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Earth and Life Science

Quarter 2 – Module 21:

Evolving Concept of Life Based

on Emerging Pieces of Evidence

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What I Need to Know
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help
you master the Historical Development of the Concept of Life. The scope of
this module permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The
language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The
lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But the
order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the
textbook you are now using.
The module covers:
 Lesson 1 – Historical Development of the Concepts of Life
After going through this module, you are expected to:
1. identify the sequence of events of the history of life on earth;
2. name the pieces of evidence on the evolution of life on earth;
3. recognize the importance of knowing the history of life on earth

What I Know
Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate
sheet of paper.

1. Dinosaurs are reptiles that existed for a very long time. Which era did
these organisms evolve?
A. Cenozoic Era
B. Mesozoic Era
C. Paleozoic Era
D. Proterozoic Era
2. What are the first photosynthetic organisms that grow well on earth?
A. Bryophyllum
B. cyanobacteria
C. stromatolites
D. zircon crystal
3. The oxygen revolution changed Earth’s environment dramatically.
Which of the following adaptations took advantage of the presence of
free oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere?
A. The evolution of cellular respiration, which used oxygen to help
harvest energy from organic molecules.
B. The evolution of chloroplasts after early protists incorporated
photosynthetic cyanobacteria
C. The evolution of multicellular eukaryotic colonies from
communities of prokaryotes.
D. The evolution of photosynthetic pigments that protected early
algae from the corrosive effects of oxygen.
4. Why did it take millions of years for life to appear on Earth after the
planet had formed?
A. It took millions of years for RNA to replace DNA.
B. Life on Earth could begin only when seedlings arrived on our
planet from other worlds.
C. The planet had cooled down enough to sustain life.
D. The planet had warmed up enough to sustain life.
5. Which types of organisms developed first due to the early
environmental conditions on Earth?
A. eukaryotic and aerobic
B. eukaryotic and anaerobic

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 C. prokaryotic and aerobic
D. prokaryotic and anaerobic
6. What are called the remains of living organism used in understanding
the history of life on earth?
A. bone
B. fossils
C. seeds
D. shells
7. Which statement is NOT true about fossils?
A. A small percent of extinct organisms is preserved.
B. Most extinct organisms have been preserved.
C. Plants can form fossils.
D. Some bacteria came from fossils.
8. Which of the following can be considered as a fossil?
A. a billion-year old rock
B. a billion-year old piece of amber
C. a billion-year old amber with a primitive insect inside
D. the choices are all correct
9. What unique substance do researchers look after in their study of
eukaryotes?
A. biomarkers
B. fossils
C. mitochondria
D. stromatolites
10. What is the evidence for a last universal common ancestor among life
on earth?
A. They all look the same.
B. They are all aerobic.
C. They all have the same synthesis pattern.
D. They share the same underlying molecular biology.
11. Which statement best shows the main significance of studying the
past? A. It will allow researchers to think what they need to study
B. It will give job for many scientists and paleontologists.
C. The past is attractive to look back.
D. Understanding the past allows to predict the future and help in
creating it.
12. One of the significances of knowing the history of life is to determine
the origin of one living organism. According to researches, the ___are
the only surviving species and one of the living evidences that life have
existed on Earth and evolved from Homo erectus.
A. birds
B. dinosaurs
C. human beings
D. sponges
13. Over the past decades, there are challenges that environment has
been facing. Pandemics affected the lives of various living organisms.
What is the significance of knowing this history?
A. It will give an idea on how medical world will seek for the
treatment.
B. It will give medical practitioners an income.
C. It will lead scientists to know the history of life.
D. They will just be informed about it.

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 14. The following statements are challenges for the researchers in finding
and identifying signs of early cells. Which is not part of the group?
A. Cells are microscopic and most have no parts to fossilize
B. Slightly younger rocks have been heated up and undergone other
processes
C. Tectonic plate movements have destroyed nearly all rocks older
than about 4 billion years.
D. Materials and testing laboratories are not available.

15. The study of history of life is significant in many aspects. The

stromatolites played a significant role as a source of evidence. What is
stromatolite? A. It consists of layered bacteria and sediment.
B. It is formed during volcanic eruptions.
C. It is found in animals.
D. It is produced through endosymbiosis.

