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The​ ​Earth’s​ ​Atmosphere​ ​–​ ​How​ ​Photosynthesis​ ​Changed​ ​the​ ​World! Introduction When​ ​the​ ​Earth​ ​first​ ​formed​ ​almost​ ​5​ ​billion​ ​years​ ​ago,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​a​ ​very​ ​different​ ​place​ ​than​ ​it​ ​is today!​ ​ ​There​ ​was​ ​no​ ​life.​ ​ ​The​ ​atmosphere​ ​was​ ​filled​ ​with​ ​toxic​ ​gasses​ ​and​ ​lacked​ ​oxygen.​ ​ ​It​ ​took a​ ​billion​ ​years​ ​before​ ​there​ ​was​ ​evidence​ ​of​ ​life​ ​on​ ​Earth​ ​and​ ​our​ ​oldest​ ​fossils​ ​are​ ​of​ ​prokaryotic photoautotrophs​ ​called​ ​cyanobacteria​ ​or​ ​“blue-green​ ​algae.”​ ​ ​As​ ​they​ ​photosynthesized,​ ​the​ ​early oceans​ ​became​ ​saturated​ ​with​ ​oxygen​ ​gas.​ ​ ​The​ ​oxygen​ ​gas​ ​was​ ​a​ ​poison​ ​for​ ​many​ ​of​ ​the​ ​early prokaryotic​ ​life​ ​forms,​ ​with​ ​many​ ​being​ ​killed​ ​while​ ​others​ ​found​ ​places​ ​deep​ ​within​ ​sediment where​ ​they​ ​could​ ​escape​ ​the​ ​lethal​ ​effects​ ​of​ ​the​ ​first​ ​oxygen​ ​being​ ​produced​ ​on​ ​Earth.​ ​ ​Some​ ​cells adapted​ ​and​ ​were​ ​able​ ​to​ ​use​ ​the​ ​oxygen​ ​and​ ​from​ ​these​ ​evolved​ ​the​ ​first​ ​eukaryotic​ ​cells.​ ​ ​The eukaryotic​ ​cells​ ​were​ ​able​ ​to​ ​survive​ ​on​ ​Earth​ ​because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​presence​ ​of​ ​oxygen.​ ​ ​Without​ ​oxygen, they​ ​would​ ​not​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​get​ ​enough​ ​energy​ ​(ATP)​ ​to​ ​power​ ​their​ ​diverse​ ​organelles​ ​and reactions.​ ​ ​As​ ​the​ ​oceans​ ​became​ ​saturated​ ​with​ ​oxygen,​ ​the​ ​oxygen​ ​gas​ ​started​ ​diffusing​ ​out​ ​into the​ ​atmosphere.​ ​ ​More​ ​oxygen​ ​on​ ​Earth​ ​(in​ ​the​ ​water​ ​and​ ​the​ ​atmosphere)​ ​allowed​ ​for​ ​the evolution​ ​of​ ​complex​ ​multicellular​ ​life.​ ​ ​As​ ​the​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​oxygen​ ​gas​ ​in​ ​the​ ​atmosphere​ ​increased, ozone​ ​began​ ​to​ ​form​ ​from​ ​UV​ ​rays​ ​hitting​ ​the​ ​oxygen​ ​gas.​ ​ ​As​ ​the​ ​ozone​ ​level​ ​increased,​ ​the planet’s​ ​surface​ ​was​ ​shielded​ ​from​ ​harmful​ ​UV​ ​radiation,​ ​allowing​ ​life​ ​to​ ​move​ ​from​ ​the​ ​water onto​ ​land. The​ ​history​ ​of​ ​the​ ​changing​ ​atmosphere​ ​of​ ​Earth​ ​is​ ​directly​ ​linked​ ​to​ ​the​ ​evolution​ ​of​ ​life​ ​on​ ​Earth. The​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​this​ ​mini​ ​research​ ​project​ ​is​ ​to​ ​explore​ ​this​ ​early​ ​atmosphere,​ ​and​ ​learn​ ​more about​ ​the​ ​processes​ ​and​ ​products​ ​that​ ​have​ ​contributed​ ​to​ ​the​ ​atmosphere​ ​we​ ​have​ ​today.​ ​ ​We​ ​are going​ ​to​ ​looking​ ​at​ ​a​ ​few​ ​different​ ​online​ ​resources​ ​to​ ​gather​ ​information​ ​about​ ​the​ ​history​ ​of​ ​the Earth’s​ ​atmosphere​ ​and​ ​its​ ​affect​ ​on​ ​life​ ​on​ ​Earth. Please​ ​be​ ​sure​ ​to​ ​answer​ ​all​ ​questions​ ​in​ ​font​ ​that​ ​is​ ​not​ ​the​ ​same​ ​color​ ​as​ ​black. Part​ ​I:​ ​ ​The​ ​History​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Earth’s​ ​Atmosphere Go​ ​to​ ​http://teachertech.rice.edu/Participants/louviere/history.html This​ ​is​ ​a​ ​brief​ ​summary​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Earth’s​ ​atmosphere.​ ​ ​Answer​ ​the​ ​following​ ​questions​ ​as​ ​you​ ​read through​ ​the​ ​information. 1.

