1. History of Life

2. I. Earth History
4.5 bya: Earth Forms
4.0 bya: Oldest Rocks

3. I. Earth History
4.5 bya: Earth Forms
4.0 bya: Oldest Rocks
3.5 bya: Oldest Fossils

4. IV. Early Life
- the first cells were probably heterotrophs that simply absorbed nutrients and ATP from the environment.
- as these substances became rare, there was strong selection for cells that could manufacture their own energy storage molecules.
- the most primitive cells are methanogens, but these are NOT the oldest fossils.

5. IV. Early Life
- the second type of cells were probably like green-sulphur bacteria, which used H2S as an electron donor, in the presence of sunlight, to photosynthesize.

6. I. Earth History
4.5 bya: Earth Forms
4.0 bya: Oldest Rocks
3.5 bya: Oldest Fossils
Stromatolites - communities of layered 'bacteria'

7. IV. Early Life
- the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis was MAJOR. It allowed life to exploit more habitats, and it produced a powerful oxidating agent! These stromatolites, which date to > 3 bya are microbial communities.

8. I. Earth History
bya: Oxygen in Atmosphere
4.5 bya: Earth Forms
4.0 bya: Oldest Rocks
3.4 bya: Oldest Fossils

9. IV. Early Life
- about bya, the concentration of oxygen began to increase in the ocean and oxidize eroded materials minerals... deposited as 'banded iron formations'.

10. I. Earth History
bya: Oxygen
1.8 bya: first eukaryote
4.5 bya: Earth Forms
4.0 bya: Oldest Rocks
3.4 bya: Oldest Fossils

11. IV. Early Life
bya - evolution of eukaryotes.... endosymbiosis.

12. IV. Early Life
Eukaryote Characteristics
- membrane bound nucleus
- organelles
- sexual reproduction

13. I. Earth History
bya: Oxygen
1.8 bya: first eukaryote
0.9 bya: first animals
4.5 bya: Earth Forms
4.0 bya: Oldest Rocks
3.4 bya: Oldest Fossils

14. I. Earth History
bya: Oxygen
1.8 bya: first eukaryote
0.9 bya: first animals
0.5 bya: Cambrian
4.5 bya: Earth Forms
4.0 bya: Oldest Rocks
3.4 bya: Oldest Fossils

15. I. Earth History
bya: Oxygen
1.8 bya: first eukaryote
0.9 bya: first animals
0.5 bya: Cambrian
0.24 bya:Mesozoic
4.5 bya: Earth Forms
4.0 bya: Oldest Rocks
3.4 bya: Oldest Fossils

16. I. Earth History
bya: Oxygen
1.8 bya: first eukaryote
0.9 bya: first animals
0.5 bya: Cambrian
0.24 bya:Mesozoic
0.065 bya:Cenozoic
4.5 bya: Earth Forms
4.0 bya: Oldest Rocks
3.4 bya: Oldest Fossils

17. I. Earth History
4.5 million to present
(1/1000th of earth history)
bya: Oxygen
1.8 bya: first eukaryote
0.9 bya: first animals
0.5 bya: Cambrian
0.24 bya:Mesozoic
0.065 bya:Cenozoic
4.5 bya: Earth Forms
4.0 bya: Oldest Rocks
3.4 bya: Oldest Fossils

18. I. The "Precambrian"

19. I. The "Precambrian"
Vendian mya mya.

20. I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran ( )
The first fossil animals

21. I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran ( )
The first fossil animals
Dicksonia - thought to be a segmented worm

22. I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran ( )
The first fossil animals
Eoporpita - Cnidarian polyp

23. I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran ( )
The first fossil animals
Cyclomedusa - Cnidarian polyp; up to 1 meter in diameter

24. I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran( )
The first fossil animals
Charnia - sea pen (related to Cnidarians) - up to 1 m long

25. I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran ( )
The first fossil animals
Nemiana - may be a cnidarian or algal colony...

26. I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran ( )
The first fossil animals
Pteridinium - cnidarian???

27. I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran ( )
The first fossil animals
Arkarua - Echinoderm?

28. Spriggina
I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran ( )
The first fossil animals
Spriggina - soft-bodied, but assignment to Annelida is doubtful... some describe it as a soft-bodied arthropod...(it is similar to trilobites...)
trilobite

29. I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran ( )
The first fossil animals
Tribrachidium - soft-bodied, but enigmatic... maybe a cnidarian or an echinoderm..???

30. I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran ( )
The first fossil animals
Kimberella - recent analysis suggest it might be an early mollusc.. a bit chiton-like...