Lesson Evolving Concept of Life

1 Based on Emerging Pieces of
Evidence
Have you been curious of when and where did life possibly start on Earth?
During the 1800s geologists and the naturalists found several forms of
physical evidence that confirmed that Earth is very old. The evidences
include: fossils of ancient sea life on dry land far from oceans, this
supported the idea that the Earth changed over time and some dry land
today was once covered by oceans; the many layers of rock allowed the
people to realize that rock layers represent the order in which rocks and
fossils appeared, thus they were able to trace the history of Earth and life on
Earth; lastly, the indications that volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and
erosion that happened long ago shaped much of the Earth’s surface and
supported the idea of an older Earth. This module will help you understand
the historical development of the concept of life based on emerging pieces of
evidence. This will trace back the events, processes, and living organisms
existed on earth from the earliest time to present.

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 What’s In

Activity 1 : My Life in Timeline

Direction s : Picture out a history of your life . Create a timeline that will reflect the
events happened to you in the past.

My Life in Timeline

Guide Questions

1 . What is a timeline?

2 . Why is timeline significant?

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 Notes to the Teacher

This module will help you to understand the concepts about

historical development of life. Guide the students by elaborating
the simple and complex concepts included on each activity
presented. Expectedly you will meet the target at the end of the
module.

What’s New

Activity 2: Timeline of Events

Read and analyze the timeline. Arrange the following pictures in order. Write
number 1 to 6 under each picture to show the order of the appearance of life
forms on earth.

Timeline of Appearance of Life Forms

4.6 – 3.8 BYA  The early earth is said to be violent because of the meteorites
and volcanic eruptions. With this condition, zircon crystal was
formed.
3.5 BYA  Life on Earth initially began with prokaryotes, discovered in
sedimentary rock formations called stromatolites.
3.0 BYA  The first photosynthetic organism thrived the earth which is
blue green algae called cyanobacteria.
2.0 BYA  Appearance of the first eukaryotes and the influx of
multicellular organisms occurred 1.2 billion years ago.
500 MYA  The Paleozoic era when the trilobites and cephalopods
became dominant in the ocean particularly during the Cambrian
and Ordovician
251 - 65.5 MYA  The Mesozoic era-the age of reptiles that has a span of 251
to 65.5
MYA divided into Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous period
250 TYA  The Cenozoic era- recent life and based on paleontological
evidence. Homo erectus have evolved.

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 __________

___________ Cephalopod and trilobite

Green algae
_________________ _____________

_________ __________

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 Activity 3: Evidence of Life
Directions: Give an evidence on the given events that occurred on geologic time
scale that enables the paleontologist to sequence the history of life.

Archean Proterozoic Eon

Hadean
(Period of (Period of
(Early Earth Appearance of appearance of the
Development)
First Prokaryotes) first eukaryote)

Paleozoic era
Mesozic era
Cenozoic era (Dominance of
(Dominance of
(Recent Life ) appearance of
dinosaurs)
trilobites)

` Activity 4: It’s a match!

Directions: Column A are evidences while column B refers to certain timeline.

Match them by writing the letter of your answer on the space before the
number.

Column A Column B
_____1. homo erectus A. 4.3 BYA
_____2. eukaryotes B. 2.0 BYA
_____3. zircon crystal C. Mesozoic Era
_____4. dinosaurs D. 250 thousand years ago
_____5. trilobite fossils E. Cambrian Period

Activity 5: Name It
Directions: Name the pieces of evidence on the evolution of life. Write your
answer on the space provided. Pick your answer from the terms inside the box.

zircon crystal stromatolites

Cyanobacteria first eukaryotes multicellular organisms
Homo erectus
trilobite fossils
first prokaryotes

Period Evidences/Organisms

4.6 to 3.6 billion years ago 1.

3.5 billion years ago 2.
3.0 billion years ago 3.
2.0 billion years ago 4.
1.2 billion years ago 5.
500 million years ago 6.
250 thousand years ago 7.

