| Autor: |
Bozdag GO; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA., Szeinbaum N; School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA., Conlin PL; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA., Chen K; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA., Fos SM; School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA., Garcia A; Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA., Penev PI; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA., Schaible GA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA., Trubl G; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA. |
| Abstrakt: |
All organisms living on Earth descended from a single, common ancestral population of cells, known as LUCA-the last universal common ancestor. Since its emergence, the diversity and complexity of life have increased dramatically. This chapter focuses on four key biological innovations throughout Earth's history that had a significant impact on the expansion of phylogenetic diversity, organismal complexity, and ecospace habitation. First is the emergence of the last universal common ancestor, LUCA, which laid the foundation for all life-forms on Earth. Second is the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis, which resulted in global geochemical and biological transformations. Third is the appearance of a new type of cell-the eukaryotic cell-which led to the origin of a new domain of life and the basis for complex multicellularity. Fourth is the multiple independent origins of multicellularity, resulting in the emergence of a new level of complex individuality. A discussion of these four key events will improve our understanding of the intertwined history of our planet and its inhabitants and better inform the extent to which we can expect life at different degrees of diversity and complexity elsewhere. |