31. I. The "Precambrian"
- The Ediacaran ( )
The first fossil animals
Largely a radiation of soft-bodied forms.
In addition, however, the first predatory animals (Cnidarians...)
So, although rare, there is a radiation of soft-bodied organisms before the Cambrian... and representatives from several major phyla (or sister phyla) appear.

32. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:

33. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
- representatives of nearly all modern phyla (no Bryozoans)
- representatives of extinct phyla
- radiation of animals with hard parts

34. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of extant phyla:
Thaumaptilon
Sea Pen - Cnidaria

35. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of extant phyla:
Sydneyia - Arthropod

36. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of extant phyla:
Canadia - Annelida

37. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of extant phyla:
Choia - Porifera

38. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of extant phyla:
Aysheaia - Onychophora

39. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of extant phyla:
Ottoia - Priapulida

40. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of extant phyla:
Canadapsis - Arthropoda (Crustacea)

41. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of extant phyla:
Waptia - Arthropoda (Crustacea)

42. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of extant phyla:
Leanchoilia - Arthropoda (Crustacea)

43. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of extant phyla:
Pikaia - Chordata

44. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of extant phyla:
Hallucigenia - Onychophora

45. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of EXTINCT phyla or subphyla:
Olenoides – Trilobita (Arthropoda)

46. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of EXTINCT phyla or subphyla:
Marella - primitive Arthropod

47. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of EXTINCT phyla or subphyla:
Haplophrentis - Hyolithid

48. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of organisms unassigned to any major group:
Opabinia

49. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of organisms unassigned to any major group:
Amiskwia

50. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of organisms unassigned to any major group:
Anomalocaris

51. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- an 'explosion' of fossil animals:
examples of organisms unassigned to any major group:
Wiwaxia

52. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
Burgess Shale Community

53. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
WHY?

54. WHY? II. The Paleozoic Era A. The Cambrian Period (544 - 510 mya)
- First major radiation of hard-bodied org's
WHY?

55. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- First major radiation of hard-bodied org's
Sampling Error? Since hard-parts fossilize better than soft parts, is the 'Explosion' just a reflection of the greater likelyhood of fossilization?

56. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- First major radiation of hard-bodied org's
Sampling Error? Since hard-parts fossilize better than soft parts, is the 'Explosion' just a reflection of the greater likelihood of fossilization?
Predation? The Vendian radiation contained lots of predators..Cnidarians. Hard parts would be adaptive protection against these predators, as well as the predators in the Cambrian.

57. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- First major radiation of hard-bodied org's
Sampling Error? Since hard-parts fossilize better than soft parts, is the 'Explosion' just a reflection of the greater likelihood of fossilization?
Predation? The Vendian radiation contained lots of predators..Cnidarians. Hard parts would be adaptive protection against these predators, as well as the predators in the Cambrian.

58. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- First major radiation of hard-bodied org's
Sampling Error? Since hard-parts fossilize better than soft parts, is the 'Explosion' just a reflection of the greater likelihood of fossilization?
Predation? The Vendian radiation contained lots of predators..Cnidarians. Hard parts would be adaptive protection against these predators, as well as the predators in the Cambrian.
Also, it's important to realize that this "Explosion" occurred over 10 my.... not 'instantaneous'...

59. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- First major radiation of hard-bodied org's
Our first example of innovation, radiation, and competitive contraction

60. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- First major radiation of hard-bodied org's
Our first example of innovation, radiation, and competitive contraction
Hard parts

61. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- First major radiation of hard-bodied org's
Our first example of innovation, radiation, and competitive contraction

62. II. The Paleozoic Era
A. The Cambrian Period ( mya)
- First major radiation of hard-bodied org's
Our first example of innovation, radiation, and competitive contraction

63. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian
- The Cambrian 'Explosion'
- The Cambrian Fauna and Beyond

64. - The Cambrian Fauna and Beyond
The fauna was dominated by trilobites...
and the number of trilobite families peaked in the late Cambrian and declined through the Paleozoic. This marine fauna is known as the 'Cambrian Fauna' and represents the first great marine faunal assemblage in the fossil record.

65. - The Cambrian Fauna and Beyond
This fauna was replaced by the 'Paleozoic' ( or Brachiopod) fauna, and then by the Modern (or 'Gastropod-Mollusc') fauna in the Mesozoic.

66. - The Cambrian Fauna and Beyond
- What contributes to these patterns in diversity?

