Carnivorous Plants Website
Carnivorous Plants in the Wilderness
by Makoto Honda

 

Life emerged on earth some four billion years ago. Going forward, life kept diversifying. Evolution has two steps: Genetic mutation and natural selection. Genetic mutation - the trigger for evolution - is random in nature and occurs at some constant rate in organisms. Natural selection that follows favors traits more suited for a given environment. In the test of survival, a complex interplay between organisms and their ever-changing environment determines who are retained and carries the genes deemed preferable to the next generation.

A possible tree of life is shown here. Not much had happened for the first few billion years. The branch for algae diverged around 1.5 billion years ago. And, animals and plants started to diverge around 500 million years ago. 

In the history of green plants dating back some 500 million years, the flowering plants (angiosperms), the most dominant land plants today, appeared on earth some 140 million years ago. Angiosperms became widespread around 100 million years ago and became dominant 60-70 million years ago, around the time of the demise of dinosaurs.

Click here for Tree of Plants.

STRATIGRAPHIC CHART  

EON                           ERA                               PERIOD / SYSTEM            EPOCH / SERIES                     AGE / STAGE

Phanerozoic Eon
Cenozoic Era
Quaternary
Holocene
  0.0117M
Pleistocene
Tarantian (Upper) 0.126M
Ionian (Middle) 0.781M
Calabnian (Lower) 1.806M
Gelasian (Lower) 2.6M
Neogene
Pliocene
Piacenzian 3.6M
Zanclean 5.3M
Miocene
Messinian 7M
Tortonian 12M
Serravallian 14M
Langhian 16M
Burdigalian 20M
Aquitanian 23M
Paleogene
Oligocene
Chattian 28M
Rupelian 34M
Eocene
Priabonian 37M
Bartonian 40M
Lutetian 49M
Ypresian 56M
Paleocene
Thanetian 59M
Selandian 61M
Danian 66M
Mesozoic Era
Cretaceous
Upper
Maastrichtian 71M
Campanian 84M
Santonian 86M
Coniacian 89M
Turonian 94M
Cenomanian 100M
Lower
Albian 112M
Aptian 125M
Barremian 130M
Hauterivian 134M
Valanginian 140M
Berriasian 146M
Jurassic
Upper
Tithomian                                                                                                                                             151M
Kimmeridgian 156M
Oxfordian 161M
Middle
Callovian                                                                                                                                      165M
Bathonian 168M
Bajocian 172M
Aalenian 176M
Lower
Toarcian                                                                                                                             183M
Pliensbachian 190M
Sinemurian 197M
Hettangian 200M
Triassic
Upper
Rhaetian                                                                                                                                   203M
Norian 217M
Camian 229M
Middle
Ladinian                                                                                                                        237M
Auisian 246M
Lower
Olenekian 250M
Induan 251M
Paleozoic Era
Permian
Upper Permian OR Lopingian
Changhsingian                                                                                                              254M
Wuchiapinguian 260M
Middle Permian OR
Guadalupian
Capitanian 266M
Wordian 268M
Roadian 271M
Lower Permian OR
Cisuralian
Kungurian 276M
Artinskian 284M
Sakmarian 295M
Asselian 299M
Carboniferous
Pennsylvanian
Upper
Gzhelian                                                                                                                                          303M
Kasimovian 307M
Middle
Moscovian 312M
Lower
Bashkirian 318M
Mississippian
Upper
Serpukhovian 328M
Middle
Visean 345M
Lower
Tournaisian 359M
Devonian
Upper
Famennian                                                                                                                              359M
Frasnian 385M
Middle
Givetian 392M
Eifelian 398M
Lower
Emsian 407M
Pragian 411M
Lockkovian 416M
Silurian
Pridoli
  419M
Ludlow
Ludfordian                                                                                                                           421M
Gorstian 423M
Wenlock
Homerian 426M
Sheinwoodian 428M
Llandovery
Telychian 436M
Aeronian 439M
Rhuddanian 444M
Ordovician
Upper
Himantian                            446M
Katian 456M
Sandbian 461M
Middle
Darriwilian 468M
Dapingian 472M
Lower
Floian 479M
Tremadocian 488M
Cambrian
Furongian
Stage 10                                                                                                            492M
Stage 9 496M
Paibian 499M
Series 3
Guzhangian 503M
Drumian 507M
Stage 5 510M
Series 2
Stage 4 515M
Stage 3 521M
Terreneuvian
Stage 2 528M
Fortunian 542M
Proterozoic Eon
Neoproterozoic Era
Ediacaran 635M
Cryogenian 8500M
Tonian 1000M
Mesoproterozoic Era
Stenian 1200M
Ectasian 1400M
Calymmian 1600M
Paleoproterozoic Era
Statherian 1800M
Orosirian 2050M
Rhyacian 2300M
Siderian 2500M
Archean Eon
Neoarchean Era 2800M
Mesoarchean Era 3200M
Paleoarchean Era 3600M
Eoarchean Era 3800M
Hadean  

 

References:  
 

        

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STRATIGRAPHIC CHART

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