Mesozoic era map. Brief information about the Mesozoic era. Fauna and flora in the Mesozoic. Development of life in the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods
On land, the diversity of reptiles increased. Their hind limbs have become more developed than their forelimbs. The ancestors of modern lizards and turtles also appeared in Triassic period. In the Triassic period, the climate of certain territories was not only dry, but also cold. As a result of the struggle for existence and natural selection, the first mammals appeared from some predatory reptiles, which were no larger than rats. It is believed that they, like modern platypuses and echidnas, were oviparous.
Plants
Repentant in Jurassic period spread not only on land, but also in water and air. Flying lizards have become widespread. The Jurassic also saw the appearance of the very first birds, Archeopteryx. As a result of the flourishing of spore and gymnosperm plants, the body size of herbivorous reptiles increased excessively, some of them reaching a length of 20-25 m.
Plants
Thanks to the warm and humid climate, tree-like plants flourished during the Jurassic period. In the forests, as before, gymnosperms and fern-like plants dominated. Some of them, such as sequoia, have survived to this day. The first flowering plants that appeared in the Jurassic period had a primitive structure and were not widespread.
Climate
IN Cretaceous period The climate has changed dramatically. Cloudiness decreased significantly, and the atmosphere became dry and transparent. As a result Sun rays fell directly on plant leaves. Material from the site
Animals
On land, the reptile class still retained its dominance. Predatory and herbivorous reptiles increased in size. Their bodies were covered with a shell. The birds had teeth, but were otherwise close to modern birds. In the second half of the Cretaceous period, representatives of the subclass of marsupials and placentals appeared.
Plants
Climatic changes in the Cretaceous period had a negative impact on ferns and gymnosperms, and their numbers began to decline. But angiosperms, on the contrary, multiplied. By the mid-Cretaceous, many families of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous angiosperms had evolved. Due to its diversity and appearance they are in many ways close to modern flora.
The history of the Earth goes back four and a half billion years. This huge period of time is divided into four eons, which in turn are divided into eras and periods. The final fourth eon - Phanerozoic - includes three eras:
- Paleozoic;
- Mesozoic;
- Cenozoic
Periods of the Mesozoic era
The end of the Paleozoic era was marked by the extinction of animals. The development of life in the Mesozoic era is characterized by the emergence of new species of creatures. First of all, these are dinosaurs, as well as the first mammals.
The Mesozoic lasted one hundred eighty-six million years and consisted of three periods, such as:
- Triassic;
- Jurassic;
- chalky.
The Mesozoic period is also characterized as the era of global warming. There have also been significant changes in the tectonics of the Earth. It was at that time that the only existing supercontinent broke into two parts, which were subsequently divided into the continents that exist in the modern world.
Triassic
The Triassic period is the first stage of the Mesozoic era. The Triassic lasted for thirty-five million years. After the catastrophe that occurred at the end of the Paleozoic on Earth, conditions are observed that are little conducive to the flourishing of life. A tectonic fault occurs and is formed active volcanoes and mountain peaks.
The climate becomes warm and dry, as a result of which deserts form on the planet, and the level of salt in water bodies increases sharply. However, it is precisely at this unfavorable time that mammals and birds appear. This was largely facilitated by the absence of clearly defined climatic zones and the maintenance of uniform temperatures throughout the globe.
Fauna of the Triassic
The Triassic period of the Mesozoic is characterized by significant evolution of the animal world. It was during the Triassic period that those organisms arose that subsequently shaped the appearance of the modern biosphere.
Cynodonts appeared - a group of lizards that were the ancestors of the first mammals. These lizards were covered with hair and had highly developed jaws, which helped them feed raw meat. Cynodonts laid eggs, but females fed their young with milk. The ancestors of dinosaurs, pterosaurs and modern crocodiles - archosaurs - also arose in the Triassic.
Due to the dry climate, many organisms have changed their habitat to aquatic habitats. This is how new species of ammonites, mollusks, as well as bony and ray-finned fish appeared. But the main residents depths of the sea there were predatory ichthyosaurs, which, as they evolved, began to reach gigantic sizes.
By the end of the Triassic, natural selection did not allow all the animals that appeared to survive; many species could not withstand competition with others, stronger and faster. Thus, by the end of the period, thecodonts, the ancestors of dinosaurs, predominated on land.
Plants during the Triassic period
The flora of the first half of the Triassic did not differ significantly from the plants of the end of the Paleozoic era. Various types of algae grew in abundance in the water, seed ferns and ancient conifers were widespread on land, and lycophytes were widespread in coastal zones.