67. - The Cambrian Fauna and Beyond
- What contributes to these patterns in diversity?
Some paleontologists suggest a correlation between large scale diversity patterns and plate tectonics.

68. - The Cambrian Fauna and Beyond
- What contributes to these patterns in diversity?
Some paleontologists suggest a correlation between large scale diversity patterns and plate tectonics.
This is the supercontinent "Rodinia". It formed about 1 billion years ago, and began to break up in the Cambrian ( ) and Ordovician ( ).

69. - The Cambrian Fauna and Beyond
- What contributes to these patterns in diversity?
So, we have 'vicariance' at a large geologic scale, increase the abundance of shallow coastal habitats and the possibility of allopatric speciation, divergence, and radiations.

70. A similar radiation in diversity occurs in the Mesozoic when Pagaea breaks up... creating more shallow coastal areas...

71. - The Cambrian Fauna and Beyond
- What contributes to these patterns in diversity?
1) Vicariance
2) Nutrient Loading

72. - The Cambrian Fauna and Beyond
- What contributes to these patterns in diversity?
1) Vicariance
2) Nutrient Loading
increase in shallow seas increases marine productivity and might increase food chain lengths and diversity.
also, evolution of more productive terrestrial biotas would increase nutrient contributions from runoff.

73. - The Cambrian Fauna and Beyond
- What contributes to these patterns in diversity?
1) Vicariance
2) Nutrient Loading
3) Mass Extinctions

74. Ice Age
Impact, Climate
Vulcanism

75. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)

76. - evolution of chordates
I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
- evolution of chordates
Pikaia
Cephalochordata
Euchordata
Hagfish (skull but no vertebrae...)
Myllokunmingia 530 mya
Haikouichthys 530 mya
Craniata
Vertebrata

77. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
- evolution of chordates
Myllokunmingia 530 mya
Nature 1999

78. Haikouichthys ercaicunensis
early Cambrian
perhaps more advanced than Myllokunmingia,
but both may have had cartilaginous vertebrae... the first true verts!
Nature 2003
Myllokunmingia 530 mya

79. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)

80. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)

81. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)

82. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)
- inverts
new trilobites

83. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)
- inverts
new trilobites
Nautiloid radiation

84. During the middle Ordovician some long-shelled forms like Endoceras and Cameroceras attained lengths of 4 to as much as 10 meters - among the largest molluscan shells ever

85. Radiation of Ostracoderms SILURIAN
I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)
Radiation of Ostracoderms SILURIAN
Lampreys**
Heterostracans
Astraspids
"Ostracoderms"
Arandaspids
Osteostracans
**Tree of Life phylogeny; differs from Cowens.
JAWED FISHES

86. "Ostracoderms"
Bony plates; no paired fins; gill arches
I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)
Astraspis
Arandaspida

87. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)
- plants
the first terrestrial plant fossils are fragmentary; they are spores and cuticles (which signify land plants). In all likelihood they are 'hepatophyte' liverwort-like non-tracheophytes...

88. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)
C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
Brachipods begin to dominate; 80% of all individuals

89. C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
Brachipods begin to dominate; 80% of all individuals
Reef-building corals
radiate

90. C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
Brachipods begin to dominate; 80% of all individuals
Reef-building corals radiate
Crinoid echinoderms radiate

91. C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
Brachipods begin to dominate; 80% of all individuals
Reef-building corals radiate
Crinoid echinoderms radiate
Eurypterids (sea scorpions) dominate (7 feet long)

92. C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
Brachipods begin to dominate; 80% of all individuals
Reef-building corals radiate
Crinoid echinoderms radiate
Eurypterids (sea scorpions) dominate; Horseshoe crabs
Semi-aquatic scorpions and terrestrial Chelicerata evolve
Millipedes first completely terrestrial animals

93. C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
- plants

94. C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
- plants
radiation of the first vascular plants
4 species of Cooksonia, including those representing the Rhyniophytes and Lycophytes

95. C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
- plants
- verts

96. Radiation of Ostracoderms SILURIAN
C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
- plants
- verts
Radiation of Ostracoderms SILURIAN
Lampreys**
Heterostracans
Astraspids
"Ostracoderms"
Arandaspids
Osteostracans
**Tree of Life phylogeny; differs from Cowens.
JAWED FISHES

97. C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
- plants
- verts
- Heterostracans - over species; very abundant

98. C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
- plants
- verts
- Osteostracans
bottom-feeders, but with an important evolutionary advancement - paired fins

