Early Life on Land: Fossils and Plants

The video explores the Cambrian explosion and the colonization of land by organisms. It discusses how algae were the first to colonize land around 1.2 billion years ago, followed by animals that partially lived on land about 530 million years ago. True land plants appeared around 475 million years ago, and the first true land animal fossil, Pneumodesmus newmani, dates back to 428 million years ago. The video clarifies the definitions of land colonization and the timeline of these events.

What surprising fact about the Cambrian explosion is discussed in the video?

• Fungi were the first to move onto land.

• Cyanobacteria were the first to move onto land.

• Animals were the first to move onto land.

• Plants were the first to move onto land.

What is the main difference between algae and cyanobacteria?

• Algae are eukaryotic, while cyanobacteria are prokaryotic.

• Both are eukaryotic organisms.

• Algae are prokaryotic, while cyanobacteria are eukaryotic.

• Both are prokaryotic organisms.

Approximately how many years ago did algae colonize coastal rocks?

• 1.2 billion years ago

• 428 million years ago

• 530 million years ago

• 475 million years ago

What was the primary reason early animals might have ventured onto land?

• To lay eggs

• To find new food sources

• To evolve into new species

• To escape predators

When did the first true land plants likely appear, based on spore evidence?

• 1.2 billion years ago

• 428 million years ago

• 530 million years ago

• 475 million years ago

What evidence do we have of the first true land plants?

• Fossils of their spores

• Fossils of their leaves

• Fossils of their roots

• Fossils of the plants themselves

Who discovered the oldest fossil of a true land animal?

• A bus driver in Scotland

• A teacher in Canada

• A scientist in the United States

• A farmer in Australia

What is the name of the oldest known true land animal fossil?

• Pneumodesmus newmani

• Myriapodus leggi

• Algaeus plantis

• Cambrianus animalis

How old is the fossil of Pneumodesmus newmani?

• 428 million years old

• 475 million years old

• 530 million years old

• 1.2 billion years old

What does the term 'myriapod' refer to?

• An organism with many legs

• An organism with no legs

• A type of plant

• A type of algae