1. Evolutionary History Evolution does not occur in a vacuum; it depends on: *Geology – distribution of land and water *Climate – temperature, precipitation, latitude, ocean currents *Chemistry – water, atmosphere, soil *Other organisms Predation, parasitism, mutualism, competition, habitat changes *Fate Extraterrestrial (and earth-bound) caused extinction events Probabilities of dispersal, gene change, etc. *Mechanisms of evolutionary change

2. Geology “Big” time - Geological time periods Plate tectonics & continental drift

3. Time - Geological time periods Hierarchical units of geological time Defined by changes in fossils Eras named after the animal fossils Extinctions occur at boundaries Visible animals Old animals First animals Middle animals Recent animals ErasEons 540 mybp →

4. Geological time Know *eras (named after animal life as fossilized) *absolute timing of eras *relative timing within the eras of important events (see our timeline) *you don’t need to remember the periods, but if you want to, learn them Mnemonics UC Berkeley Time Machine UC Berkeley Time Machine 540 mybp → 245 mybp → 65 mybp →

5. Plate tectonics & continental drift Mechanism *New crust at mid-ocean ridges *Sea floor spreading, carries continents *Subduction under continents Christopher Scotese Web Sites Christopher Scotese Web Sites Walk Thru Time – 580 concept frame Walk Thru Time – 580 concept frame