Module 4.
2: Past Ecosystems Study
Notes
Module 4.2: Past Ecosystems
Inquiry Question:
How do selection pressures within an ecosystem influence evolutionary change?
Finding the Evidence
To comprehend how natural selection has been affected by past ecosystems, one must
gather evidence of not only past organisms but also the environments they inhabited.
Integrative Scientific Studies
The analysis of past life and ecosystems involves multiple fields:
Palaeontology: Focuses on past life and ecosystems.
Geology: Examines rocks, the Earth, and its historical transformations.
Archaeology: Studies ancient human societies.
Together, these disciplines help reconstruct biological and physical history through
collected evidence, which is continuously evaluated and reformed based on new
discoveries from diverse sources.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Rock Paintings
Indigenous Australian history spans approximately 50,000 to 60,000 years,
corresponding with significant environmental changes on the continent.
The continent has undergone a northward movement and increasing aridity.
Notably, about 13,000 years ago, the sea level rose, which was the last time a
land bridge allowed passage from the mainland to Tasmania.
West Kimberley Rock Paintings
The Wandjina and Brandshaw rock paintings are dated to about 50,000-60,000 years
ago.
These paintings depict both familiar organisms and extinct species such as the
thylacine, illustrating the biodiversity of past ecosystems.
Global Context of Rock Art
Rock paintings depicting extinct fauna are prevalent worldwide.
Example: Chauvet Cave in southern France features images of animals from up
to 35,000 years ago, indicating their absence from modern European locales.
This reflects the dynamic nature of environments throughout human existence.
Geological Evidence
Geological formations serve as direct physical records indicating environmental
changes over time, primarily stored in rocks and stratigraphic layers.
Radiometric Dating
Discovered by Marie Curie in the early 20th century, radiometric dating relies on the
identification of naturally unstable (radioactive) isotopes that decay into stable
(daughter) isotopes.
Half-Life: Refers to the time required for half of the parent isotopes in a
sample to decay into daughter isotopes; each radioactive isotope decomposes
at a predictable rate.
Ice Core Drilling
Ice cores are formed when gases present in liquid water become trapped in bubbles
during solidification.
These gas bubbles maintain their chemical composition throughout the
lifespan of the ice, providing insights into the atmosphere at the time the ice
was formed.
Multiplicative Evidence Sources
Scientists use varied evidence sources to create comprehensive pictures of past
ecosystems:
Cave Paintings: Visual representation of ancient fauna and flora.
Fossils: Remains of past organisms provide paleobiological data.
Sedimentary Layers: Indicate chronological stratification and historical
environment changes.
Radioisotopes: Help date geological and biological materials.
Ice Bubbles: Preserve atmospheric data.
These collected evidences assist in predicting future ecological impacts due to human
activities (to be explored in the next section of this module).
Analysis of Ice Core Data
Glaciologists investigate permanent ice on Earth's surface, particularly at the poles,
through ice core drilling.
Analyzing trapped gas bubbles not only reveals atmospheric components,
such as extCO2 , but also pollen, volcanic ash, and other particulates that
contribute valuable data about Earth’s palaeo-atmosphere.