Download Name: Date: Period: _____ Unit 2 Notes, Part 3 – The Origin and

Name: _______________________________________________ Date: ___________________________ Period: _____
Unit 2 Notes, Part 3 – The Origin and History of Life
Ms. OK, AP Biology, 2014-2015
A.
What were conditions like on early Earth?
1. Earth was formed about 4.6 billion years ago
2. Early Earth's atmosphere differed from the current atmosphere. It contained:
- water vapor
-nitrogen
-carbon dioxide
-small amounts of hydrogen, methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon monoxide
Note: there was almost no atmospheric oxygen (O2) on early Earth
3. Additionally, early Earth was very hot due to constant volcanic eruptions and it was constantly bombarded by
asteroids
B. When did the first living organisms arise?
4. The earliest fossilized organisms can be dated to around 3.6 billion years ago,
indicating that life arose around 3.6 billion years ago… For example, scientists have
dated stromatolites to around 3.5 billion years ago; stromatolites are fossilized layers
of sediment thought to have been produced by ancient bacteria
5. Scientists believe that small organic molecules were created first, followed by large
molecules and finally cells
Note: organic molecules are molecules that contain high amounts of carbon (not
carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide) and are found in living organisms
6. Theories about how the first organic molecules were created…
-Oparin hypothesized that the molecules found in early Earth’s atmosphere +
lightning and UV radiation  organic compounds such as amino acids
-Miller and Urey tested Oparin’s hypothesis with the apparatus shown to the
right and were able to synthesize amino acids from these conditions
7. Steps involved in the creation of the first living organisms (single celled):
-Small organic molecules (ex: amino acids, the building blocks for proteins)
were synthesized
-These small molecules joined into macromolecules (i.e. large molecules like
proteins) through a process called polymerization
-These molecules were packaged in protocells (membrane-surrounded droplets
containing proteins)
-Self-replicating molecules emerged that made inheritance possible (ribozymes–
RNA molecules that serve as enzymes to enable their own replication).
Molecules containing the genetic code must be able to copy themselves to
provide a full set of genetic material to new cells. The idea that
RNA was the first genetic material (as opposed to DNA) is called
the RNA World Hypothesis.
Note #1: inheritance is the passing of genetic material and thus
traits from parents to offspring
Note #2: the structure of DNA vs. RNA is shown in the image to
the right
8. The idea that the first organic molecules accumulated in “soups”
in particular locations (shorelines, ocean vents, etc.), which
made polymerization and the creation of the first cells more
likely, is called the “primordial soup theory” or “organic soup
theory”
C. How do scientists study organisms from early Earth?
9. By investigating the fossil record, we can explore the history of living
organisms on Earth
10. Scientists can “date” fossils (determine how old they are) using two
different methods
-Relative Dating: this gives a basic age estimate for fossilized
organisms based on their position in rock layers (strata); lower strata
contain older fossils and higher strata contain younger fossils
-Absolute Dating: this gives an exact age for fossilized organisms
using the method given below
a) Absolute dating relies on radioactive dating to determine the
actual age of fossils.
b) Radioactive isotopes (unstable forms of an atom) have a half-life, the time it takes for half of a radioactive
isotope to change into a stable element.
c) Carbon 14 (14C) is a radioactive isotope contained within fossils, along with the normal, nonradioactive
isotope carbon 12 (12C)
 Half of the carbon 14 (14C) will change to nitrogen 14 (14N) every 5,730 years.
 Comparing the amount of 14C with the amount of stable isotope 12C will allow you to determine how
long ago a fossilized organism died
-A young fossil will have a high ratio of 14C compared to 12C
-An old fossil will have lost much of its 14C through radioactive decay, so it will have a low ratio of
14C compared to 12C
 After 50,000 years, the 14C radioactivity is so low it cannot be used to measure age accurately.
(Thus, carbon 14 dating can only be used to date relatively young fossils)… other radioactive
isotopes with longer half-lives must be used to date older fossils
D. How did life evolve from the first living organisms?
11. First cells = protocells (no nucleus or organelles)
12. 2.7 billion years ago (bya) = oxygen accumulates in Earth’s early atmosphere due to photosynthesis in bacteria
13. 2.1 bya = eukaryotic cells appeared as a result of endosymbiosis
Note: Endosymbiosis was a theory proposed by Lynn Margulis that gave a possible explanation for the creation of
the first eukaryotic cells with organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts. She proposed that an ancestral
prokaryotic cell (with no nucleus or membrane-bound organelles) “swallowed” a smaller prokaryotic cell. The
inner cell gradually lost its ability to function outside its host cell and adopted a particular job for that cell. For
example, mitochondria are prior prokaryotic cells that evolved to perform the process of cellular respiration to
create ATP for the host cell. The process of endosymbiosis to create mitochondria and chloroplasts is shown in
the image below. According to the image, the creation of a nucleus occurred through in-folding of the cell
membrane to surround the DNA of the cell, not endosymbiosis.
14. 1.2 bya = multicellular eukaryotes appear with specialized cells to perform a particular function for the organism
(ex: our red blood cells carry oxygen through our bodies)
15. 500 million years ago = colonization of land with plants, fungi, and animals appeared; up until this point, most life
(both unicellular and multicellular) was aquatic (water-dwelling)