99. C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
- plants
- verts
- Jawed Fishes (Gnathostomes)
- Acanthodians

100. C. Silurian ( mya)
- inverts
- plants
- verts
- Jawed Fishes (Gnathostomes)
the oldest jawed fish fossils are Acanthodians... however, they are a group of bony fishes and it is likely that they were preceded by the cartilaginous Placoderms (which radiate in the Devonian)

101. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)
C. Silurian ( mya)
D. Devonian ( mya)
- "The Age of Fishes"

102. D. Devonian ( mya)
- inverts
crazy trilobite 50cm long.... Terataspis grandis

103. D. Devonian ( mya)
- inverts:
- Ammonites

104. D. Devonian ( mya)
- inverts:
- Ammonites
- Terrestrial Arthropods
- oldest spider - Attercopus
- mites
- trigonotarbids (no silk)

105. D. Devonian ( mya)
- inverts:
- plants
Lycopod forests, then
Progymnosperm forests dominated by one genus, Archaeopteris 20m

106. D. Devonian ( mya)
- inverts:
- plants
- verts:
- last of the ostracoderms...
Psammolepis over 2m

107. D. Devonian ( mya)
- inverts:
- plants
- verts:
- last of the ostracoderms...
- the major radiation of jawed fish groups
Arthrodires
Placoderms
Antiarchs
Chondrichthyes (Sharks, rays)
Acanthodians
Teleosts
Ray-finned Fishes
Bony Fish
Lobe-finned Fishes

108. D. Devonian ( mya)
Fishes of  the Middle Devonian locality of Lethen Bar, in Scotland (Givetian, about 377 Ma). They include antiarchs (1 Pterichthyodes); and arthrodire (2. Coccosteus) placoderms, acanthodians (3. Diplacanthus), ray-finned fish (4, Cheirolepis), lungfish  (5, Dipterus), and osteolepiform lobe-finned fish (6. Osteolepis), representing the lineage that gave rise to land animals.

109. D. Devonian ( mya)
- Placoderms
- Sharks
- Lobe-finned Fishes
- Ray-finned Fishes
- Tetrapods (from lobe-finned fishes)

110. D. Devonian ( mya)
- Placoderms
- very abundant
- head shields
- shearing or crushing tooth plates
Dunkleosteus - 6m
Arthrodire
Antiarch

111. D. Devonian ( mya)
- Placoderms
- Sharks
Stethacanthus - 2m

112. D. Devonian ( mya)
- Placoderms
- Sharks

113. D. Devonian ( mya)
- Placoderms
- Sharks
- Ray-finned Fishes

114. D. Devonian ( mya)
- Placoderms
- Sharks
- Ray-finned Fishes

115. D. Devonian ( mya)
- Placoderms
- Sharks
- Ray-finned Fishes
- Lobe-finned Fishes

116. D. Devonian ( mya)
- Placoderms
- Sharks
- Lobe-finned Fishes
365 mya
385 mya

118. Eusthenopteron

119. Panderichthys rhombolepis

120. Tiktaalik roseae

121. Acanthostega gunnari

122. Ichthyostega sp.

123. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)
C. Silurian ( mya)
D. Devonian ( mya)
E. Carboniferous ( mya)

124. E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya)
- inverts
Arthropleura -largest terrestrial arthropod - 2m

125. E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya)
- inverts
- radiation of insects
- evolution of flight
Meganeura monyi - largest insect ever
wingspan of 70 cm

126. E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya)
- inverts
- plants
The early Carboniferous saw a reduction in the Devonian forests and a dominance of small plants - lycopods and their kin.
Lepidodendron
Psaronius - fern
Lebachia - progymnosperm
Cordaites - progymnosperm

127. E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya)
- inverts
- plants
The early Carboniferous saw a reduction in the Devonian forests and a dominance of small plants - lycopods and their kin.
As the period proceeds, the giant lycopsid swamp forests evolve across the tropical continent of Euramerica.
There was lots of photosynthesis, but this was not balanced by decomposition (because much of the biomass was preserved in sediment, not broken down by decay). So, oxygen production by photosynthesis exceeded oxygen consumption by decomposition... and oxygen levels were probably very high...this may have allowed the enormous size of invertebrates.

128. E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya)
- inverts
- plants

129. E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya)
- inverts
- plants
Coal deposits in shallow tropical swamps

130. E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya)
- inverts
- plants
- vertebrates
sharks replace placoderms as dominant in oceans;

131. The golden age of sharks - 45 Families
(currently 21)

132. E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya)
- inverts
- plants
- vertebrates
sharks replace placoderms as dominant in oceans;
ray finned fishes dominate in fresh water

133. - vertebrates
radiation of stem tetrapods!!