By the end of the Triassic, the land was covered with a cover of herbaceous plants, which greatly contributed to the appearance of a variety of insects. Plants of the mesophytic group also appeared. Some cycad plants have survived to this day. It grows in the Malay Archipelago zone. Most plant species grew on the planet's coastal areas, while conifers predominated on land.
Jurassic period
This period is the most famous in the history of the Mesozoic era. The Jura is the European mountains that give its name to this time. Sedimentary deposits from that era have been found in these mountains. The Jurassic period lasted fifty-five million years. It acquired geographical significance due to the formation of modern continents (America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica).
The separation of the two previously existing continents of Laurasia and Gondwana served to form new bays and seas and raise the level of the world's oceans. This had a beneficial effect on making it more humid. The air temperature on the planet dropped and began to correspond to a temperate and subtropical climate. Such climate changes greatly contributed to the development and improvement of flora and fauna.
Animals and plants of the Jurassic period
The Jurassic period is the era of dinosaurs. Although other forms of life also evolved and took on new forms and species. The seas of that period were filled with many invertebrates, the structure of whose bodies was more developed than in the Triassic. Bivalve mollusks and intrashell belemnites, the length of which reached three meters, became widespread.
The insect world has also received evolutionary growth. The appearance of flowering plants also provoked the appearance of pollinating insects. New species of cicadas, beetles, dragonflies and other terrestrial insects have emerged.
Climatic changes that occurred during the Jurassic period resulted in heavy rainfall. This, in turn, gave impetus to the spread of lush vegetation across the surface of the planet. In the northern belt of the earth, herbaceous ferns and ginkgo plants predominated. The southern zone consisted of tree ferns and cycads. In addition, the Earth was filled with various coniferous, cordaite and cycad plants.
Age of Dinosaurs
During the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic, reptiles reached their evolutionary peak, ushering in the era of dinosaurs. The seas were dominated everywhere by giant dolphin-like ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. If ichthyosaurs were inhabitants of an exclusively aquatic environment, then plesiosaurs from time to time needed access to land.
Dinosaurs living on land amazed us with their diversity. Their sizes varied from 10 centimeters to thirty meters, and they weighed up to fifty tons. Herbivores predominated among them, but there were also ferocious predators. A huge number of predatory animals provoked the formation of certain elements of defense in herbivores: sharp plates, spines and others.
The airspace of the Jurassic period was filled with dinosaurs that could fly. Although they needed to climb to higher ground to fly. Pterodactyls and other pterosaurs swarmed and swooped above the surface of the earth in search of food.
Cretaceous period
When choosing the name for the next period, the main role was played by writing chalk, formed in the deposits of dying invertebrate organisms. The period called the Cretaceous was the final one Mesozoic era. This time lasted eighty million years.
The newly formed continents move, and the tectonics of the Earth increasingly takes on a familiar appearance. to modern man. The climate became noticeably colder, at which time ice caps formed in the northern and south pole. The planet is also divided into climatic zones. But in general, the climate remained quite warm, helped by the greenhouse effect.
Cretaceous biosphere
Belemnites and mollusks continue to evolve and spread in water bodies; sea urchins and the first crustaceans.
In addition, fish with hard bones actively develop in reservoirs. Insects and worms have progressed greatly. On land, the number of vertebrates increased, among which the leading positions were occupied by reptiles. They actively consumed vegetation earth's surface and destroyed each other. During the Cretaceous period, the first snakes arose that lived both in water and on land. Birds, which began to appear at the end of the Jurassic period, became widespread and actively developed during the Cretaceous period.
Among vegetation, flowering plants have received the greatest development. Spore-bearing plants died out due to their reproductive characteristics, giving way to more progressive ones. At the end of this period, gymnosperms evolved noticeably and began to be replaced by angiosperms.
The end of the Mesozoic era
The history of the Earth includes two events that contributed to the mass extinction of the planet's fauna. The first, the Permian catastrophe, marked the beginning of the Mesozoic era, and the second marked its end. Most animal species that actively evolved in the Mesozoic became extinct. Ammonites, belemnites, and bivalves ceased to exist in the aquatic environment. Dinosaurs and many other reptiles disappeared. Many species of birds and insects also disappeared.
