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Late Paleozoic Life: Changes in Marine and Terrestrial Environments

Explore how marine and terrestrial life evolved during the Late Paleozoic era, including shifts in flora, fauna, and major biotic changes. Discover the impact of glaciation, swamps, and drying environments on the development of diverse marine and land ecosystems.

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Late Paleozoic Life: Changes in Marine and Terrestrial Environments

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  1. Chapter 15 The Late Paleozoic World

  2. Guiding Questions • How did marine life of late Paleozoic time differ from that of middle Paleozoic time? • How did terrestrial floras change on a global scale in late Paleozoic time? • What changes occurred in terrestrial faunas during late Paleozoic time? • What major biotic changes occurred in the latter part of Permian time?

  3. 251 Million years 299 Million years 318 Million years 359 Million years

  4. Late Paleozoic • Carboniferous glaciation • Abundant swamps • Permian drying

  5. Late Paleozoic Life in the Sea • Marine • Ammonoids abundant • Highly mobile • Brachiopods • Productids • Cone-shaped shells • Produced reefs

  6. Late Paleozoic Life in the Sea • Crinoid meadows • Significant contribution to early Carboniferous (Mississippean) limestone

  7. Late Paleozoic Life in the Sea • Bryozoans • Sheetlike colonial animals • Trapped sediment in mounds • Important contribution to limestone

  8. Late Paleozoic Life in the Sea • Fusulinids • Foraminifera • Late Carboniferous radiation • Up to 10 cm in length • Guide fossil for Upper Carboniferous and Permian

  9. Late Paleozoic Life in the Sea • Higher Mg-Ca ratio • Aragonitic algae • Important in late Carboniferous reefs • Aragonitic sponges • Play important role in Permian reefs

  10. Late Paleozoic Life on Land • Extensive swamps developed • Coal swamps dominated by lycopods • Lepidodendron • Up to 30 m tall • Sigillaria

  11. Late Paleozoic Life on Land • Seed ferns • Abundant • Small bushy plants • Large and treelike • Glossopteris

  12. Late Paleozoic Life on Land • Sphenopsids • Not found in coal swamps • Levees and floodplains

  13. Late Paleozoic Life on Land • Cordaites • Upland plants • Gymnosperms • Naked seed plants • Formed woodlands • Conifers • Cone bearing plants

  14. Late Paleozoic Life on Land • Permian • Gymnosperms came to dominate terrestrial environments

  15. Late Paleozoic Life on Land • Winged insects • Dragonflies • Mayflies

  16. Late Paleozoic Life on Land • Amphibians • Reptiles

  17. Late Paleozoic Life on Land • Reptiles • Requires amniote egg • Protects embryo • No longer needs water for development • Pelycosaurs • Dimetredon • Eryops

  18. Late Paleozoic Life on Land • Therapsids • Similar to mammals • Legs no longer sprawling • Complex jaws • Endothermic • Warm-blooded • Ectothermic • Cold-blooded

  19. Continents clustered near each other Early Carboniferous High sea level Warm, shallow seas Abundant limestone Evaporites on western North American continent Late Paleozoic Paleogeography

  20. Late Paleozoic Paleogeography • Mid-carboniferous • Mississippian • Pennsylvanian • Gondwanaland collided with Eurasia (Hercynian) • Extended Appalachians • Alleghenian mountains • Formed Ouachita Belt • Oklahoma, Texas • Glaciers; Sea level drops • Later Carboniferous • Increased latitudinal gradients • Glaciation expanded

  21. Permian Pangaea nearly complete Ural Mountains Interior Low moisture Evaporites and dunes Reduced carbon burial Led to higher atmospheric CO2 Global warming ended glaciation Late Paleozoic Paleogeography

  22. Late Paleozoic Paleogeography • Western dunes

  23. Alleghenian Orogeny • Mountain building shifted to Eastern US • Valley and Ridge • Thrust faults • Blue Ridge • Grenville age rocks

  24. Alleghenian Orogeny • Continued molasse deposition

  25. Southwestern U.S. • Ouachita Mountains • Westward continuation of Appalachians • Fold and thrust belt of offshore deposits

  26. Southwestern U.S. • Microplates also accreted to Central America

  27. Fountain Arkose • Eastern flank of Front Range

  28. Cyclothems and Coal • Cycles in coal beds that contain marine sediments • Slight change in sea level • Alternating transgressions and regressions

  29. Cyclothems and Coal • Transgression • Deposition of marginal marine peat on top of nonmarine deposits • Capped with marine sediments

  30. Cyclothems and Coal • Regression • Reversed the sequence • Oscillating glaciers led to changes in sea level

  31. Delaware Basin • In Texas and New Mexico • Economically important

  32. Delaware Basin • Only flooded region in Permian • Significant petroleum source • Midland Basin • Filled with sediment

  33. Delaware Basin • Delaware Basin • Carbonate and evaporite deposition • Reef grew upward • Waters receded and stranded reef • Capitan Limestone

  34. Delaware Basin • Early on, benthic organisms received oxygen • When basin deepened, bottom waters deepened, stagnated

  35. Glacial Striations • South Africa

  36. Fossil Wood • Antarctic Wood • Growth was interrupted in winter

  37. Late Paleozoic Unconformity • Global unconformity in marine sediments

  38. Late Phanerozoic Life • Rates of Origination and Extinction

  39. Late Permian Anoxia • Japan • Uplifted rocks • Gray chert replaced oxidized hematite

  40. Carbon Isotope Ratios • Negative shift at Permian/Triassic boundary

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