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 What is It
The universe is about 4.6 billion years old. Life on earth, probably began
only between 3.5 and 4.0 billion years ago. Evidences from fossil records
show the emergence of the different life forms. The common ancestor of all
life was prokaryotic. Since, oxygen was scarce on the early Earth, so the
ancestral cell must also have been an anaerobic. There are some challenges
encountered in searching for the evidence of early life. Cells are microscopic
and most have no parts to fossilize. The tectonic plate movements have
destroyed nearly all rocks older than about 4 billion years, and most of the
younger rocks have been heated or undergone processes that destroy the
traces of biological material. At present, the oldest cell microfossils
(microscopic fossils) are filaments from 3.5 billion-year-old rocks in Western
Australia. The filaments resemble chains of modern photosynthetic bacteria
and the rocks in which they occur are the remains of ancient stromatolites.
The researchers look for biomarkers specific to eukaryotes. It is a substance
that occurs only or predominantly in cells of a specific type. Eukaryotes are
organisms having true nucleus. The DNA is enclosed within the nucleus
whereas DNA of most prokaryotes lies enclosed in the cell’s cytoplasm. The
first eukaryotes were protists.

For life to evolve from simple single-celled organisms to many millions of

species of prokaryotic species to simple eukaryotic species to all the protists,
fungi, plants and animals, took some time. The first life forms were very
basic and this then allowed for the evolution of more complex life forms.
Eukaryotic cells evolved from prokaryotic cells. The evolution of life is
brought about the changes in the environment which are linked to changes
in climate and geology. These Earth’s environmental changes made the
Earth’s environment more suitable for a wider variety of life forms.

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Activity 6: Arrange Me
Directions: From the given statements below arrange them to show the origin
and evolution of eukaryotes. Number the boxes from 1-8, 1 as the earliest.

A. The emergence of first celled

B. Photosynthesis and aerobic
organisms lacking nucleus in respiration evolve in some
environment where oxygen was bacterial lineages
scarce .

C. Fungi, animals and algae that D. The presence of organic

give rise to plants -had evolved compounds on early Earth.
in the seas

E. Oxygen -producing F. Aerobic bacteria lived inside

photosynthetic bacterial cell eukaryotic cell, then
entered a eukaryotic cell, descendants of these bacteria
bacterial descendants evolved evolved into mitochondria
into chloroplasts

G. Endomembrane system and

nucleus evolve through the H. The modern life -modern
modification of cell organisms related by descent.
membranes

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What’s More

Activity 7: Time to Reveal

Directions: Arrange the jumbled word to reveal the evidence in the history of
life on earth. Write the answer on the space below the grid.
• A marine animal first evolved at the
R I O T L T I E B beginning of the Cambrian period,
542 MYA, where they

dominated the ocean.

• The modern human that have

E E R C T U S M O H O evolved 250 thousand years ago.

• A A K R P O R Y O T S E basic cell type which lacks true

nucleus. Bacteria, bluegreen
algae, archaeans and spirochetes
are examples of organisms
belonging to this cell type.
• These are giant reptiles that
R U O S D N I A S roamed the earth during the
Mesozoic era.

• This basic cell

A K R U E Y O T S E type possesses
a true nucleus
that contains
DNA

Activity 8: Origin of Life

Directions: Create a concept map that will discuss how life originated
and evolved based on emerging pieces of evidence using the concepts
inside the
box.

 history of life ● adaptation

 eukaryotic cell ● photosynthesis
 prokaryotic cell ● scarcity of oxygen
 stromatolites ● biomarkers
 fossils ● organic monomers
 Variation Among Organis ms
 Molecular DNA

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Activity 9: TMG (Transformations, Mass Extinctions and Geologic
Changes)
Directions: Earth’s history is marked by a series of transformations, mass
extinctions and geologic changes that have taken place over the course of
4.6 billion years. Place the given events on the corresponding time it
occurred.
• First evidence of life (3,850 MYA) • Modern humans (0.1 MYA)
• Oldest fossils (3. 500 MYA) • Formation of great oceans (4,200
• First evidence of soft bodied animals MYA)
(900 MYA) • Continents begin shifting (3100
• The Cambrian Explosion (530 MYA) MYA)
• First land plants and fish (480 MYA) • Rodinia supercontinents breaks up (
• First reptiles (350 MYA) 700 MYA)
• First Mammals and dinosaurs (220  Pangea supercontinent breaks up
MYA) (200 MYA)
• First birds (150 MYA) • Inland seas dry up (200 MYA)
• First hominids (5.2 MYA ) • Global ice ages begin (2 MYA)
• About 50%of marine invertebrate genera (Late Triassic 206 MYA)
• Dinosaurs and 60 to 80 percent of all species (End Cretaceous 65 MYA)
• 25 % of Marine invertebrate families (End Ordovician 443 MYA)
• Many wood land, plant-eating herbivores (Miocene 9 MYA)

Transformation Mass Extinctions Geologic changes

Activity 10: Extinct Flora & Fauna

Directions: The study of the history of life revealed that there were living
organisms that became extinct brought by environmental conditions. In
recent times, there are news on various species that underwent this process.
Enumerate flora and fauna

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that become extinct and the reasons for their inexistence .

