THE

MESOZOIC ERA
PHANEROZOIC
EON
PHANEROZOIC EON
MESOZOIC
ERA
MESOZOIC ERA
 A Journey
Through the
Mesozoic
TRIASSIC
PERIOD
TRIASSIC PERIOD
(252-201 million years ago)
Evolutionary
Marvels:
Early Triassic
Life
TERRESTRIAL BIOTA
AQUATIC BIOTA
In the oceans, the most
common Early Triassic hard-
shelled marine invertebrates
were bivalves, gastropods,
ammonoids, echinoids, and
a few articulate
brachiopods. Conodonts
experienced a revival in
diversity following a nadir
during the Permian.
The first oysters(Liostrea)
appeared in the Early Triassic.
They grew on the shells of living
ammonoids as epizoans. Microbial
reefs were common, possibly due
to lack of competition with
metazoan reef builders as a result
of the extinction. However,
transient metazoan reefs
reoccurred during the Olenekian
wherever permitted by
environmental conditions.
Ammonoids show blooms
followed by extinctions during the
Early Triassic.
Following the extinction event,
aquatic vertebrates underwent
diversification in the Triassic.
Ray-finned fishes like
Australosomus, Birgeria,
Bobasatrania, Boreosomus,
Pteronisculus,
Parasemionotidae, and
Saurichthys emerged near the
Permian-Triassic boundary.
Neopterygians, including stem
teleosts, diversified later in the
Triassic, although challenges in
understanding the diversification
pattern arise from taphonomic
biases in the late Early Triassic
and early Middle Triassic fossil
record.
 Evolutionary
Marvels:
Middle Triassic
Life
 MARINE REPTILES:
MIDDLE TRIASSIC LIFE
In the Middle Triassic, many groups
of organisms reached higher
diversity again,
MARINE REPTILES: MOLLUSKS:
• Ichthyosaurs • Ammonoids
• Sauropterygians • Bivalves
• Thallatosaurus • Gastropods
During the Middle Triassic, there
were no flowering plants, but instead
there were ferns and mosses. Small
dinosauriforms began to appear,
• Nyasasaurus
• Iranosauripus
MOLLUSKS:

DINASAURIFORMS:
Evolutionary
Marvels:
Late Triassic
Life
Carnian Age
The Carnian, spanning from 237 to 227
million years ago, marks the first age
of the Late Triassic, witnessing the
emergence and rapid diversification
of the earliest true dinosaurs. These
dinosaurs appeared in a world
dominated by Crurotarsan
Archosaurs, including ancestors of
crocodiles, and gradually displaced
other large reptilian forms. Coinciding
with the emergence of dinosaurs, the
Carnian pluvial episode around 234 to
232 Ma created humid conditions in
the generally arid Triassic, potentially
leading to the radiation of dinosaurs
as niches opened due to high
extinction rates among marine
organisms.
 Norian Age
The Norian, the second age of the
Late Triassic (227 to 208.5 million
years ago), saw the diversification of
herbivorous sauropodomorphs that
began to replace large herbivorous
therapsids, likely due to their better
adaptation to the increasingly arid
climate. While Crurotarsans
continued to occupy more ecological
niches than dinosaurs, in the oceans,
neopterygian fish proliferated,
leading to a decline in ceratitid
ammonites. The Manicouagan
impact event occurred 214 million
years ago, but no extinction event is
associated with this impact.
Rhaetian Age
The Rhaetian Age, the concluding
epoch of the Late Triassic following
the Norian Age, witnessed a
significant disruption in life before
the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.
This era featured the extinction of
marine reptiles like Nothosaurs and
Shastasaurs, alongside the emergence
of ichthyosaurs resembling modern
dolphins. The Rhaetian concluded with
the disappearance of diverse species,
impacting ocean plankton, reef-
builders, and pelagic conodonts,
encompassing extinct organisms such
as straight-shelled nautiloids,
placodonts, bivalves, and various
reptiles unable to withstand the
challenges of this period.
