PP28. History of Life 1

Life sciences Grade 10
CAPS: structured, clear, practical

Helping teachers unlock the power of NCS
KNOWLEDGE AREA: Diversity, change and continuity

Topic 12: History of life on Earth
Life’s History: Change throughout the history of life
on Earth
CAPS SPECIFIC AIMS
1. Knowing Life Sciences

2. Investigating Phenomena in Life
Sciences
3. Appreciating and Understanding the
History, Importance and Applications
of Life Sciences in Society
Specific Skills
Access information Apply knowledge in new
Select key ideas contexts
Recall information Use knowledge in a new way
Describe knowledge of NS Analyse information/data
Build a conceptual framework Critically evaluate scientific
Organise or reorganise information
knowledge Recognise relationships between
Write summaries existing knowledge and new
Develop flow charts and mind ideas
maps Identify assumptions
Recognise patterns and trends Categorise information
Change throughout the history of Life.
1 Discussion Item One

Changes in the atmosphere
2 Discussion Item Two

Changes in Climate
Discussion Item Three
3 Geological events
4 Discussion Item Four

Biogeography
Changes in the composition of the atmosphere
Increase in the Oxygen Levels.
It is believed that between 4 to 6 million years ago there was little or

no oxygen on earth.
The lack of oxygen allowed for the formation of organic molecules.
Can you name some organic molecules?
Prokaryotes developed about 3.5 billion years ago.
They did not need oxygen for their activities?
They undergo anaerobic respiration. Can you explain what this
means?
Different types of bacteria began to develop
about 3.5 to 2.5 billion years ago.
These bacteria included the blue-green bacteria.
The blue –green bacteria are special because they
can photosynthesis.
Remember during photosynthesis carbon dioxide
is taken in and oxygen is given off.
This means that the levels of oxygen increased.
As the levels of oxygen increased more and more
oxygen dependent organisms developed.
These are organisms that respire aerobically.
Can you explain what this means?
Scientists believed that a lack of oxygen lead to the
development of life, but the presence of oxygen lead to
a diversity of organisms.
This means that as the oxygen levels on Earth
increased, more different types of organisms that
needed oxygen for respiration developed.
Cooling of the Earth
The Ice Ages
The ice ages are described as long periods of time when the
earth experienced extreme cold.
Four ice ages have been identified since the formation of earth.
These four ice ages occurred:
a) 700 million years ago
b) 320 million years ago
c) 286 million years ago
d) 3 million years ago ( this is the current ice age.)
Large sheets of ice were formed.
These large sheets of ice are called glaciers
The process during which these glaciers are formed is called
glaciation.
The glaciation and the sudden cooling lead to very low
temperatures.
These temperatures were so low that they did not support
life.
This lead to the death of many life forms.
Scientists believed that glaciation were caused by a
number of factors.
Some of these factors are:

 the changing positions of continents ,
 the upward movement of the continent blocks,
 the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
and
 the changes in Earth’s orbit.
Continental drift
The theory of continental drift
All continents were once

one big land mass called
Pangea.
Pangea was also called a

super continent.
Break up of Pangea
Between 225-200 million

years ago Pangea started to
break up into two large
masses.
They were called Laurasia
in the northern hemisphere
and Gondwanaland in the
southern hemisphere.
United states geological survey

Break up of Gondwanaland
Gondwanaland then
broke up into South
America, Africa,
Madagascar, Australia,
India and Antarctica.
Break up of Laurasia
Laurasia then broke

into the continents of
the northern
hemisphere.
These were North
America, Europe, the
Middle East, Asia and
China.
Myfundi
Theory of Continental Drift.
This theory also says that Antarctica was once close to the
Equator.
It had a temperate climate, with lush, swampy vegetation.
Coal deposits found in Antarctica proved this idea, because
these coal deposits came from tropical plants.
The land mass underwent rapid cooling has it drifted
towards the south pole.
This rapid cooling led to the formation of large masses of
ice. These masses of ice were called glaciers.
The life forms became extinct due to the lower
temperatures.
This was extinction on a large scale, called mass
extinction.
It is believed that the first large scale extinction took

