Biology Research Task
11BIO_4
Biology Research Task
Biology Research Task
11BIO_4
Biology Research Task
Evolution of Australian Biota
Evolution of Australian Biota
Preliminary Biology Research Assessment Task- Evolution of Australian Biota
PART A: Evidence for the re-arrangement of crustal plates and continental drift indicates that Australia was once part of an ancient supercontinent.
1. Draw up a time line that identifies 10 key events in the formation of Australia as an island continent from its origin as part of Gondwana (From 160 million years ago to the present).
On separate A4 sheet (drawn).
2. a) On the same timeline place the following key Australian fossils: Muttaburrasaurus langdoni, Steropodon Galmani, Thylacinus potens, Glossopteris and Oburodon dicksoni.
On separate A4 sheet (drawn).
b) Explain how these fossils contribute to the development of an understanding about the evolution of species in Australia.
In general, fossils help in the understanding how organisms show a step by step development from one species to another. In Australia the fossil evidence shows the evolution of species and their development from one species to another.
Fossils found in Australia allow us to gain an understanding about the type of environments these fossils lived in and also to pin point when and where they lived and also how they evolved and adapted in their environment. We are also able to find out the reasons why animals at this time died. One of the most important things that fossils can tell us is how the continents used to be connected.
These fossils give evidence of the formation of the continents through the fossil locations. For example the Steropodon Galmani found in Australia links Australia to another continent which supports the theory of continental drift.
* Muttaburrasaurus Langdoni fossil: The evolutionary relationships of Muttaburrasaurus are uncertain. It may be closely related to the Tenontosauridae,...