To date, there is no proven hypothesis about what exactly was the impetus for the mass extinction of fauna in the Cretaceous period. There are versions about the negative impact greenhouse effect or about radiation caused by a powerful cosmic explosion. But most scientists are inclined to believe that the cause of the extinction was the fall of a gigantic asteroid, which, when it hit the surface of the Earth, lifted a mass of substances into the atmosphere, blocking the planet from sunlight.
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general information
Mesozoic era lasted approximately 160 million.
years. It is usually divided into three periods: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous; The first two periods were much shorter than the third, which lasted 71 million.
Biologically, the Mesozoic was a time of transition from old, primitive to new, progressive forms. Neither four-rayed corals (rugosas), nor trilobites, nor graptolites crossed the invisible border that lay between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic.
The Mesozoic world was much more diverse than the Paleozoic; the fauna and flora appeared in it in a significantly updated composition.
2. Triassic period
Periodization: from 248 to 213 million years ago.
The Triassic period in Earth's history marked the beginning of the Mesozoic era, or the era of "middle life." Before him, all the continents were merged into a single giant supercontinent, Panagea. With the onset of the Triassic, Pangea again began to split into Gondwana and Laurasia, and the Atlantic Ocean began to form.
Sea levels around the world were very low. The climate, almost everywhere warm, gradually became drier, and vast deserts formed in inland areas. Shallow seas and lakes evaporated intensely, causing the water in them to become very salty.
Animal world.
Dinosaurs and other reptiles became the dominant group of land animals. The first frogs appeared, and a little later land and sea turtles and crocodiles. The first mammals also appeared, and the diversity of mollusks increased.
New species of corals, shrimp and lobsters formed. By the end of the period, almost all ammonites became extinct. Marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs established themselves in the oceans, and pterosaurs began to colonize the air.
The largest aromorphoses: the appearance of a four-chambered heart, complete separation of arterial and venous blood, warm-bloodedness, mammary glands.
Vegetable world.
Below was a carpet of club mosses and horsetails, as well as palm-shaped bennettites.
Fauna and flora in the Mesozoic. Development of life in the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods
Jurassic period
Periodization: from 213 to 144 million years ago.
By the beginning of the Jurassic period, the giant supercontinent Pangea was in the process of active disintegration. There was still a single vast continent south of the equator, which was again called Gondwana. Subsequently, it also split into parts that formed today's Australia, India, Africa and South America.
The sea flooded a significant part of the land. Intensive mountain building took place. At the beginning of the period, the climate was warm and dry everywhere, then it became more humid.
Terrestrial animals of the northern hemisphere could no longer move freely from one continent to another, but they still spread unhindered throughout the southern supercontinent.
Animal world.
The number and diversity of sea turtles and crocodiles increased, and new species of plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs appeared.
The land was dominated by insects, the predecessors of modern flies, wasps, earwigs, ants and bees. The first bird, Archeopteryx, also appeared. Dinosaurs reigned supreme, evolving into many forms: from giant sauropods to smaller, fleet-footed predators
Vegetable world.
The climate became more humid, and all the land was overgrown with abundant vegetation. The predecessors of today's cypresses, pines and mammoth trees appeared in the forests.
The largest aromorphoses have not been identified.
Cretaceous period
Mesozoic biological Triassic Jurassic
Periodization: from 144 to 65 million years ago.
During the Cretaceous period, the “great split” of continents continued on our planet. The huge land masses that formed Laurasia and Gondwana gradually fell apart. South America and Africa moved away from each other, and the Atlantic Ocean became wider and wider. Africa, India and Australia also began to diverge in different directions, and giant islands eventually formed south of the equator.
Most of the territory modern Europe was then under water.
The sea flooded vast areas of land.
The remains of hard-covered planktonic organisms formed huge thicknesses of Cretaceous sediments on the ocean floor. At first the climate was warm and humid, but then it became noticeably colder.
Animal world.
The number of belemnites in the seas has increased.
The oceans were dominated by giant sea turtles and predatory marine reptiles. Snakes appeared on land, in addition, new varieties of dinosaurs appeared, as well as insects such as moths and butterflies. At the end of the period, another mass extinction led to the disappearance of ammonites, ichthyosaurs and many other groups of marine animals, and on land all dinosaurs and pterosaurs became extinct.
The largest aromorphosis is the appearance of the uterus and intrauterine development of the fetus.
Vegetable world.
The first flowering plants appeared, establishing close “cooperation” with insects that carried their pollen.
They began to quickly spread throughout the land.
The largest aromorphosis is the formation of a flower and fruit.