place 438 million years ago.
This large scale extinction is associated with the rapid
glaciation that occurred around that time.
Diagram to show
the continental
drift from start
to the
present day.
hyperphysics
Evidence from Biogeography
Biogeography can be defined as the past and present
distribution of individual species.
Similar geological structures and identical plant and animal

species in both Africa and South America is used as evidence
that these continents were once joined.
It is also believed that Madagascar and Africa were once joined

because of similarities between some species.
The Theory of Plate Tectonics
The theory of plate tectonics arose from the theory of
continental drift.
According to this theory the Earth is made up of large plates that

fit together like a jig saw puzzle.
There are about a dozen of these plates.
These plates are able to move apart because they lie on top of
hot material.
The Ice Ages
The plate movement sometimes cause upward movements
of the large continental blocks.
It is believed that the continents rose about 600 meters

over the past 15 million years.
This upward movement caused climate changes which led

to the extreme cold of the Ice Ages.
Volcanic Activity
Cause of mass extinctions
It is believed that the three greatest mass extinctions were

caused by volcanic activity.
Large clouds of rock and lava were thrown up into the air
during the volcanic activities.
This would have lead to the sudden death of the life forms.
Fossil Evidence
What are fossils?
The study of fossils is called paleontology.
The remains of ancient life forms that have been preserved

in rock are called fossils.
Remember, though that fossils are also found in ice, tar and
the dried sap of trees.
The newennui.blogspot.com
Fossil Evidence
Ammonites and Trilobites.
The picture alongside is of the Ammonites. They
were coiled molluscs that swam or floated in the sea.
They belong to the same group as the octopus.
However they are extinct. What does this mean?
This picture shows the fossil of the Trilobites. These

are marine arthropods. They are distantly related to
lobsters and crabs. All Trilobites are extinct. Explain
what does this mean?
Bivalves and whales
Marine molluscs with two shells are called

bivalves. The two shells are mirror images
of each other and they are hinged at one
end. Scallops are examples of bivalves.
The picture alongside is of a whale fossil.

Fossil evidence in South Africa.
Fossils of bivalves and Ammonites have been found in

the Makhatini Flats which are in Kwa Zulu Natal.
Trilobite fossils have been found in the Karoo.
Whale fossils have been found in the Sarah Desert.

What does the presence of these fossils in these areas mean?
Remember that these are marine fossils, meaning that they were
found in the oceans.
It means that these areas in which these fossils were found were
once covered by the ocean.
The extinct organisms are no longer alive today and they may
look very different from the present day organisms, examples of
such extinct organisms are the Ammonites and Trilobites.
Since the bivalves are still in existence today and existed millions
of years ago it means that some organisms did not change much
over millions of years.
Terminology
Marine fossils, they were fossils that were found in the oceans
Bivalves are marine molluscs with two shells.
Trilobites are marine arthropods that are distantly related to
lobsters and crabs.
Ammonites are extinct coiled molluscs that swam or floated in
the sea.
Paleontology is the study of fossils.
Fossils are the remains of ancient life forms that have been
preserved in rock.
The theory of Plate Tectonics states that the Earth is made up of
large plates that fit together like a jig saw puzzle.
Biogeography can be defined as the past and present
distribution of individual species.
Extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last
individual of the species has died.
Extinction is the process by which plants or animals die off so
that not even one individual member of the entire species exists.
Mass extinction was extinction that took place on a large scale.
Glaciation is the process during which these glaciers are
formed.
Glaciers are large masses of ice.
Pangea is the name given to the one big land mass that was
made up of all the continents.
Laurasia the large continent in the northern hemisphere
that arose when Pangea broke up.
Gondwanaland was the large continent in the southern
hemisphere that was formed when Pangea broke up.
Ice ages are described as long periods of time when the
earth experienced extreme cold.
Aerobic respiration is respiration that occurs in the
presence of oxygen.
Anaerobic respiration is respiration that occurs in the
absence of oxygen.
Prokaryotes are organisms that do not have true nuclei.
Something for you to do:
1. The original land mass that spilt up into two continents

