4 Genetics
11 Introduction to Genetics
12 DNA
13 RNA and Protein Synthesis
14 Human Heredity
15 Genetic Engineering
Unit Project
UNIT 5 Evolution
16 Darwin's Theory of Evolution
17 Evolution of Populations
18 Classification
19 History of Life
Unit Project
UNIT 6 From Microorganisms to Plants
20 Viruses and Prokaryotes
21 Protists and Fungi
22 Introduction to Plants
23 Plant Structure and Function
24 Plant Reproduction and Response
Unit Project
UNIT 7 Animals
25 Introduction to Animals
26 Animal Evolution and Diversity
27 Animal Systems I
28 Animal Systems II
29 Animal Behavior
Unit Project
UNIT 8 The Human Body
30 Digestive and Excretory Systems
31 Nervous System
32 Skeletal, Muscular, and Integumentary Systems
33 Circulatory and Respiratory Systems
34 Endocrine and Reproductive Systems
35 Immune System and Disease
Unit Project
A Visual Guide to The Diversity of Life
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
THE TREE OF LIFE
Bacteria
Protists
Fungi
Plants
Animals
Appendices
Appendix A Science Skills
Appendix B Lab Skills
Appendix C Technology & Design
Appendix D Math Skills
Appendix E Periodic Table
Glossary
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q, R
S
T
U
V
W
X, Y, Z
Index
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Credits
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