Triassic -
Jurassic
Extinction
Event
Triassic - Jurassic Extinction
This event vacated terrestrial
ecological niches, allowing the
dinosaurs to assume the
dominant roles in the Jurassic
period. This event happened in
less than 10,000 years and
occurred just before Pangaea
started to break apart. In the
area of Tübingen (Germany), a
Triassic–Jurassic bonebed can
be found, which is
characteristic for this
boundary.
Marine Invertebrates
The Triassic-Jurassic extinction marked
a significant shift from Palaeozoic to
Modern fauna, influenced by preceding
events like the end-Guadalupian and
Permian-Triassic extinctions. While
plankton diversity was mildly affected,
ammonites, particularly ceratitidans,
saw a substantial decline, bivalves
displayed mixed effects, and gastropod
diversity gradually decreased during the
late Norian and Rhaetian. Despite a rapid
post-extinction recovery with
rebounding benthic ecosystems and
dominance of siliceous sponges, certain
clades, such as corals, exhibited slower
recovery and vanished in the early
Hettangian.
 Marine Vertebrates
Conodonts, a significant group, became extinct at
the end of the Triassic, contrasting with fish, which
didn't undergo mass extinction; the decline in
certain fish diversity may be attributed to factors
like sea level changes or sampling methods.
Neopterygiians, modern bony fish, demonstrated
resilience during this period, leading to a shift in
dominant fish types. While the Triassic-Jurassic
boundary did not witness a significant increase in
extinction for marine reptiles, specific families like
placochelyids and giant ichthyosaurs did go extinct,
and some scientists suggest the end of the Triassic
acted as a genetic bottleneck for ichthyosaurs,
hindering their recovery of diverse features.
Terrestrial Vertebrates
Capitosaurs, a significant amphibian
group, faced extinction at the Triassic-
Jurassic boundary, with debates about
some potentially disappearing earlier.
Edwin H. Colbert observed that the
impact of the Triassic-Jurassic Mass
Extinction (TJME) was more severe on
terrestrial fauna than marine fauna,
paralleling patterns seen at the
Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.
Olsen's estimation of a 42% extinction of
terrestrial tetrapods during the TJME
has sparked debates regarding the
abruptness or gradual nature of the
turnover, and evidence from British
fissure deposits suggests that various
land reptile groups might have survived
until the Triassic-Jurassic boundary.
Terrestrial Plants
The Triassic-Jurassic extinction event
marked the transition from Palaeozoic
to Modern fauna, with significant
impacts on marine life such as
ammonites, bivalves, and marine
reptiles. Despite the extinction of
certain groups, evidence suggests a
relatively fast recovery in benthic
ecosystems after the event. The decline
of conodonts, a significant vertebrate
group, and the substantial diversity
decrease in marine reptiles occurred
during this period. Additionally, the
Triassic-Jurassic boundary witnessed
shifts in plant life, contributing to a
floral turnover with varied impacts on
species diversity and abundance.
JURASSIC
PERIOD
Jurassic Period
(201-145 million years ago)
Evolutionary
Marvels:
Early Jurassic
Life
Evolutionary
Marvels:
Middle
Jurassic Life
Evolutionary
Marvels:
Late Jurassic
Life
 Jurassic -
Cretaceous
Extinction
Event
CRETACEOUS
PERIOD
Cretaceous Period
(145-66 million years ago)
Evolutionary
Marvels:
Early
Cretaceous
Life
Evolutionary
Marvels:
Late
Cretaceous
Life
Cretaceous -
Paleogene
Extinction
Event
SUMMARY
Impact of the
Mesozoic Era
on Modern
Ecosystem
 The Mesozoic era, known for the dominance of
dinosaurs, had a profound impact on shaping today's
ecosystems. It led to the evolution of many key groups of
plants and animals, influencing the development of
modern flora and fauna. For instance, flowering plants
became more prevalent, laying the foundation for
diverse terrestrial ecosystems we see today. Additionally,
some of the fundamental groups of modern animals,
such as mammals and birds, started to evolve during this
era. The extinction event at the end of the Mesozoic,
which wiped out dinosaurs, allowed for the rise of
mammals and eventually led to the development of
complex ecosystems we recognize today.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!