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MModule 2 - Home

Mechanisms of Change and the Fossil Record

Modular Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, the student will be able to satisfy the following outcomes:

· Case

· Describe major mass extinction periods in history and the relevant organisms that were impacted.

· Examine the impact of human activities on greenhouse gas production.

· Describe recent periods of extinction.

· Relate current conditions on Earth to past extinction events in history.

· SLP

· Describe environmental conditions contributing to rising carbon dioxide levels.

· Compare and contrast data on climate change variables.

· Describe threats to biodiversity as the global economy and human population grows.

· Discussion

· Define a biodiversity hotspot.

· Discuss the economic and ecological impact of habitat loss in a biodiversity hotspot.

Module Overview

Scientists estimate that our planet was formed more than 4.54 billion years ago and has gone through many changes to become what it is today. There are many fields of science that have contributed to this theory. For example, astronomers and physicists have studied the movement of the stars and planets that make up our galaxy to estimate the time during which our planet formed from a gigantic explosion. Geologists have studied the layers of sediment and rocks that make up the earth’s surface to discover that it is actually a floating crust made up of moving plates. Biologists have also studied the history of the formation of the earth’s crust, focusing on the fossils that living organisms have left behind in rock layers. All of these fields of science have employed a technique called radiometric dating to determine the time during which the molecules that make up all matter have decayed or broken down. This method allows scientists to age fossils, rocks, and layers of sediment that make up the earth’s crust.

See the video below for an introduction to the process of radiometric or radiocarbon dating.

https://youtu.be/phZeE7Att_s

How Does Radiocarbon Dating Work?

Biologists have used the structure of the Earth’s layers to determine and develop the fossil record and to estimate when certain organisms that are no longer found on our planet may have lived. For example, fossils of organisms found in the top layer of the Earth’s surface existed more recently than those found in the deeper, older layers of sediment. Radiometric dating allows scientists to determine the age of the rocks more accurately, based on the structure of the molecules that compose them. For example, a rock with a higher composition of radioactive carbon (an element found in all life and most matter on earth) has a more recent history than rocks with lower ratios of radioactive carbon. This is because older rocks have had more time for this unstable form of carbon to decay, and disappear, and newer rocks will still have a high abundance of this element. The fossil record along with recent advances in genetic analyses have demonstrated relationships between organisms, and have given us a better idea of which organisms lived during which time periods.

Complete the tutorial provided by the Museum of Paleontology at the University of California, Berkeley, before moving on.

As you have seen in the tutorial, we have gathered a lot of information about the organisms that lived before our time here on Earth. We have learned that many organisms no longer exist on our planet. We describe these organisms as extinct. From our fossil record, we have evidence of mass extinctions, during which huge numbers of organisms completely disappeared during a short period of time. In fact, it appears that mass extinctions have occurred several times in the earth’s history. Review the mass extinction link to learn why this happens and how we know. Be sure to read the information found linked to each of these headings (located on the left-hand side of the website):

· End-Ordovician mass extinction

· Late Devonian mass extinction

· End-Permian mass extinction (the Great Dying)

· End-Triassic mass extinction

· End-Cretaceous mass extinction

Now review the recent extinctions that have occurred due to the effects of human activity. These Web sources, provided by the Sam Noble Museum, will also be components of your Case Assignment.

Be sure to complete the background readings from Introduction to Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Then check your understanding of this module’s material with the Knowledge Check below. (Although you will receive a score for the Knowledge Check, it does NOT count toward your final grade.)

Module 2 ECOL100 Knowledge Check

As you move on to complete your Case Assignment, you will examine the relationship between economic growth, human activities, and extinction. You will find that there are many complex interactions between these mechanisms of change, and how we apply the benefits of economic growth to our environment may mean the difference between causing or preventing the next mass extinction.

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echanisms of Change and the Fossil Record

Assignment Overview

[Note: If you have trouble viewing some of the course materials, install Quicktime and the Adobe Shockwave Player, both of which can be downloaded free online at http://www.adobe.com/products/shockwaveplayer.html and https://support.apple.com/downloads/quicktime

Mass extinctions are periods in Earth's history when abnormally large numbers of species die out simultaneously or within a limited time frame. The Cretaceous-Tertiary (or K-T) extinction event is probably the best known to many people because it wiped out the dinosaurs, but many other mass extinction events have occurred throughout the history of the Earth. Some of these mass extinction events are even more devastating than K-T. The most severe occurred at the end of the Permian period when approximately 96% of all species disappeared. Many smaller-scale mass extinctions of plants and animals have occurred as recorded in the fossil records. Discover more about Earth's major extinction events below in the following Case Assignment.

Module 2 – Background References (must be used)

Mechanisms of Change and the Fossil Record

Required Reading

Background

OpenStax. (2015). Introduction to Ecology and Evolutionary Biology . Creative Commons License 4.0: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Chapter 4.5: Climate and the Effects of Global Climate Change (pp. 96-101) Chapter 7.1: The Biodiversity Crisis (pp. 192-197)

Scientific American. (2012, December 4). How does radiocarbon dating work? - Instant Egghead #28 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/phZeE7Att_s

Recent Extinctions

Extinctions in the recent past and the present day. (2017). Sam Noble Museums. Accessed on August 15, 2016, at http://samnoblemuseum.ou.edu/understanding-extinction/extinctions-in-the-recent-past-and-the-present-day/

Case

Hillis, D. M., Sadava, D. E., Heller, H. C., & Price, M. V. (2012). Certain biogeochemical cycles are especially critical for ecosystems . (2012). Principles of Life, first edition.

University of California, Berkeley, Museum of Paleontology. (n.d.). Geologic time. Accessed on August 8, 2014, at http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explorations/tours/geotime/gtpage1.html .

