Activity for Out of the Ashes

Topic

Resource Type

Level

High School — General High School — AP/IB College

Saved By

20 Users

Description

This activity explores the concepts and research presented in the short film Out of the Ashes: Dawn of the Age of Mammals, which explores how life on Earth recovered after a major asteroid impact.

The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K–Pg) asteroid impact led to the mass extinction of 60%–80% of all species on Earth, including all non-avian dinosaurs. As Earth recovered, plants and animals coevolved in ecosystems once occupied by dinosaurs, leading to the current diversity of species on Earth. The fossil record can be used to reconstruct the past and better understand the evolution and diversity of life on our planet.

The “Student Handout” probes students’ understanding of the key concepts addressed in the film. The “Educator Materials” document provides suggested pause points in the film with questions for students, background information, and detailed discussion points; a list of related resources and references; and an answer key for the “Student Handout.”

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.

Student Learning Targets

Describe evidence for how the K¬–Pg asteroid impact led to widespread ecosystem changes that resulted in the extinction of many species, including all the non-avian dinosaurs.
Describe how after the asteroid impact, plant and animal species (especially mammals) evolved and diversified.
Interpret graphs and data from the fossil record to explain the ecological changes and diversification that occurred after the K–Pg mass extinction.
Use knowledge of the ecological roles of organisms (such as decomposers, protein-rich plants, or generalist feeders) to infer past evolutionary processes.

Estimated Time

Within one 50-minute class period.

Key Terms

asteroid, dinosaur, concretion, fern, fossil, legume, mass extinction, paleontology, recovery, succession

Primary Literature

Grossnickle, David M., Stephanie M. Smith, and Gregory P. Wilson. “Untangling the multiple ecological radiations of early mammals.” Trends in Ecology & Evolution 34, 10 (2019): 936–949. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2019.05.008.

Lyson, Tyler R., I. M. Miller, A. D. Bercovici, K. Weissenburger, A. J. Fuentes, W. C. Clyde, J. W. Hagadorn, et al. “Exceptional continental record of biotic recovery after the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction.” Science 336, 6468 (2019): 977–983. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aay2268.

Terms of Use

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