is known as:
A. Laurasia
B. Pangea
C. Gondwanaland
D. Earth
2. The process of the formation of large sheets of ice is
called…
A. Glaciation
B. Glaciers
C. Iceation
D. Ice age
3. The theory that suggests that the Earth is made up of
large plates that fit together like a jig-saw puzzle…
A. Continental drift
B. Mass extinction
C. Theory of Plate Tectonics
D. Paleontology
5. The large continent in the northern hemisphere that
arose when Pangea broke up.
A. Gondwanaland
B. Laurasia
C. Pangea
D. Earth
6. The marine arthropods that are distantly related to
lobsters and crabs are called…
A. Bivalves
B. Ammonites
C. Whales
D. Trilobites
7. Type of respiration that occurs in the absence of oxygen
is called…
A. Aerobic
B. Anaerobic
C. Photosynthesis
D. None of the above
8. The past and present distribution of individual species…
A. Biogeography
B. Continental drift
C. Paleontology
D. Ice age
9. The large continent in the southern hemisphere that
was formed when Pangea broke up.
A. Gondwanaland
B. Laurasia
C. Earth
D. Africa
10. Extinct coiled molluscs that swam or floated in the sea.
A. Bivalves
B. Trilobites
C. Whales
D. Ammonites
11. Organisms that do not have true nuclei.
A. Eukaryotes
B. Prokaryotes
C. Macro organisms
D. Animals
12. Large masses of ice.
A. Glaciers
B. Ice caps
C. Poles
D. Antarctica
13. The remains of ancient life forms that have been
preserved in rock.
A. Amber
B. Tar
C. Skeleton
D. Fossils
14. Fossils that were found in the oceans
A. Marine
B. Aquatic
C. Terrestrial
D. Ocean
15. Respiration that occurs in the presence of oxygen.
A. Photosynthesis
B. Respiration
C. Aerobic
D. Anaerobic
16. When there is no reasonable doubt that the last
individual of the species has died.
A. Extinct
B. Extinction
C. Mass extinction
17. The process by which plants or animals die off so that
not even one individual member of the entire species
exists.
A. Mass extinction
B. Extinction
C. Extinct
18. The study of fossils…
A. Paleontology
B. Biogeography
C. Mass extinction
D. Both A and B
19. Fossils of ammonites and bivalves are found in…
A. Makhatini Flats
B. Karoo
C. Sarah
D. Namib
20. Super continent that broke up 225-200 million years
ago…
A. Laurasia
B. Gondwanaland
C. Pangea
D. Both A and C
Solution
1. A 11. B
2. A 12. A
3. C 13. D
4. A 14. A
5. B 15. C
6. D 16. A
7. B 17. B
8. A 18. A
9. A 19. A
10. D 20. C

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Life sciences Grade 10

CAPS: structured, clear, practical

KNOWLEDGE AREA: Diversity, change and continuity

1. Knowing Life Sciences

1 Discussion Item One

2 Discussion Item Two

4 Discussion Item Four

It is believed that between 4 to 6 million years ago there was little or

Some of these factors are:

All continents were once

Pangea was also called a

Between 225-200 million

United states geological survey

Laurasia then broke

It is believed that the first large scale extinction took

Similar geological structures and identical plant and animal

It is also believed that Madagascar and Africa were once joined

According to this theory the Earth is made up of large plates that

It is believed that the continents rose about 600 meters

This upward movement caused climate changes which led

It is believed that the three greatest mass extinctions were

The remains of ancient life forms that have been preserved

This picture shows the fossil of the Trilobites. These

Marine molluscs with two shells are called

The picture alongside is of a whale fossil.

Fossils of bivalves and Ammonites have been found in

Trilobite fossils have been found in the Karoo.

Whale fossils have been found in the Sarah Desert.

1. The original land mass that spilt up into two continents

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