Life of the Late Paleozoic Era Lecture 19 Life of the Late Paleozoic Era

Late Paleozoic Life Historical Geology I Late Paleozoic Marine Communities II Late Paleozoic Land Communities A) Plants 1) Spore-bearing Plants 2) Gymnosperms B) Metazoans (Animals) 1) Reptiles 2) The Amniotic Egg III The Permian Mass Extinction

Late Paleozoic Life

Late Paleozoic Marine Communities Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Marine Communities

Late Paleozoic Marine Communities Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Marine Communities Phylum: Echinodermata Class: Crinoidea

Late Paleozoic Marine Communities Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Marine Communities Phylum: Echinodermata Class: Blastoidea Petremites

Late Paleozoic Marine Communities Productid Brachiopods Historical Geology Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Marine Communities Productid Brachiopods index fossils for the Permian period spines were attached at raised bumps found on fossil shells

Late Paleozoic Marine Communities Fusulinids Historical Geology Like crinoids, fusulinids were so abundant in certain environments they were the principle rock- building organisms “fusulinid limestones” Historically, fusulinids were the most useful fossil for biostratigraphic correlation in Late Carboniferous and Permian rocks Index fossils; rapid rates of evolution Kingdom: Protista

Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Life Plants

Late Paleozoic Land Flora Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Land Flora

Late Paleozoic Land Flora Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Land Flora Lycopsids Lepidodendron stem Lepidostrobus cone Baragwanathia Lycopodium

Late Paleozoic Land Flora Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Land Flora Sphenopsids Sphenopsids were segmented spore plants that also achieved giant sizes Calamites, Annularia Modern sphenopsids include “horsetails”

Late Paleozoic Land Flora Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Land Flora The Advantage of Seeds

Late Paleozoic Land Flora Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Land Flora Seed Ferns Glossopteris

Late Paleozoic Life Insects Historical Geology Insects had appeared in Devonian time Wingless forms Insects underwent evolutionary radiation in Carboniferous time Primitive winged forms (dragon flies) Forms with folding wings

Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Life The Amniotic Egg

Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Life Reptile Evolution

Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Life Reptile Evolution

Reptile Evolution - Pelycosaurs Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Life Reptile Evolution - Pelycosaurs evolved from the protorothyrids during the Pennsylvanian the dominant reptile group by the Early Permian evolved into a diverse assemblage The herbivore Edaphosaurus The carnivore Dimetrodon

Reptile Evolution - Therapsids Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Life Reptile Evolution - Therapsids Moschops Dicynodon diverse, mammal-like reptiles originated in the Permian but survived into the Triassic period

Reptile Evolution - Therapsid Characteristics Historical Geology Late Paleozoic Life Reptile Evolution - Therapsid Characteristics small- to medium-sized animals displaying many mammalian features fewer bones in the skull due to fusion of many of the small skull bones enlargement of the lower jawbone differentiation of the teeth for various functions such as nipping, tearing, and chewing food and a more vertical position of the legs for greater flexibility, as opposed to the sideways sprawling legs in primitive reptiles

The Permian Mass Extinction Historical Geology The Permian Mass Extinction Losses Species: 90-95%

The Permian Mass Extinction Historical Geology The Permian Mass Extinction fusulinids bryozoans tabulate corals rugose corals porifera trilobites brachiopods crinoidea blastoidea gastropoda

The Permian Mass Extinction Historical Geology The Permian Mass Extinction Global Cooling (Glaciation Marine anoxia began in Late Permian, extended through Early Triassic Negative shift in d13C values at extinction level (continental and marine sections) Age of massive Siberian flood basalts is same as extinction Climatic warming and drying near extinction level Rapid Sea Level Oscillations Massive extinction at 251.4 Ma followed by gradual demise of some survivors Duration of extinction interval estimated at 500 k.y.

The Permian Mass Extinction Historical Geology The Permian Mass Extinction Deep-sea anoxic interval (Japan)

The Permian Mass Extinction Historical Geology The Permian Mass Extinction d13C isotopic shift (Italian Alps)

The Permian Mass Extinction Siberian Flood Basalts Historical Geology The Permian Mass Extinction Siberian Flood Basalts Reichow et al. Science 2002

The Permian Mass Extinction Siberian Flood Basalts Historical Geology The Permian Mass Extinction Siberian Flood Basalts 45 identified lava flows 400m to 3,700m thick Volume of 1.5 to 3 × 106 km3 Duration of eruptions was only ~600 ky

The Permian Mass Extinction Historical Geology The Permian Mass Extinction Climate Change Change from meandering to braided river systems in South Africa and Urals Reduction in bank-stabilizing vegetation Widespread charcoal horizons, desert sedimentation, warm indicators in paleosols (China, Australia, Antarctica) Abrupt change from Glossopteris- to Dicroidium-dominated floras (Australia)