Evolution of Australian Biota Assessment Answers

Today, modern scientific advancements are significant

Discoveries in DNA, cell biology, evolution, biotechnology have been among the major achievements in biology over the past 200 years with accelerated discoveries and insights over the last 50 years. Consider the progress we have made in these areas of human knowledge. Present at least three of the discoveries you find to be most important and describe their significance to society, health, and the culture of modern life.

Ecosystem is an important part of the environment and to protect the Australian native ecosystem many management plans are made to preserve it. Where the disruption occurred in the environment by human activities is not only the factor of worry, but also the exotic plants which are trying to take over the native species are a matter of concern too. The steps taken by humans to get rid of their own waste from the environment as well as the weeds, come under management plans. On the excursion to Buckley’s Hole, Godwin Beach, Red Beach and Melaleuca Wetland, it was observed that these areas come under the Buckley’s Hole Management Plan. Where the abiotic and biotic factors interact with each other and help in sustainability of better environment.

Since the beginning of time our Earth has experienced many changes, these changes affected Australian biota whether it be in a positive or negative way. The study of Australian fossils contributes to the development of understanding the evolution of species in Australia in many different ways, such as seeing changes in physical appearance of species, and possible reasons why the species evolved into what they did, when and why a certain species may have become extinct and evidence/proof of theories such as natural selection. Each of these goes hand in hand and helps us find out what our Earth would have been like millions of years ago.

At the beginning of the 1800s, scientists knew of some kinds of fossils, and were very aware of homologous and vestigial structures. Many scientists suspected that some kind of evolution had given rise to living things around them. However, they had no theory to explain how evolution might have occurred. Two scientists led the way in the search for a mechanism of evolution. The first was Jean Lamarck. The second was one of the greatest figures in biology, Charles Darwin.

Once the scientist finished analyzing the data collected they were able to determine if their hypothesis was correct or incorrect. The final results of the scientific hypothesis was proved to be incorrect. The scientist believed that if the precipitation was to increase at Darwin and Wallace Island, the finch beak would enlarge in size. The data collected determined that the increase of precipitation, made

The reading argues that the distinction of megafauna was because of three reasons.However,the professor in the lecture states that although the points in the lecture were true,but reexamination of the these points lead to a new conclusion.the professor opposes the three points made by the author in the reading about the extinction of the diprotodone.

Mary Anning’s contribution to the development of the understanding of how reptiles contributed to evolution and to the understanding of fossils as extinct life forms was important.

It is known that humans coexisted with Megafauna and there is evidence to back this up, Aborigines entered Australia from Indonesia around 60,000 years ago, which also had its own Megafauna. Previously it was said that humans caused the Megafauna to go extinct as the Aboriginals hunted the Megafauna over the following 15,000 years and created fires to destroy the habitats of them, it was said that the fires burnt down the trees and bushes to created a flat landscape to make it easier for the Aboriginals to live and hunt.

The extinction of this mega fauna is largely linked to two main hypotheses. The first hypothesis is linked to the worldwide climate changes that took place during the Pleistocene resulting to environmental pressures that forced the extermination of several megafaunal species. The second hypothesis puts it forward that the worldwide spread of humanity and hunter-gatherer survival practices were accountable for these deaths. Nevertheless, a close examination of these two theories discloses that neither climate changes nor human overkill was likely to be independent to blame for the Pleistocene exterminations. The two were intertwined thus a synthetic theory that comprises both theories

The truly amazing creature was first discovered in 1777. A father and son duo sailing, found this species almost by complete accident. They were sailing on the ship, HMS Resolution, through the pacific ocean when they found this animal. Their voyages goal was to find the southern continents and test out a new cronomitor that found longitudinal directions. Lucky for them, onboard was an artist that was able to draw the blue glaucus. Lots of other research has been completed since this first discovery.

The platypus, at first glimpse, looks as if it is an evolutionary accident, but on the contrary, it is an example of convergent evolution, where unrelated species evolve similar traits. About 280 million years ago, mammal like reptiles split from the bird and reptile origin. 80 million years later egg laying mammals, or monotremes, diverged from the mammal line. The platypus was one of those that remained from the branch of that family tree.

Over 98% of all organisms that have lived on Earth are now extinct. A mass extinction event occurs when a large number of species die out within a small time frame (relative to the age of Earth). Mass extinctions are intensively studied for both cause and effect, as there is usually room for debate regarding catalysts that precede the extinction and the massive influx of new biological species that follows. There have been five major mass extinctions, dubbed the “Big Five,” that have wiped out at least 50% of the species living at those times. The most well known mass extinction of the Big Five, with the decimation of every species of non-avian dinosaur, is the Cretaceous-Paleogene

Recently, there have been many articles relating to animals and their survival skills. Also, many researchers have been focusing on the daily life of a species and how well they can cooperate with both their neighbors and the wildlife surrounding them. Many have found that animals are much smarter than they are thought to be. They have a lot of potential which most species use to the fullest of their ability. For example, Allegra Staples wrote an article explaining how some spiders have recently been duplicating themselves with findings from their habitat to scare away any predators that may come their way. Also, Meera Dolasia wrote about several naturalists that have decided to travel to Tasmania so they are able to search for the extinct Tasmanian tiger because of all the reported sightings around Australia. The following articles show just how far various animal species have come over the years.

used to roam the lands and seas of planet Earth. The extinction of such species is a widely known