BIODIVERSITY 1

HABB 131
Dr R.J. Mapaya, Department of
Applied Biosciences and
Biotechnology
 MODULE OUTLINE
• Origins of life
• The geological time scale
• Taxonomy and phylogeny
• Kingdom Monera
• Kingdom Protoctista
• Kingdom Fungi
• Kingdom Plantae
 COURSEWORK & EXAM
• Continuous Assessment Theory (CAT;
Assignments, Tests, Presentations) – 20%
• Continuous Assessment Practical (CAP;
Practicals) - 20%
• EXAM – 60%
 Assignment
• 1. Outline any ONE theory proposed to explain
the origin of life on earth (25 marks)

• Due Date: Friday 30 October 2020

• Font size 12, Spacing 1.5, Maximum 3 typed

pages.
 Useful References
• Jenking, C.M. & Boyce A. (1987). The diversity of
life. Macmillan Education Ltd, London
• Origin of life pdf
• Raven, P.H., Evert, F., & Eichhorn, S.E. (2020).
Biology of Plants. 
• Singh, R. (2012). Raven Biology of Plants. W.H.
Freeman.
• General Plant Biology textbooks – topic specific
• Online Biology pdf – topic specific
 ORIGINS OF LIFE - Presentations
• 1. Theory of Special Creations:
• 2. Theory of spontaneous generations:
students
• 3. THEORY OF CATASTROPHISM:
• 4. THEORY OF COSMOZOIC:
• 5. THEORY OF ETERNITY OF LIFE:
• 6. MODERN THEORY:
 ORIGINS OF LIFE
• - Study of living organisms, for example,
plants, animals, humans etc is the active area
of life science.

• - What is “LIFE?”.
• - “the ability of an organism to reproduce,
grow, produce energy through chemical
reactions to utilize the outside materials”.
 ORIGINS OF LIFE
• - Scientists and philosophers have tried to
understand two important questions related to
life.

• 1. How life originated on earth?

- Six major theories are proposed to explain the
origin of life on earth.
• 2. How different kinds of organisms are formed
in the world?
 ORIGINS OF LIFE
• Where did life come from?
• The earth is said to be more than 3 billion
years old
• Several theories have been put forward to
explain the origins of life
 Theory of Special Creations
• The theory is explained in detail in the first
book of the bible – Genesis.
 Spontaneous generation
• This is a hypothetical process by which living
organisms develop from non-living matter to
explain the origins of life
• Meat left in an open dish developed maggots
and flies were seen emerging
• It was deduced that meat produced flies
• Later experiments showed that when meat was
covered by a net and left in the open, no flies
emerged.
 Spontaneous generation cont’d
• Infusion experiments of Louis Pasteur showed
that microorganisms can reproduce
• This disproved the spontaneous generation
theory.
 Chemical evolution theory
• Life originated from chemicals
• Chemicals became first cells
• Early earth had high levels of hydrogen and carbon
dioxide
• Intense lightning
• Oxygen was not present
• Water vapour reacted with carbon dioxide to form a
weak carbonic acid
• Carbonic acid reacted with carbonates in limestone and
accumulated in the sea basin
• Over a long period of time the organic molecules or
monomers of amino acids and nucleotides were formed
• These monomers later formed more complex
molecules (polymers) such as proteins and nucleic acids
• These polymers coalesced into droplets called
protobionts and had chemical characteristics that were
different from surrounding s.
• Semi-permeable membranes were formed enabling
materials to move in and others out. In a one direction
flow.
• The development of nucleotides was the origin
of heredity that resulted in reproduction
• RNA is believed to be the first self replicators.
• These polymers had the very attributes of living
materials, metabolism and reproduction.
• Experiments of Urey-Miller have demonstrated
that it is possible to form organic molecules
simulating conditions that prevailed in early
earth.
 Miller Urey Experiments
• Simulated conditions in early atmosphere with
high carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane and
ammonia, high humidity and no oxygen, high UV
and intense lightning
• Heated water and circulated gases such as CO2,
methane, hydrogen and ammonia
• Gases passed through a spark to simulate intense
lightning
• After cooling, recovered simple amino acids
 Stromatolites

• Stromatolites are banded domes of sediment

similar to the layered mats constructed by
colonies of bacteria and cyanobacteria living
today in very salty marshes
• Evidence of ancient prokaryotic life has been
found in stromatolites that are 3.5 billion years
old in Western Australia and Southern Africa
• For now, these are the oldest evidence of life
 Panspermia theory
• Life is said to have originated in outer space
and later brought to earth
• Meteorites implicated
• This theory is not plausible as one still has to
explain where life came from in outer space!
 Fossil record
• A fossil is any evidence of pre-historic life
• Fossils of e.g spores and pollen help us to understand
the origins and relationships of major groups of
plants such as gymnosperms and angiosperms
• Fossils can be dated according to the age of rocks in
which they lie. The age of the rock can be
determined using trace quantities of radioactive
isotopes of uranium, rubium or potassium, and the
stable end products of their decay
 The Scientific Method
• A systematic way of asking and answering questions
to problems
• Steps involved
- Ask a question
- Do background research
- Construct a hypothesis
- Test hypothesis by doing experiments
- Analyse data and draw conclusions
- Disseminate findings - publications etc