The Paleozoic Era: Diversification of Plant and Animal LifeJohn P. Rafferty Associate Editor, Earth Sciences Characterized by a surge in biodiversity and evolutionary development, the Paleozoic Era ushered in the beginnings of life as we know it. Within these pages, readers will discover the fossil and geologic evidence from this time that reveals a dynamic planet, where new species of plants and animals were constantly emerging and continents were breaking apart and reforming. While many of the species from this era are now extinct and the continents are relatively stable, remnants of this era still continue to shed much-needed light on the conditions of Earth, both past and present. |
Contents
The Devonian | 24 |
AN OVERVIEW | 29 |
THE CAMBRIAN | 36 |
Cambrian Life | 46 |
Cambrian Geology | 82 |
Period | 93 |
Faunal Provinces | 117 |
189 | 129 |
Period | 187 |
The Carboniferous | 245 |
The Permian Period | 285 |
Permian Life | 289 |
Cynodonts | 298 |
Parafusulina | 304 |
Active Regions | 312 |
Conclusion | 325 |
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Common terms and phrases
251 million ammonoids animals appearance areas Australia Baltica Basin boundary brachiopods Cambrian carbonate Carboniferous Carboniferous Period characterized Cisuralian clastic coal conodont continental continents corals correlation defining the base Devonian Period Devonian rocks Early Permian eastern Emsian environments Europe evaporite extinct genus faunas feet fishes Formation forms fossil record found as fossils Frasnian fusulinids genera genus genus of extinct geologic glacial Global Stratotype Section Gondwana graptolite index fossils invertebrates known lamp shells landmasses Late Devonian Late Ordovician latitudes Laurentia Laurussia limestones Llandovery Lochkovian Lopingian marine rocks metres Middle Devonian million years ago Mississippian Mountains North America Northern Hemisphere occur ocean Ordovician Epoch Ordovician Period Paleozoic Pennsylvanian Permian Period plants Point GSSP Pragian Pridoli reefs region reptiles rocks deposited sea level seafloor Section and Point sedimentary sediments Series Serpukhovian shales shallow Siberia Silurian Silurian Period Silurian System South southern species Stage strata Telychian terrestrial trilobites vertebrates Viséan volcanic Wenlock