Life on Earth

- a poster elaborated in the Z oological Institute of Göttingen University.

German version/Deutsche Version dieser website

The poster "Life on Earth" was composed in 1998 for children and scientists to contribute to a more holistic understanding of our planet. The 3rd planet of the planetary system of the star Sol was formed 4600 million years ago, and since 3800 M yr the Earth hosts living organisms. Our poster focusses on the past 600 M yr where the diversity of cellular life evolved. Of course, some viruses, bacteria and archaea might argue that doing so we ignored the diversity of non-eucaryotic organisms. We apologize for that. But "Life on Earth" does not give the impression that the complex creatures, e.g., dinosours & mammals, are replacing the simpler ones as time goes on.

WELTER-SCHULTES F W & KRÄTZNER R 1998. Life on Earth. -- University of Göttingen and Haus der Natur Cismar.

Creation and production: R Krätzner, F W Welter-Schultes
Scientific composition: F W Welter-Schultes

Contents of the poster

Names of systems and stages with an approximate time scale:
For each system: landscape scenes with the systems' predominating organisms in marine and terrestrial environments:
Lists of first-occurence organism groups of each system and lists of extinct organism groups:

Paleogeographic globes for each system indicating plate tectonical positions of continents and oceans:

The poster is printed chlorine free with 50 % recycled paper.

(Gedruckt auf chlorfrei gebleichtem Papier mit 50 % Recyclinganteil).

Representative genera of important index fossil groups in each system:
At the margin: some interesting aspects of life, as phylogenetic trees of cellular organisms, plants and animals, the genetic code, weight of the moon or brain mass of a stegosaur...

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In order to approach a more global way of thinking we tried to consider that most of what is published about life and our planet concerns the past few years, humans, and North America. The landscape sceneries for the Quaternary system do not exceed 2 mm height, depicting some fishes, grasses and insects. Humans which evolved only in the past few thousand years do not appear there as their time span is nothing in view of the time spans of organism groups which were really successful in the history of our planet. We also tried to consider that our non-specialists' knowledge on dinosaurs and other popular Mesozoic animals seems to be heavily biased. Too many serious and beautiful books written by powerful professors try to make us believe that 95 % of the Earth's life evolved in what is today North America. In our poster the Triassic terrestrial organisms are taken from what is today Africa and South America, and the Cretaceous landscape is from present-day Asia.

If you like our poster, let us know. We know that we are not perfect, so we will be thankful for suggestions and comments.

We are thankful to O H Walliser and W Riegel (Institute of Geology and Paleontology of Göttingen University) for their detailed and helpful comments which enhanced significantly the scientific accuracy of our work.

Literature used to compose the poster:

Paleogeographic globes and index fossils:

DALZIEL I W D 1997. Neoproterozoic-paleozoic geography and tectonics: review, hypothesis, environmental speculation. -- Geological Society of America Bulletin 109: 16-42.
DERCOURT J, RICOU L E & VRIELYNCK B 1993. Atlas Tethys palaeoenvironmental maps. -- Gauthier-Villars, Paris.
HOFFMAN P F 1991. Did the breakout of Laurentia turn Gondwanaland inside out? -- Science 252: 1409-1412.
LEVIN H L 1996. The Earth through time. 5th edition. -- Saunders College Publishing, Fort Worth.
MARUYAMA S, ISOZAKI Y, KIMURA G & TERABASHI M 1997. Paleogeographic maps of the Japanese islands: plate tectonic synthesis from 750 Ma to the present. -- The Island Arc 4: 121-138.
ROBISON R A & TEICHERT C 1979. Treatise on invertebrate paleontology. -- University of Kansas & Geological Society of America, Boulder, Co., USA.
SCOTESE C R, BAMBACH R K, VAN DER VOO R & ZIEGLER A M 1979. Paleozoic base maps. -- Journal of Geology 87: 217-277.
SMITH A G, SMITH D G & FUNNELL B M 1994. Atlas of Mesozoic and Cenozoic coastlines. -- Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
STANLEY S M 1993. Exploring Earth and life through time. -- Freeman & Co., New York.

Stratigraphic stages, epochs and ages:

HARLAND W B 1990. A geologic time scale: 1989. -- Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
LEVIN H L 1996. The Earth through time. 5th edition. -- Saunders College Publishing, Fort Worth.

Phylogenetic tree of cellular organisms:

BROCK T D, MADIGAN M T , MARTINKO J M & PARKER J 1994. Biology of microorganisms. 7th edition. -- Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs.