According​ ​to​ ​Scientific​ ​Data,​ ​how​ ​old​ ​do​ ​we​ ​think​ ​the​ ​Earth​ ​is?

2.

List​ ​at​ ​least​ ​two​ ​gasses​ ​that​ ​were​ ​in​ ​the​ ​atmosphere​ ​in​ ​the​ ​first​ ​500​ ​million​ ​years.

3.

Prior​ ​to​ ​3.5​ ​billion​ ​years​ ​ago,​ ​the​ ​atmosphere​ ​consisted​ ​of​ ​what​ ​SIX​ ​(6)​ ​gases?

5.

What​ ​is​ ​the​ ​“hydrosphere”? When​ ​did​ ​the​ ​hydrosphere​ ​form?​ ​ ​How​ ​was​ ​this​ ​done?

6. this?

The​ ​ancient​ ​environment​ ​had​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​CO2​ ​in​ ​the​ ​air.​ ​ ​What​ ​is​ ​one​ ​reason​ ​(source)​ ​that​ ​could​ ​explain

7.

What​ ​important​ ​feature​ ​of​ ​the​ ​ancient​ ​environment​ ​was​ ​missing?

8.

When​ ​did​ ​blue-green​ ​algae​ ​begin​ ​to​ ​use​ ​energy​ ​from​ ​the​ ​sun?

9.

What​ ​chemicals​ ​did​ ​they​ ​recombine,​ ​and​ ​what​ ​new​ ​molecule​ ​were​ ​they​ ​creating?

4.

10.​ ​In​ ​the​ ​early​ ​atmosphere,​ ​as​ ​oxygen​ ​gas​ ​levels​ ​increased,​ ​what​ ​happened​ ​to​ ​carbon​ ​dioxide​ ​levels?

11.​ ​When​ ​oxygen​ ​levels​ ​rose​ ​higher,​ ​some​ ​oxygen​ ​atoms​ ​combined​ ​together​ ​to​ ​create​ ​a​ ​new​ ​chemical​ ​called “ozone”. a. What​ ​is​ ​the​ ​formula​ ​for​ ​OZONE?

b. How​ ​old​ ​is​ ​the​ ​ozone​ ​layer?

c. How​ ​did​ ​the​ ​ozone​ ​layer​ ​help​ ​promote​ ​life​ ​on​ ​land?

12. TRUE​ ​or​ ​FALSE:​ ​ ​Life​ ​started​ ​on​ ​land,​ ​then​ ​moved​ ​into​ ​the​ ​oceans.​ ​ ​EXPLAIN!

Part​ ​II:​ ​ ​Earth​ ​Evolution​ ​–​ ​the​ ​Intersection​ ​of​ ​Geology​ ​and​ ​Biology Go​ ​to https://drive.google.com/a/auhsdschools.org/file/d/0B-kbloo6ZvNNMm5IWExrbkxuUWM/view?usp=sha ring​​ ​(you​ ​need​ ​to​ ​be​ ​logged​ ​into​ ​your​ ​auhsd​ ​schools​ ​google​ ​account​ ​to​ ​access​ ​this​ ​shared​ ​document). 1. What​ ​is​ ​the​ ​“lithosphere”?

