Permian Flashcards
What emerged in the Permian period?
FIRST EVER REPTILES EMERGE
Quickly takes over the world completely
Amphibian rule is short-lived
What are the first few reptile species in the Permian?
Lystrosaurus
Cynognathus
BOTH WALKED ALL OVER PANGEA
Used to support continental drift!!!!!
What are some characteristics of amphibians?
Must live near water
Involves swimming in its life cycle
Both eggs and skin are water-permeable
FOREVER TIED TO AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS
What are some characteristics of reptiles?
Amniotic eggs that contain an amniotic sac (bag of water) and a hardened outer calcite shell
Amniotic sac used as prevention of embryo dehydration
Have scales made of keratin (provides protection and prevents water loss)
What was the significance of reptiles during the Permian?
They dominated since they broke away from oceans and bodies of water, until the rise of mammals
What does the Permian mark regarding the ocean?
RETURN OF DIVERSE REEFS IN FULL FORCE
What is an example of a reef in the Permian we see today? WHERE?
CAPITAN REEF COMPLEX in the GUADALUPE MT.s in WEST TEXAS
This reef preserves the structure of a complete reef in full dimensions and relief
What does the Capitan Reef complex represent? (Contains?)
CARBONATE PLATFORM and REEF ENVIRONMENT
Downslope of the reef was a mud-rich deep ocean basin
How did different limestones reflect different environments?
Limestone with fossils IN LIFE POSITION: Sponges/REEF ENVIRONMENT
Limestone with fossils NOT in life position: Crinoids/CARBONATE PLATFORM
What did the Permian Period represent regarding coral reefs? What goes extinct by the Triassic?
FINAL TIME that the Paleozoic reef builders will be DOMINANT
Tabulate and Rugose coral
What did the Permian Period represent regarding Paleozoic fauna?
FINAL TIME Paleozoic fauna will dominate shallow marine environments
They will move to the deep sea
BRACHIOPODS, BRYOZOANS, and CRINOIDS
What did the Permian Period represent regarding trilobites?
LAST PERIOD for trilobites, ALL trilobites go extinct by the end of the Permian period
Cause: MAJOR MASS EXTINCTION
What is ecological complexity and how can it be measured?
Ecological Complexity: Diverse groups of organisms living amongst each other
CAN BE MEASURED BY TIERING
What is TIERING?
Refers to the height or depth above and below the seafloor that animals are inhabiting
EACH ANIMAL FEEDS AT A DIFFERENT LEVEL OR TIER
How is tiering measured?
Measured by the height above the seafloor or by the depth of TRACE FOSSILS below
TRACE FOSSILS CAN EXTEND TO VERY DEEP DEPTHs
What does a stable healthy ecosystem look like?
Will have a WELL-DEVELOPED TIERING above AND below the seafloor
What does a well-developed tiering look like? When did this tiering happen?
Well-developed tiering builds UPWARD as an ecosystem that EVOLVES, DIVERSIFIES, and STABILIZES
FOLLOWING THE CAMBRIAN EXPLOSION
What happens to the TIERING throughout the Paleozoic? What happens to it eventually?
Tiering ABOVE and BELOW the seafloor increased throughout the duration of the PALEOZOIC
COMPLETELY CRASHES AT THE END OF THE PERMIAN
What happens at the end of the PERMIAN?
PERMIAN-TRIASSIC (P-T) MASS EXTINCTION
WORST MASS EXTINCTION EVENT OF ALL TIME
What allowed for the rise of Modern Fauna? What did this do to other fauna?
The Permian-Triassic extinction marks the sudden and lasting decline of the Paleozoic Fauna
Which in turn ROSE the Modern Fauna
What happens to articulate brachiopods during the mass extinction event (end of Permian)?
THEY BECOME COMPLETELY EXTINCT
What happens to Bryozoans during the mass extinction event (end of Permian)?
Nearly ALL bryozoans go extinct
MOST GROUPS GO EXTINCT BY THE EARLY MESOZOIC
ONLY ONE GROUP STILL SURVIVES TO THIS DAY
What happens to Crinoids during the mass extinction event (end of Permian)?
NEARLY ALL crinoids go extinct and the descendants of the Cambrian eocrinoids go COMPLETELY extinct
Crinoids only have ONE single species today
What are the Siberian Flood Basalts?
Emerged at the end of the Permian
ROCKS PRESERVED IN SIBERIAN RUSSIA
They are low-viscosity lava flows that erupt over LARGE areas and flood the land
Flow out like water without end for long periods of time
What do the layers in flood basalts mean?
EACH layer represents a single lava flow event
EACH LAYER IS PRODUCED BY LAVA FLOWS STACKING UPWARD OVER TIME
How big were the Siberian Flood Basalts?
7 MILLION SQUARE KM
Roughly the AREAL EXTENT of Australia
What caused the P-T mass extinction event?
End of the Permian is marked by the extensive eruption of the SIBERIAN FLOOD BASALTS
These FLOOD BASALTS produced layer upon layer of lava flows upward over time
The Siberian flood basalts sat atop a series of coal deposits that formed during the Permian and burn it
The flood eruptions would have released Carbon Dioxide (Co2) and the burning coal world released Methane (CH4)
Both carbon dioxide and methane are strong greenhouse gasses
This MASSIVE release of greenhouse gasses would have caused serious global warming
Global warming causes the water temp in the sea to rise from 70 F/21 C to 104 F/40 C/
AS TEMPS ROSE, OXYGEN CONCENTRATION GOES DOWN IN THE SEA
(Warm water holds much less oxygen compared to Cold water)
Rising temps warmed the seawater which in turn created anoxic conditions throughout the entire ocean
ALL BUT THE SHALLOWEST WATERS WERE AFFECTED