134. - vertebrates
radiation of stem tetrapods!!

135. - vertebrates
radiation of stem tetrapods!!
"Anthracosaurs"

136. E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya)
- inverts
- plants
- vertebrates
sharks replace placoderms as dominant in oceans;
ray finned fishes dominate in fresh water
stem tetrapods radiate!
"crown" tetrapods
Seymouriamorpha
Temnospondyls
Ichthyostegans

137. E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya)
- inverts
- plants
- vertebrates
stem tetrapods
Temnospondyls
a very diverse radiation of tetrapods, from alligator-like salamanders to large, scaled, frog-like creatures. Cowens places these ancestral to Amphibia only, but recent analyses put them as a sister clade to all crown tetrapods.

138. Temnospondyls
a very diverse radiation of tetrapods, from alligator-like salamanders to large, scaled, frog-like creatures. Cowens places these ancestral to Amphibia only, but recent analyses put them as a sister clade to all crown tetrapods.

139. Seymouriamorpha
Radiate in Permian
but earliest fossils from the Carboniferous... larvae have external gills, which pulls them out of the amniota...

140. - vertebrates
radiation of stem tetrapods!!

141. The Amniote Divide
The amniotic egg was a big advance
- amnion protects the embryo - yolk sac provides nourishment - allantoic sac holds waste produced by embryo
Resist desiccation
Provision embryo
allows for colonization of dry habitats

142. Primitive Amniotes
Hylonomus lyelli – an early reptile
Carboniferous of Nova Scotia

143. E. Carboniferous
- The Amniote Radiations
SYNAPSID
Anapsid ancestor
Hylonomus
Casineria
ANAPSID (turtles?)
DIAPSID

144. I. The Precambrian
- Vendian
II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian ( mya)
B. Ordovician ( mya)
C. Silurian ( mya)
D. Devonian ( mya)
E. Carboniferous ( mya)
F. Permian ( mya)

145. F. Permian ( mya)
Pangaea forms
The fusion of land masses reduced the amount of humid coastline and increased the extent of dry inland areas. This favored the amniote radiations over "amphibian" clades.

146. F. Permian
- The Amniote Radiations Diversify
SYNAPSID
Anapsid ancestor
Hylonomus
ANAPSID (turtles)
DIAPSID

147. F. Permian ( mya)
Synapsids dominate through the early Permian
Pelycosaurs
Dicynodonts
Gorgonopsids
Therapsids
Cynodonts
Mammals

148. F. Permian ( mya)
Pelycosaurs dominate early
include the great sail-finned animals like Dimetrodon

149. F. Permian ( mya)
Early Therapsids, like Gorgonopsids, dominate in the mid-late Permian
Moschops
Dinocephalians

150. F. Permian ( mya)
Dicynodonts come to numerical dominance in the late Permian
abundant herbivores

151. F. Permian ( mya)
and the first Cynodonts appear

152. F. Permian ( mya)
large herbivorous anapsids were also present

153. F. Permian ( mya)
Diapsids were small and lizard-like; the Synapsids ruled terrestrial communities

154. F. Permian ( mya)
- Plants!!

155. F. Permian ( mya)
- Plants!!
- the dry climate reduced the great Carboniferous swamp forests; lycopods shrink...
- Ferns, and gymnosperms ("seed ferns", Ginkos, Cycads, and Conifers) gain prominence...
- In particular Glossopteris - a seed fern - that produces seeds on its leaves like sori of ferns...
The evolution of gymnosperms introduced two important adaptive features:
- pollen (male gametophyte) - no more swimming sperm; reduced reliance on open water habitats
- seed - protective seed coat reduced desiccation of embryo, and nutritious endosperm provisioned the embryo with energy. (Like the amniote egg).

156. F. Permian ( mya)
The great Permian extinction!!!!
A huge mantle plume rises towards the surface...

157. F. Permian ( mya)
The great Permian extinction!!!!
then it pops like a zit!!

158. F. Permian ( mya)
The great Permian extinction!!!!
A huge mantle plume rises towards the surface...
resulting in a great bubble of flowing lava... the Siberian flats (200,000 squ. mi)

159. F. Permian ( mya)

160. F. Permian ( mya)
- results:
90-95% of marine species go extinct...
trilobites
placoderms
acanthodians

161. F. Permian ( mya)
- results:
90-95% of marine species go extinct...
trilobites
placoderms
acanthodians
70% of all land families
pelycosaurs