Activity 11: Sequence of Events

Directions: Below are some key events happened in the past. Create a
timeline that will show the sequence of events of the history of life. Use the
information below as your guide. You may just use the keywords as part of
your timeline.
 The genus Homo gave rise to modern humans, Homo sapiens, us. It
is estimated that they have been around for 2.3-2.4 million years,
coinciding with the first evidence of stone tool usage.
 The first mammals are our most direct ancestors, evolved from
Amniotes. One of the earliest known mammals was Eozostrodon
lived about 210 million years ago.
 Studies of fossils from the Devonian Period 416-359 MYA indicates
that land plants had evolved features we recognized today, such as
leaves, roots and secondary wood.
 Simple eukaryotes, but more advanced organisms, thought to
developed 1.6 – 2.1 billion years ago
 Oldest known fossilized prokaryotes have been dated approximately
3.5 billion years ago
 Around 1.1 billion years ago multicellular organisms are thought to
have started to develop.
 Animals in the most basic sense of the word, have evolved from
eukaryotes. Fossils of early sponges have been discovered in 665
million years old rock.
 560 million years ago, some highly significant fossils of an organism
which was named Charnia were discovered. These enigmatic early
animals were anchored to the sea floor where they are thought to
have absorbed nutrients.

Activity 12: Why Should I Study History of Life?

Directions: Write at least fifty-word reflection paper on: “Why should I study
history of life?”.

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What I Have Learned

Activity 13: Complete me

Directions: Complete the paragraph by filling-in the blanks with the correct
word from the box.

stromatolites human ocean zircon

Beings crystal
4.6 billion years ago Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic 3.0 billion years ago
Earth Homo erectus

About (1) __________, the earth was formed as the solar system came into
existence with the other planets rotating around the sun. (2) __________ is
said to be geologically violent because of the continuous bombardment by
meteorites and volcanic eruptions. With this condition, minerals were
formed from the elements and compounds contained in the molten material.
The oldest material found on earth is the (3) __________ that is estimated to
be 4.3 billion years old. Life on earth is believed to begin 3.5 billion years
ago with single –celled prokaryotes, as discovered in sedimentary rock
formations called (4) __________. As early as (5) __________, the first
photosynthetic organism thrived the earth which is blue green algae called
cyanobacteria. It was 2.0 billion years ago when the first eukaryotes
appeared and the influx of multicellular organisms occurred 1.2 billion years
ago. During the Paleozoic Era which lasted 542 to 251 MYA, the Cambrian
and Ordovician Period has been known as the age of invertebrates when
trilobites and cephalopods became dominant in the (6) __________. The (7)
__________ is the age of reptiles that has a span of 251 to 65.5 MYA divided
into Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaneous Period. (8) __________ is the era of
recent life and based on paleontological evidence (9) __________ have evolved
250 thousand years ago. (10__________ are the only surviving species and
one of the living evidences that life have existed on earth.

What I Can Do

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 Directions: You may pick one of the questions to answer in this area .

1. If the multicellular organisms arise from the unicellular

organisms, can you tell that all the species/organisms are
related with one another? Why do you think so?

2. If you are one of the environmentalists and was assigned in one

of the forests in the Philippines which happened to be the
location of some endangered species, what are the plans that
you would organize to ensure the conservation of the species of
the flora and fauna present in your assigned area?

3. Write a short poem that will discuss the importance of knowing

the concepts of the history of life to human beings and other
living organisms.

