The History of Life: From Earth's Beginning to Present-Day Biodiversity

1. Chapter 5 Opener A Jurassic scene

2. Figure 5.1 The approximate timing of some of the events in the early history of Earth and life

3. Figure 5.2 The sequence and structure of the catalytic RNA, a ligase

4. Table 5.1 Six major transitions in the history of evolution leading to higher-level formation, or groups

5. Figure 5.3 (A) Stromatolites formed by living cyanobacteria in Shark Bay, Australia. (B) A 3 billion-year-old stromatolite from Western Australia has the same structure as modern stromatolites

6. Figure 5.4 Some major branches of the tree of life

7. Figure 5.5 A comprehensive tree of life

8. Figure 5.6 Some Proterozoic fossils

9. Figure 5.7 A phylogeny of major eukaryotic lineages

10. Figure 5.8 Members of the Ediacaran fauna

11. Figure 5.9 Two animal groups that first appeared during the Cambrian explosion

12. Figure 5.10 Cambrian vertebrates

13. Figure 5.11 (A) A choanoflagellate. (B) A sponge, with a close-up showing choanocytes

14. Figure 5.12 An estimate of relationships among some animal phyla, based on the sequences of multiple genes

15. Figure 5.13 Ammonoids and nautiloids

16. Figure 5.14 Extinct Paleozoic classes of vertebrates

17. Figure 5.14 Extinct Paleozoic classes of vertebrates

18. Figure 5.15 The phylogeny and Paleozoic fossil record of major groups of terrestrial plants and their closest relatives among the green algae (Chlorophyta)

19. Figure 5.16 Paleozoic vascular plants, portrayed at different scales

20. Figure 5.16 Paleozoic vascular plants, portrayed at different scales

21. Figure 5.17 The distribution of land masses at several points in geological time

22. Figure 5.18 Features of marine predators and prey that escalated during and after the “Mesozoic marine revolution”

23. Figure 5.19 Seed plants

24. Figure 5.20 Some fossil insects

25. Figure 5.21 Phylogenetic relationships and temporal duration (thick bars) of major groups of amniote vertebrates

26. Figure 5.22 Some Mesozoic reptiles

27. Figure 5.22 Some Mesozoic reptiles

28. Figure 5.23 The great diversity of dinosaurs

29. Figure 5.24 Multituberculate mammals resembled rodents, but had blade-shaped premolar teeth

30. Figure 5.24 Multituberculate mammals resembled rodents, but had blade-shaped premolar teeth (Part 1)

31. Figure 5.24 Multituberculate mammals resembled rodents, but had blade-shaped premolar teeth (Part 2)

32. Figure 5.25 A phylogeny of living groups of mammals, based on DNA sequence data

33. Figure 5.26 The giant ground sloth Megatherium was a Pleistocene representative of the Xenarthra

34. Figure 5.27 Proboscidea, the order of elephants, has only two living genera, but was once very diverse

35. Figure 5.28 Pleistocene glaciers lowered sea level by at least 100 meters, so that many terrestrial regions that are now separated by oceanic barriers were connected

36. Figure 5.28 Pleistocene glaciers lowered sea level by at least 100 meters, so that many terrestrial regions that are now separated by oceanic barriers were connected

37. Figure 5.28 Pleistocene glaciers lowered sea level by at least 100 meters, so that many terrestrial regions that are now separated by oceanic barriers were connected (Part 1)

38. Figure 5.28 Pleistocene glaciers lowered sea level by at least 100 meters, so that many terrestrial regions that are now separated by oceanic barriers were connected (Part 2)

39. Figure 5.29 Different rates of northward spread of four North American tree species from refugia after the most recent glacial episode

40. Figure 5.29 Different rates of northward spread of four North American tree species from refugia after the most recent glacial episode

41. Figure 5.30 A comparison of the current possible mass extinction with the five major mass extinctions of the past

42. Figure 5.30 A comparison of the current possible mass extinction with the five major mass extinctions of the past