Simplified phylogenetic tree of plants on land:

KENRICK P & CRANE P R 1997. The origin and early evolution of plants on land. -- Nature 389: 33-39.
STEWART W N & ROTHWELL G W 1993. Paleobotany and the evolution of plants. -- Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
TAYLOR T N & TAYLOR E L 1993. The biology and evolution of fossil plants. -- Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs.

Most of the text passages of the poster are written in english, however some important messages are given in english and german, so it is not a purely english-language poster. The names of organisms and stratigraphic stages follow international nomenclatures. The contributions at the margin of the poster are only in english.

The names of the epochs and stages as presented in the poster (add "-ian" where appropriate). Old denominations are in brackets.

Quaternary
Holocene
Pleistocene

Tertiary
    Neogene
        Pliocene
            Piacenz
            Zancla
        Miocene
            Messin
            Torton
            Serravalle
            Langhe
            Burdigal
            Aquitan
    Paleogene
        Oligocene
            Chatt
            Rupel
        Eocene
            Priabon
            Barton
            Lutet
            Ypres
        Paleocene
            Thanet
            Dan

Cretaceous
    (Neocom, Gallic, Senon)
            Maastricht
            Campan
            Santon
            Coniac
            Turon
            Cenoman

            Alb
            Apt
            Barême
            Hauterive
            Valangin
            Berrias

Jurassic
    Malm
            Tithon
            Kimmeridge
            Oxford
    Dogger
            Callov
            Bathon
            Bajoc
            Aalen
    Lias
            Toarc
            Pliensbach
            Sinemur
            Hettang

Triassic
    (Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk, Keuper)
            Rhaet
            Nor
            Karn
            Ladin
            Anis
        Skyth
            Spath
            Nammal
            Griesbach

Permian
    (Rotliegendes, Zechstein (Tatar, Kazan))
            Changxing
            Longtan
            Capitan
            Word
            Ufim
            Kungur
            Artinsk
            Sakmar
            Assel

Carboniferous
    (Pennsylvania, Mississippi)
        (Stefan, Westfal, Namur)
        (Gzel, Kasimov, Moscov, Baskir, Serpukhov, Visé, Tournai)
            Noginsk
            Klyazminsk
            Dorogomilovsk
            Khamovnichesk
            Krevyakino
            Myachkovo
            Podol'sk
            Kashira
            Vereya
            Melekess
            Cheremshan
            Yeadon
            Marsden
            Kinderscout
            Alport
            Chokier
            Arnsberg
            Pendle
            Brigant
            Asb
            Holker
            Arund
            Chad
            Ivor
            Hastar

Devonian
            Famenne
            Frasne
            Givet
            Eifel
            Ems
            Prag
            Lochkov

            (Wocklum)
            (Dasberg)
            (Hemberg)
            (Nehden)
            (Adorf)
            (Couvin)
        (Daleje)
        (Zlichov)
            (Siegen)
            (Gedinne)

Silurian
        Pridolí
        Ludlow
            Ludford
            Gorst
        Wenlock
            Gleedon
            Whitwell
            Sheinwood
        Llandovery
            Telych
            Aeron
            Rhuddan

Ordovician
    Bala
        Ashgill, Caradoc
            Hirnant
            Rawthey
            Cautley
            Pusgill
            Onn
            Acton
            Marshbrook
            Longville
            Soudley
            Harnag
            Coston
    Dyfed
            Llandeilo
            Llanvirn
    Canada
            Arenig
            Tremadoc

Cambrian
    (Trempealeau, Francon, Dresbach) (Maya, Amga, Toyon, Botom)
        Merioneth
            Dolgell
            Maentwrog
        St David's
            Menev
            Solv
            Lena
        Caerfai
            Atdaban
            Tommot

Proterozoic
            (Ediacara, Varanger)
            Vend
        (no other stages widely accepted)

This website is maintained by Francisco Welter-Schultes.

Last modified 15.3.2007

You can order by e-mail, fax, phone, snailmail, see www.planetposter.de and www.wissenladen.de.

English version "Life on Earth": ISBN 978-3-933922-00-7
German version "Lebendiger Planet": ISBN 978-3-933922-01-4

Price 7.50 Euro

For more information please write or e-mail to the following address:

.
Francisco Welter-Schultes
Zoologisches Institut der Universität
Berliner Str. 28
D-37073 Göttingen, Germany

.
E-mail: fwelter#gwdg.de (replace # by @)
Homepage FranciscoW.-S.: click here
Phone +49 551 395536

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