The permian-a time of major evolutions and revolutions in the history of life

Abstract

The Permian was a critical time during the evolution of life on Earth. It was a time of significant global changes to climatic systems, continental arrangement, palaeobiogeography and ecosystem function. In the marine realm it saw a major transition from the brachiopod-dominated Palaeozoic invertebrate fauna to one dominated by bivalves. This transition began during the Permian and was finalized by the major ecosystem reorganization that was brought about by the end-Permian mass extinction.