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The Precambrian Evolution of Terrestrial Life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2017

A. H. Knoll
A. H. Knoll*
Affiliation:
Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, U.S.A.

Abstract

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Paleontological evidence indicates that terrestrial life existed at least 3500 Ma ago, and it is quite possible that the earliest cells arose well before that time. The early appearance of life on Earth suggests that under appropriate environmental conditions the probability of chemical evolution proceeding to the point of biogenesis may be reasonably high. Most of biological history has been the history of microorganisms, with tissue-grade plants and animals characterizing only the most recent 15% or so of the fossil record. Intelligent life has occupied only the latest instant in geological time. The time table of terrestrial evolution is governed more by the particulars of our planet's physical and biological history than by some universal tempo of evolutionary change. One aspect of terrestrial life that is likely to be universal is the organization of populations into efficient biogeochemical systems.

Type
Section IV. Universal Aspects of Biological Evolution
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 112: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life: Recent Developments , 1985 , pp. 201 - 211
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1985 

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