The Relationship Between the Earth and Living Organisms A Combination of Biological and Geological Concepts

Factors that Make a Planet Habitable: Temperature Influences how quickly atoms and molecules move

Factors that Make a Planet Habitable: Water Dissolves and transports chemicals within and to/from a cell

Factors that Make a Planet Habitable: Atmosphere Traps heat, shields the surface from harmful radiation, and provides chemicals needed for life, such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide

Factors that Make a Planet Habitable: Energy Organisms use light or chemical energy to run their life processes

Factors that Make a Planet Habitable: Nutrients Used to build and maintain an organism’s body

Three Stages of Earth’s Atmosphere: Earth’s original atmosphere was composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Earth and it’s atmosphere were very hot. Gases moved so fast they escaped Earth’s gravity and drifted off into space.

Three Stages of Earth’s Atmosphere: Earth’s second atmosphere came from Earth itself. Volcanoes were very common because Earth’s crust was still forming. Volcanoes produced Steam (H2O) CO2 Ammonia (NH3)

Three Stages of Earth’s Atmosphere: Much of the CO2 dissolved into the oceans. A simple bacteria developed that could live on CO2 and energy from the sunlight. These bacteria also produced O2 as a waste product. O2 began to build up in the atmosphere and CO2 continued to decrease. Ammonia was broken down into hydrogen and nitrogen atoms. Much of the hydrogen drifted off into space.

Cyanobacteria Chemosynthetic bacteria Takes Methane (CH4) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and turns it into Water (H2O), Oxygen (O2), and Carbon (C).

Photosynthesis Method of converting sun energy into chemical energy usable by cells CO2 + H2O + light energy → C6H12O6 + O2 (reactants) (products)

Succession Primary succession – The building of a habitat or ecosystem that has never before sustained life. No soil present. Results from retreating glaciers, volcanos Secondary succession - The rebuilding of a habitat or ecosystem that was disrupted or destroyed due to natural disasters or human impact. Pioneer species –First species to populate an area during primary succession. Example: lichens.

Mass Extinction When the majority of a dominant species dies off. (There have been 5 major mass extinctions through out Geologic Time) Can be caused by natural disasters, global issues, human impact on a massive scale, etc. Examples: Ice Age, Meteor, Destroying our Ozone, Global Volcanic Eruptions where the ash blocks out the Sun.

Mass Extinctions The evidence strongly suggests that the extinction of the dinosaurs was the result of a large meteor striking the earth about 60 million years ago.

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