59 Questions
Which event occurred first in Earth's history?
Formation of Earth
What caused Earth to be devoid of life initially?
Absence of liquid water
What was the reason for Earth being anoxic 2.5 BYA?
Absence of liquid water
What is the requirement for life on Earth?
Liquid water
How did water on Earth originate?
Volcanic outgassing
What is the age of the oldest known mineral, Jack Hills Zircon?
4.4 billion years
What do ancient zircon crystals provide evidence for?
Solid crust
Where were Earth's oldest surviving sedimentary rocks found?
South-western Greenland
Where is the likely site for the origin of life on Earth?
Deep sea hydrothermal vents
What do mineral pores form in the Subsurface Hypothesis?
Biological compartments
Which of the following is NOT a role of stable environments in the origin of life?
Creating chemical gradients for replication
According to the Gene-First/RNA World Hypothesis, what came first?
Genes
What is the role of the lipid bilayer in early life?
To contain and protect biomolecules
What is the Metabolism-First Hypothesis?
Cells came first, followed by enzymes and genes
What is the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA)?
The earliest self-replicating biological system
What is the 3 Domain Classification based on?
Genome sequences
What is the main difference between oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis?
The production of oxygen
What is the role of cyanobacteria in the Great Oxidation Event?
Producing oxygen
What is the significance of fossils in understanding evolution?
They show the evolution of plants and animals
Which type of bacteria is responsible for the formation of modern stromatolites?
Cyanobacteria
What is the age of the cyanobacterial trichomes found in the Archean Apex chert of Western Australia?
3.5 billion years
What are hopanes and steranes, found in the plasma membrane, derivatives of?
Hopanoids and sterols
Which theory suggests that the organelles of eukaryotic cells arose from prokaryotic cells through endosymbiosis?
Endosymbiotic Theory
According to the Symbiogenesis hypothesis, the eukaryotic cell evolved from a symbiotic relationship between which two organisms?
Archaea and Bacteria
What is the relationship between two different kinds of organisms that live in close contact known as?
Symbiosis
Which process occurs when two symbiotic organisms become endosymbiotic through genome fusion?
Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT)
What is the age range during which stromatolites were diverse and common on Earth?
Between 2.8 and 1 billion years ago
What is the main concern regarding the dating of the microfossils found in the Archean Apex chert of Western Australia?
The inability to demonstrate appropriate biomarkers
Which type of organisms possess hopanoids in their plasma membrane?
Prokaryotes
The surface hypothesis suggests that life on Earth originated on the surface of the planet due to stable environments.
False
The Gene-First/RNA World Hypothesis proposes that genes came first, followed by enzymes, and finally cells.
True
The Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) was a cellular organism that had a lipid bilayer and used DNA, RNA, and protein.
True
The Metabolism-First Hypothesis suggests that the formation of cells came first, followed by enzymes, and finally genes.
False
Hyperthermophiles are organisms that can grow at temperatures ranging from 80°C to 113°C.
True
The Great Oxidation Event occurred around 2.4 billion years ago.
True
True or false: Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago based on analysis of radioactive isotopes?
True
Oxygenic photosynthesis produces glucose and oxygen as products.
True
True or false: Earth was devoid of life due to the absence of liquid water and intense heat?
True
Anoxygenic photosynthesis uses CO2 as a carbon source and produces oxygen as a byproduct.
False
True or false: Constant striking of comets and asteroids contributed to the sterility of Earth?
True
The metabolism of cyanobacteria produced ozone, which forms a protective layer in the atmosphere.
True
True or false: Earth was anoxic 2.5 billion years ago due to the absence of an ozone layer?
True
Fossils are important for understanding the evolution of plants, animals, and microorganisms.
True
True or false: Liquid water is a requirement for life?
True
True or false: Water on Earth originated from volcanic outgassing and collisions with icy comets and asteroids?
True
True or false: The Jack Hills Zircon is the oldest known mineral formed in the Hadean eon?
True
True or false: Rocks undergo metamorphosis over a period of 4.4 billion years?
True
True or false: Ancient zircon crystals provide evidence for a solid crust and liquid water as early as 4.3 billion years ago?
True
True or false: Earth's oldest surviving sedimentary rocks, found in south-western Greenland, are 3.86 billion years old?
True
True or false: Stromatolites are fossilized microbial formations composed of layered rocks that are formed when microbes cause the deposition of carbonate or silicate minerals that promote fossilization.
True
True or false: Stromatolites were diverse and common on Earth between 2.8 and 1 billion years ago.
True
True or false: Cyanobacteria and anoxygenic phototrophs are responsible for the formation of modern stromatolites.
True
True or false: Cell-like structures have been found in aggregates of the Archean Apex chert of Western Australia.
True
True or false: Cyanobacterial trichomes found in the Archean Apex chert of Western Australia are estimated to be 3.5 billion years old.
True
True or false: 11 taxa of filamentous, dark brown to black carbonaceous microfossils have been identified in the deposit of the Archean Apex chert of Western Australia.
True
True or false: Concerns have been raised about the dating of the microfossils found in the Archean Apex chert of Western Australia due to the inability to demonstrate appropriate biomarkers in them.
True
True or false: Hopanes and steranes, derivatives of hopanoids and sterols respectively, are biomarkers found in the plasma membrane of prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
True
True or false: Horizontal Gene Transfer occurs through genome fusion between different species, leading to endosymbiosis.
True
True or false: The endosymbiotic theory proposes that the organelles of eukaryotic cells arose from prokaryotic cells that developed a symbiotic relationship with the eukaryote-to-be.
True
Test your knowledge of microbial evolution and early life on Earth with this quiz. Explore topics such as the formation of Earth, the absence of liquid water, the impact of comets and asteroids, the anoxic conditions before the great oxidation event, and more.
Make Your Own Quizzes and Flashcards
Convert your notes into interactive study material.
Get started for free