2. Name​ ​(and​ ​explain​ ​briefly)​ ​the​ ​three​ ​rock​ ​types​ ​found​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Lithosphere.

3. All​ ​life​ ​depends​ ​on​ ​6​ ​specific​ ​elements.​ ​ ​What​ ​are​ ​those?

4. Where​ ​(what​ ​“spheres”​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Earth)​ ​could​ ​you​ ​find​ ​those​ ​6​ ​specific​ ​elements?

5. When​ ​did​ ​“stromatolites”​ ​suggest​ ​that​ ​photosynthesis​ ​(in​ ​general)​ ​started? 6. TRUE​ ​or​ ​FALSE:​ ​ ​Early​ ​organisms​ ​photosynthetic​ ​reactions​ ​did​ ​not​ ​use​ ​water​ ​and​ ​did​ ​not​ ​create​ ​oxygen gas.​ ​ ​Explain​ ​your​ ​answer.

7. About​ ​when​ ​did​ ​oxygen​ ​levels​ ​reach​ ​about​ ​1%​ ​of​ ​current​ ​levels? 8. What​ ​is​ ​a​ ​“eukaryote”?​ ​ ​When​ ​did​ ​they​ ​come​ ​about​ ​in​ ​Earth’s​ ​history?

9. How​ ​did​ ​eukaryotic​ ​cells​ ​acquire​ ​mitochondria?

10.​ ​How​ ​did​ ​eukaryotic​ ​cells​ ​acquire​ ​chloroplasts?

11.​ ​As​ ​oxygen​ ​levels​ ​in​ ​the​ ​atmosphere​ ​increased,​ ​what​ ​happened​ ​to​ ​the​ ​size​ ​of​ ​the​ ​living​ ​organisms?​ ​ ​Why did​ ​this​ ​happen?

Part​ ​III:​ ​ ​Geological​ ​History​ ​of​ ​O2 First​ ​go​ ​through​ ​the​ ​World​ ​Without​ ​O2​ ​and​ ​World​ ​with​ ​O2​ ​slide​ ​show​ ​and​ ​use​ ​that​ ​to​ ​explain​ ​how we​ ​know​ ​there​ ​wasn’t​ ​oxygen​ ​in​ ​the​ ​atmosphere​ ​before​ ​about​ ​2.4​ ​billion​ ​years​ ​ago. http://media.hhmi.org/biointeractive/click/oxygen/?_ga=2.46062372.1010704621.1508878940 -1374912384.1471285941

Next,​ ​go​ ​to http://media.hhmi.org/biointeractive/click/oxygen/?_ga=2.46062372.1010704621.1508878940 -1374912384.1471285941 and​ ​answer​ ​the​ ​questions​ ​about​ ​the​ ​history​ ​of​ ​oxygen​ ​gas​ ​on​ ​Earth. 1. What​ ​percent​ ​of​ ​the​ ​atmosphere​ ​today​ ​is​ ​oxygen​ ​gas? 2. Click​ ​on​ ​key​ ​concepts​ ​and​ ​answer​ ​the​ ​following: a. What​ ​is​ ​life​ ​dependent​ ​on​ ​when​ ​there​ ​is​ ​little​ ​to​ ​no​ ​O2​ ​in​ ​the​ ​atmosphere? b.

What​ ​is​ ​the​ ​only​ ​significant​ ​source​ ​of​ ​oxygen​ ​gas​ ​on​ ​the​ ​planet?

c. What​ ​occurred​ ​as​ ​the​ ​level​ ​of​ ​O2​ ​increased​ ​in​ ​the​ ​atmosphere?

