x.Exhaust.x
Retired Member
• Discuss current research into the evolutionary relationships between extinct species, including megafauna and extant Australian species.
In the marking criteria, it says:
"Use two examples to describe thoroughly how extant Australian species are related to extinct species"
My answer:
Over the last 50,000 years most of the world’s megafauna have become extinct, such as the diprotodon and the procoptodon.
The modern wombat does not belong to the same family as the diprotodontids and is not a direct descendant of diprotodon optatum but is a relative.
The same goes with procoptodon, the short faced kangaroo. It became extinct in the Pleistocene and is related to the modern day grey and red kangaroos, but it is not a direct descendant.
Climate Change: Megafauna were mainly suited to glacial conditions. Their large bodies enabled them to live in extreme conditions. In Eurasia and North America, when permafrost was replaced with forest, the megafauna died out and animals more adapted to forest began to thrive. In Australia, the temperature changed from cold-dry to warm-dry. As a result, water sources began to dry up, and many animals lost their habitat and died out.
Human Expansion: The time of the extinction of megafauna matches very closely the pattern of human migration into these areas. Megafauna are also large and slow, which makes them susceptible to hunting. In Africa, humans evolution occurred there, so hunting increased slowly, allowing animals to adjust. That is why there are still megafauna there. However, in places where humans arrived as skilled hunters, the most extinction occurred.
Extant species are organisms that have changed little or not at all since ancient times. Australia has many examples of extant species, such as stromatolites, the Wollemi pine, crocodiles, Queensland lungfish, and monotremes.
Did I only answer the dotpoint correctly, rather than follow the marking criteria? If so, what are two examples?
Second part:
• Use available evidence to illustrate the changing ideas of scientists in the last 200 years about individual species such as the platypus as new information and technologies become available.
From the past to the present, the changing ideas of scientists in the last 200 years have continued to develop about individual species such as the platypus due to the discovery of new significant information and technological advancements that have continued to occur.
Early ideas about the platypus included the belief that it was a transitional form between reptiles and mammals, and that monotremes and marsupials were more closely related to each other than to placental mammals. But new research has established that the monotremes represent a unique evolutionary path that branched away from a common mammalian ancestor before the appearance of marsupials and placentals. Evidence for this theory has been supported by researchers at the Australian National University in 2004, who found that the platypus has ten sex chromosomes compared to the two present in other mammals. Other evidence suggesting the uniqueness of the platypus includes a study of the amino acid sequence of a protein their milk carried out by researchers at Latrobe University and the Australian National University. Current research has also shown that the platypus has a unique arrangement of electroreceptor and mechanoreceptors in the skin of its bill, which are believed to help it detect electrical and pressure impulses from its prey.
Fossil discoveries in South America of platypus-like animals prove that monotremes did not just evolve in Australia, but in wider Gondwana. They had already faced competition from “advanced” placental mammals before Australia became isolated and survived. Furthermore, the more research is done on the platypus and other creatures, the more scientists realise that these are not “primitive” creatures, whilst changing ideas continue to occur.
Hence, changing ideas of scientists in the last 200 years about individual species such as the platypus have continued to occurred, due to the discovery of new significant information and the technological advancements that have occurred.
Criteria: Thoroughly discuss the changing ideas of scientists in the last 200 years about indiviudal species by giving an example
Is that thorough enough? Does it make sense when skimmed?
Thx.
In the marking criteria, it says:
"Use two examples to describe thoroughly how extant Australian species are related to extinct species"
My answer:
Over the last 50,000 years most of the world’s megafauna have become extinct, such as the diprotodon and the procoptodon.
The modern wombat does not belong to the same family as the diprotodontids and is not a direct descendant of diprotodon optatum but is a relative.
The same goes with procoptodon, the short faced kangaroo. It became extinct in the Pleistocene and is related to the modern day grey and red kangaroos, but it is not a direct descendant.
Climate Change: Megafauna were mainly suited to glacial conditions. Their large bodies enabled them to live in extreme conditions. In Eurasia and North America, when permafrost was replaced with forest, the megafauna died out and animals more adapted to forest began to thrive. In Australia, the temperature changed from cold-dry to warm-dry. As a result, water sources began to dry up, and many animals lost their habitat and died out.
Human Expansion: The time of the extinction of megafauna matches very closely the pattern of human migration into these areas. Megafauna are also large and slow, which makes them susceptible to hunting. In Africa, humans evolution occurred there, so hunting increased slowly, allowing animals to adjust. That is why there are still megafauna there. However, in places where humans arrived as skilled hunters, the most extinction occurred.
Extant species are organisms that have changed little or not at all since ancient times. Australia has many examples of extant species, such as stromatolites, the Wollemi pine, crocodiles, Queensland lungfish, and monotremes.
Did I only answer the dotpoint correctly, rather than follow the marking criteria? If so, what are two examples?
Second part:
• Use available evidence to illustrate the changing ideas of scientists in the last 200 years about individual species such as the platypus as new information and technologies become available.
From the past to the present, the changing ideas of scientists in the last 200 years have continued to develop about individual species such as the platypus due to the discovery of new significant information and technological advancements that have continued to occur.
Early ideas about the platypus included the belief that it was a transitional form between reptiles and mammals, and that monotremes and marsupials were more closely related to each other than to placental mammals. But new research has established that the monotremes represent a unique evolutionary path that branched away from a common mammalian ancestor before the appearance of marsupials and placentals. Evidence for this theory has been supported by researchers at the Australian National University in 2004, who found that the platypus has ten sex chromosomes compared to the two present in other mammals. Other evidence suggesting the uniqueness of the platypus includes a study of the amino acid sequence of a protein their milk carried out by researchers at Latrobe University and the Australian National University. Current research has also shown that the platypus has a unique arrangement of electroreceptor and mechanoreceptors in the skin of its bill, which are believed to help it detect electrical and pressure impulses from its prey.
Fossil discoveries in South America of platypus-like animals prove that monotremes did not just evolve in Australia, but in wider Gondwana. They had already faced competition from “advanced” placental mammals before Australia became isolated and survived. Furthermore, the more research is done on the platypus and other creatures, the more scientists realise that these are not “primitive” creatures, whilst changing ideas continue to occur.
Hence, changing ideas of scientists in the last 200 years about individual species such as the platypus have continued to occurred, due to the discovery of new significant information and the technological advancements that have occurred.
Criteria: Thoroughly discuss the changing ideas of scientists in the last 200 years about indiviudal species by giving an example
Is that thorough enough? Does it make sense when skimmed?
Thx.
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