diapsids dominated the terrestrial landscape for the first time following the cambrian explosion.
diapsids dominated the terrestrial landscape for the first time following the cambrian explosion.
diapsids dominated the terrestrial landscape for the first time following which event?
the cambrian explosion
the paleozoic was a time of dramatic geological, climatic, and evolutionary change. the cambrian witnessed the most rapid and widespread diversification of life in earth's history, known as the cambrian explosion, in which most modern phyla first appeared. arthropods, molluscs, fish, amphibians, synapsids and diapsids all evolved during the paleozoic. life began in the ocean but eventually transitioned onto land, and by the late paleozoic, it was dominated by various forms of organisms. great forests of primitive plants covered the continents, many of which formed the coal beds of europe and eastern north america. towards the end of the era, large, sophisticated diapsids and synapsids were dominant and the first modern plants (conifers) appeared.
paleozoic
the permian spanned from 299 to 252 million years ago and was the last period of the paleozoic era. at the beginning of this period, all continents joined together to form the supercontinent pangaea, which was encircled by one ocean called panthalassa. the land mass was very dry during this time, with harsh seasons, as the climate of the interior of pangaea was not regulated by large bodies of water. diapsids and synapsids flourished in the new dry climate. creatures such as dimetrodon and edaphosaurus ruled the new continent. the first conifers evolved, and dominated the terrestrial landscape. near the end of the permian, however, pangaea grew drier. the interior was desert, and new species such as scutosaurus and gorgonopsids filled it. eventually they disappeared, along with 95% of all life on earth, in a cataclysm known as "the great dying", the third and most severe mass extinction.
paleozoic