3. Look​ ​at​ ​the​ ​graph.​ ​ ​What​ ​is​ ​listed​ ​along​ ​the​ ​X-axis?

4. What​ ​is​ ​listed​ ​along​ ​the​ ​Y-axis? 5. Describe​ ​what​ ​the​ ​graph​ ​is​ ​showing.

6. Click​ ​on​ ​each​ ​section​ ​of​ ​the​ ​graph​ ​and​ ​for​ ​each,​ ​describe​ ​what​ ​is​ ​going​ ​on​ ​in​ ​terms​ ​of​ ​oxygen​ ​gas and​ ​with​ ​life​ ​on​ ​the​ ​planet. section What​ ​is​ ​happening​ ​in​ ​terms​ ​of​ ​oxygen​ ​gas? What​ ​is​ ​happening​ ​with​ ​life​ ​on​ ​Earth on graph 1

2

3

4

5

6

Part​ ​IV:​ ​ ​Deep​ ​History​ ​of​ ​Life​ ​on​ ​Earth Go​ ​to http://media.hhmi.org/biointeractive/click/deeptime/?_ga=2.77078421.1010704621.15088789 40-1374912384.1471285941 Answer​ ​the​ ​following​ ​questions​ ​about​ ​the​ ​history​ ​of​ ​life​ ​on​ ​Earth. 1. When​ ​is​ ​the​ ​earliest​ ​chemical​ ​evidence​ ​for​ ​life​ ​on​ ​Earth?

2. When​ ​is​ ​the​ ​earliest​ ​physical​ ​evidence​ ​for​ ​life​ ​on​ ​Earth? 3. Click​ ​on​ ​the​ ​“great​ ​oxygenation​ ​event” a. What​ ​is​ ​this​ ​great​ ​oxygenation​ ​event?

b.

When​ ​did​ ​it​ ​occur? Name:

Part​ ​V:​ ​ ​Putting​ ​it​ ​all​ ​together After​ ​answer​ ​the​ ​questions​ ​in​ ​each​ ​of​ ​the​ ​previous​ ​sections,​ ​write​ ​a​ ​summary​ ​that​ ​explains​ ​the history​ ​of​ ​Earth’s​ ​atmosphere​ ​and​ ​how​ ​that​ ​influenced​ ​the​ ​evolution​ ​of​ ​life​ ​on​ ​Earth.​ ​ ​Cite​ ​at​ ​least four​ ​pieces​ ​of​ ​evidence​ ​from​ ​what​ ​you​ ​read​ ​in​ ​the​ ​previous​ ​sections​ ​in​ ​your​ ​paragraph​ ​to​ ​support your​ ​summary.

Part​ ​VI:​ ​ ​Peer​ ​Review​ ​of​ ​the​ ​summary​ ​paragraph. Directions:​ ​ ​You​ ​need​ ​to​ ​swap​ ​summary​ ​paragraphs​ ​with​ ​your​ ​partner.​ ​ ​Write​ ​your​ ​name​ ​under your​ ​partner’s​ ​name​ ​on​ ​the​ ​top​ ​of​ ​the​ ​paper. Highlight​ ​the​ ​following​ ​items​ ​in​ ​the​ ​paragraph​ ​or​ ​note​ ​if​ ​they​ ​are​ ​missing. -​ ​Early​ ​Earth​ ​atmosphere​ ​(list​ ​of​ ​gases​ ​and​ ​doesn’t​ ​include​ ​oxygen) -​ ​Cyanobacteria/blue​ ​green​ ​algae​ ​photosynthesizing​ ​and​ ​producing​ ​O2 -​ ​O2​ ​concentrations​ ​increasing​ ​in​ ​the​ ​atmosphere -​ ​Consequences​ ​of​ ​O2​ ​increasing​ ​in​ ​the​ ​atmosphere • eukaryotes • multicellular​ ​organisms • ozone​ ​and​ ​life​ ​on​ ​land Underline​ ​the​ ​evidence​ ​they​ ​cite​ ​to​ ​support​ ​their​ ​summary. Are​ ​at​ ​least​ ​four​ ​pieces​ ​of​ ​evidence​ ​cited?

Staple​ ​this​ ​sheet​ ​to​ ​your​ ​partners​ ​paragraph​ ​and​ ​get​ ​your​ ​paragraph​ ​back​ ​from​ ​your​ ​partner. Make​ ​any​ ​edits,​ ​additions,​ ​etc​ ​you​ ​feel​ ​you​ ​need​ ​before​ ​you​ ​turn​ ​your​ ​paragraph​ ​in​ ​with​ ​your research​ ​packet.