“Life on Earth” will begin by discussing the evidence for the origins of the solar system, the emergence of life, and the conditions under which it emerged, and the origin of eukaryotic cells. The theory behind reconstructing trees of evolutionary relatedness will be introduced and patterns of relatedness in the living world discussed, ranging from familiar creatures to new and bizarre forms being discovered in the depths of the oceans and under the earth’s surface. All main branches of life will be covered with a particular focus on the evolution of plants and their importance to global biodiversity and on the many groups of invertebrates and vertebrates including ourselves.

In addition to lectures you will attend practical sessions in the Grant Museum of Zoology. At the end of the module you should be familiar with the diversity of living organisms; with classification of the living world; with the origins and history of life; and with the fundamental body plans of major groups of animals. You will have a solid grounding in modern ideas of the history of evolution of life on earth and understand the link between the evolution of developmental processes and the evolution of adult morphology.

Indicative lecture topics – based on module content in 2020-21

Cladistics and interpreting trees
	Origins of the universe
	Origins of the solar system
	Origin of Life
	Origin and diversity of Eukaryotes
	Key Concepts in Embryology and Morphology
	Non-Bilaterian animals: sponges, jellyfish and others
	Homology, Urbilateria and Mesozoa
	Ecdysozoa
	Lophotrochozoa
	Deuterostomes
	Origins and diversification of plants
	The land plants and diversification of angiosperms
	The fishes
	The origin, evolution and extinction of dinosaurs
	Vertebrate evolution – synapsid mammals
	Vertebrate evolution – cenozoic mammals
	Sixth Mass Extinction
	Biodiversity in the Anthropocene
Module objectives

A basic understanding of the origins of the elements and of the solar system resulting in the early earth; possible scenarios for the appearance of life on earth.
	Knowledge of the diversity of life on earth and of the programme to understand how this diversity evolved through time.
	A basic understanding of how to interpret phylogenetic trees, the principle of parsimony and the language used to described trees.
	Knowledge of the origins of eukaryotes and of the major divisions of plants and animals.
	A broad understanding of metazoan relationships and the characters and innovations that define major animal groups.
	A basic understanding of vertebrate relationships and key evolutionary adaptation.
	Understanding of the pressures on existing diversity from humans and from changes to the environment.