Assessment
Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter
on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Oxygen was scarce during the early development of Earth. By this
situation, what kind of organism first existed?
A. aerobic organism
B. anaerobic organism
C. mammal
D. protist
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true on the evolution of
multicellular organisms?
A. The process of continuous specialization brought more complex
organisms.
B. The prokaryotic organisms that formed multicellular aggregates
were like the cells of Cyanobacteria.
C. They are believed to have evolved from single-celled prokaryotic
organisms.
D. They are formed from other multicellular colonial aggregates
through cells specialization.
3. Why do you think the emergence of plants and animals came later
than simple living organisms?
A. The cell structures of these multicellular organisms are more
complex.
B. Their existence is not that important on Earth
C. Their size is too big that it takes longer time for development.

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 D. These organisms composed of many nucleus compared to
unicellular.
4. Which statement is incorrect about living organisms?
A. Evolution of oxygen-producing organisms allow the increase in
the atmospheric oxygen.
B. Organisms did not change despite of the changes in the
environment.
C. The eukaryotic organisms evolved from the unicellular
prokaryotic.
D. The earliest forms of life existed were the prokaryotes.
5. Place the following in the order in which they evolved or existed:
eukaryotic cell, prokaryotic cell, photosynthesis, organic molecules.
A. eukaryotic cell, photosynthesis, prokaryotic cell, organic
molecules
B. eukaryotic cell, prokaryotic cell, organic molecules,
photosynthesis
C. organic molecules, eukaryotic cell, photosynthesis, prokaryotic
cell
D. organic molecules, prokaryotic cell, photosynthesis, eukaryotic
cell

6. What is the evidence for a last universal common ancestor among life
on Earth?
A. All are classified as aerobic organisms.
B. All look the same.
C. They have similar synthesis pattern.
D. They share similar molecular features.
7. What unique substance do researchers look after in their study of
eukaryotes?
A. biomarkers
B. fossils
C. mitochondria
D. stromatolites
8. Which of the following can be considered as a fossil?
A. a billion-year old rock
B. a billion-year old piece of amber
C. a billion-year old amber with a primitive insect inside
D. the choices are all correct
9. Mainly the fossils are found on sedimentary rocks. What type of rocks
are stromatolites?
A. igneous
B. metamorphic
C. sedimentary
D. Trilobites
10. Which of the following is NOT true about the evidence that fossils
provide? A. All fossils gathered contain intact DNA that can be
sequenced.
B. Fossil ages can often be determined by testing nearby rocks.
C. Fossil organisms often share physical similarities with living
organisms.

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 D. Some fossil organisms are transitional forms between groups of
organisms.
11. It was stated that the organisms are evolving. The evolution can be due
to environmental changes. More so, the conservation of their traits
depends mainly on how they will survive. In this regard, humans alter
the natural world bringing harmful consequences from their activity,
known as ___.
A. environmental issues
B. ecosystem conflict
C. environmental topics
D. human intervention
12. What is the significance of studying the molecular evidence present
among living organisms?
A. It will allow the classification of living organisms.
B. It will benefit the economy of the world.
C. It will give idea for the scientist which to clone.
D. It will then serve as the basis of what to study.

13. Over the past several decades, natural selection has caused
populations of Staphylococcus aureus to evolve resistance to most
antibiotics. What do you think would be the significance of being
knowledgeable about the history of this organism towards antibiotics?
A. It will give an idea of continuing the use of antibiotic against
Staphylococcus aureus.
B. It will give an idea for the medical team to discontinue the use of
particular antibiotic resistant to that microorganism.
C. It will just give them background about the microorganism.
D. It will just give them idea of increasing the frequency of the
organisms.
14. The study of history of life is indeed significant. As part of searching for
the fossils of previous organisms, stromatolite played a significant
role. What is true about stromatolite?
A. It is found on eukaryotes.
B. It is produced by endosymbiosis.
C. It consists of layered bacteria and sediment.
D. It is formed during volcanic eruptions.
15. The following statements are challenges for the researchers in finding
and identifying signs of early cells. Which among the choices should
NOT be
included?
A. Cells are microscopic and most have no parts to fossilize
B. Materials and testing laboratories are not available.
C. Slightly younger rocks have been heated up and undergone other
processes
D. Tectonic plate movements have destroyed nearly all rocks older
than about 4 billion years.

Additional Activities

1. It was stated that researchers faced challenges looking for fossils of the
earliest-life forms. These fossils served as evidence of the origin of life.

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 Based on your knowledge of tectonic plates, why few samples of early
rocks remain?

2. Create an interactive infographic that will show the history of earth.

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