Mass Extinctions

Mass extinctions. (2017). Sam Noble Museums. Accessed on August 15, 2016, at http://samnoblemuseum.ou.edu/understanding-extinction/mass-extinctions/

Recent Extinctions

Gerstein, J. (2015). 11 extinct animals we've lost in our lifetime. Popular Mechanics. Accessed August 20, 2015, at http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/g201/recently-extinct-animals-list-470209/

Greenhouse Gas Simulation

A blanket around the Earth. (n.d.). Global Climate Change: NASA. Accessed on July 26, 2017, at https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

SLP

Climate change: How do we know? (n.d.). Global Climate Change: NASA. Accessed on August 8, 2014, at http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/ .

What is climate change? (2017). Met Office. Accessed on August 16, 2016, at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate-guide/climate-change .

The outlook: Averting the sixth extinction. (2013). The Economist, 408(8853), 15. Available in the Trident Online Library.

The Greenhouse Effect. PhET Simulations. Accessed on July 26, 2017, at http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/greenhouse

Discussion

Micronesia's changing climate: Micronesia conservation trust . PBS Learning Media California. Accessed on September 1, 2017.

******Case Assignment******

STOP! Before you proceed, make sure that you have read the Home page for this module and followed the links provided there. This assignment requires information from those resources. (Above)

Case Part I: Geologic History of Earth

The first part of this assignment requires that you consider the history of extinction on our planet.

From the Sam Noble Museum , answer the following questions:

1. How many major mass extinction periods are listed here? Follow the links from that page to learn more about each period. What caused each, and which major groups of species disappeared from each period? Read the article link on Recent Extinctions:

2. Choose two of the recent extinctions listed on this link and explain why they occurred.

Case Part II: Global Climate Change

Scientists have concerns that human activities are changing our environment at rapid rates that could result in a sixth mass extinction. Let’s examine the evidence:

Review the “Recent, Past and Present” section from Mass Extinctions .

Also review the following link from the NASA website: https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

3. Define greenhouse effect. Describe which gases are important to the greenhouse effect.

4. What were listed as human activities related to greenhouse gas production from each link?

5. How do humans contribute to both climate change and major extinction events?

6. Some scientists think that human activities may be contributing to a sixth mass extinction event. What specific evidence do they site for this possible event? (you may need to conduct additional research to support your findings).

Part III: Drawing Conclusions

Now provide a summary paragraph that explains what conclusions you can make for yourself based on the evidence provided and what you now know about the geologic time scale of the history of the Earth.

Assignment Expectations

Organize this essay assignment using subtitles that summarize the topic from each question above. For example, to answer Question 1, use a descriptive subtitle like the following: Part I: Geologic History of the Earth/Major Events.

Answer each question under the subtitle using complete sentences that relate back to the question. Be sure to use APA formatting throughout your essay with 1-inch margins, 12-point type, and double spacing throughout. Include a title page, introduction, answers to the questions with subtitles, and concluding paragraph. Remember to include in-text citations within the body of the essay referencing your resources (e.g., Murray, 2014). Also, be sure to include a reference section at the end of your assignment listing all required readings and any additional resources you used to complete your essay. A helpful guide to writing a quality essay can be found in Trident's Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper . This guide also provides links to example essays written in APA format.

Direct quotes should be limited and must be designated by quotation marks. Paraphrased ideas must give credit to the original author, for example: (Murray, 2014). Direct copying from “homework help” websites will not receive credit. Once you have completed your assignment within a Word document, please upload your final version to the Case 2 Dropbox. Please also note your Turnitin originality score and make revisions as needed. Please contact your instructor with any questions.

*******MODULE 2 SLP ASSIGNMENT*******

Module 2 - SLP

Mechanisms of Change and the Fossil Record

You learned about the negative impact of economic growth and human utilization of resources that can lead to global climate change and extinction. In your Case Assignment, you reviewed many pieces of evidence and developed your own conclusions about the relationship between human activities and global climate change. Now review the conclusions that have been drawn by NASA regarding this information at NASA Climate

Part I: A Closer Look at the Evidence

For the first part of this assignment, answer these questions using the NASA website:

1. Describe the graph on the NASA website. What does it show us about the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere? According to the following site (the United Kingdom's National Meteorological Service), what recent event contributed to the rising carbon dioxide levels? Met Office

2. The supporting data on climate change are grouped into different categories on the NASA website. How are these groups labeled? Is there agreement on these categories between the NASA website and the UK website ( Met Office ). If not, how do they differ?

3. Select the “Effects” tab at the top of this web page: https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/ . Summarize the effects of climate change listed here in one paragraph. Be sure to address the effect of climate change on our weather and water resources.

Part II: How Can Economic Growth Become Part of the Solution?

Read the article from The Economist:

The outlook: Averting the sixth extinction. (2013). The Economist, 408(8853), 15. Available in the Trident Online Library.

Now answer the following questions regarding economic growth and climate change discussed in this article in paragraph format. One paragraph should be sufficient.

1. How does economic growth negatively impact other species?

2. What is described as the principal threat to biodiversity as the global economy and human population grows?

3. Is economic growth necessarily bad for our planet? What points suggest that economic growth can benefit biodiversity?

4. Conclude your paragraph with 1–3 sentences that draw connections between economic growth, climate change, habitat loss, and biodiversity.

SLP Assignment Expectations

Direct quotes should be limited and must be designated by quotation marks. Paraphrased ideas must give credit to the original author, for example: (Murray, 2014). Direct copying from “homework help” websites will not receive credit. Once you have completed your assignment within a Word document, please upload your final version to the SLP 2 Dropbox. Please also note your Turnitin originality score and make revisions as needed. Please contact your instructor with any questions.