5. Results of the Mesozoic era
The Mesozoic era is the era of middle life. It is named so because the flora and fauna of this era are transitional between Paleozoic and Cenozoic. During the Mesozoic era, the modern outlines of continents and oceans, modern marine fauna and flora gradually formed.
The Andes and Cordillera, the mountain ranges of China and East Asia. The depressions of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The formation of the Pacific Ocean depressions began. Serious aromorphoses also occurred in the plant and animal worlds. Gymnosperms become the predominant division of plants, and in the animal world the appearance of a four-chambered heart and the formation of the uterus are of equal importance.
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Mesozoic era
The beginning of the Mesozoic era as a transitional period in development earth's crust and life.
Significant restructuring of the structural plan of the Earth. Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods Mesozoic era, their description and characteristics (climate, flora and fauna).
presentation, added 05/02/2015
Cretaceous period
Geological structure of the planet during the Cretaceous period. Tectonic changes during the Mesozoic stage of development.
Reasons for the extinction of dinosaurs. The Cretaceous period is the last period of the Mesozoic era. Characteristics of vegetation and animals, their aromorphoses.
presentation, added 11/29/2011
Class Reptiles
Reptiles are a paraphyletic group of predominantly terrestrial vertebrates, including modern turtles, crocodiles, beaked animals, amphisbaenians, lizards, chameleons and snakes.
General characteristics of the largest terrestrial animals, analysis of features.
presentation, added 05/21/2014
Features of studying the fauna of terrestrial vertebrates in urban areas
Urban habitat for animals of any species, species composition of terrestrial vertebrates in the study area.
Classification of animals and their features biological diversity, ecological problems of synanthropization and synurbanization of animals.
course work, added 03/25/2012
Development of life in the Mesozoic era
Review of the features of the development of the earth's crust and life in the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of the Mesozoic era. Descriptions of the Variscan mountain-building processes, the formation of volcanic areas.
Analysis of climatic conditions, representatives of fauna and flora.
presentation, added 10/09/2012
Development of life on Earth
Geochronological table of the development of life on Earth. Characteristics of climate, tectonic processes, conditions for the emergence and development of life in the Archean, Proterozoic, Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras.
Tracking the process of complication of the organic world.
presentation, added 02/08/2011
History of study, classification of dinosaurs
Characteristics of dinosaurs as a superorder of terrestrial vertebrates that lived in prehistoric times.
Paleontological studies of the remains of these animals. Scientific classification them into carnivorous and herbivorous subspecies.
History of the study of dinosaurs.
presentation, added 04/25/2016
Herbivorous dinosaurs
A study of the lifestyles of herbivorous dinosaurs, which include all ornithischian dinosaurs and sauropodomorphs, a suborder of saurischians, which shows how diverse they were, even despite the restrictions imposed by their diet.
abstract, added 12/24/2011
Silurian period of the Paleozoic era
The Silurian period is the third geological period of the Paleozoic era.
The gradual sinking of land under water is a characteristic feature of Silurian. Features of the animal world, distribution of invertebrates. The first land plants were psilophytes (naked plants).
presentation, added 10/23/2013
Mesozoic era
Permian mass extinction. The reasons for the extinction of dinosaurs and many other living organisms at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Beginning, middle and end of the Mesozoic. Fauna of the Mesozoic era.
Dinosaur, pterosaur, rhamphorhynchus, pterodactyl, tyrannosaurus, deinonychus.
presentation, added 05/11/2014
Mesozoic era
The Mesozoic era (252-66 million years ago) is the second era of the fourth eon - Phanerozoic. Its duration is 186 million years. The main features of the Mesozoic: the modern outlines of continents and oceans, modern marine fauna and flora are gradually formed. The Andes and Cordillera, the mountain ranges of China and East Asia, were formed. The depressions of the Atlantic and Indian oceans were formed. The formation of the Pacific Ocean depressions began.
Periods of the Mesozoic era
Triassic period, Triassic, - the first period of the Mesozoic era, lasts 51 million years.
This is the time of formation of the Atlantic Ocean. The single continent of Pangea again begins to break into two parts - Gondwana and Laurasia. Inland continental reservoirs are beginning to actively dry up. The depressions left from them are gradually filled with rock deposits.
New ones appear mountain heights and volcanoes that are showing increased activity. A huge part of the landmass is still occupied by desert zones with weather conditions, unsuitable for the life of most species of living beings. The salt level in water bodies is rising. During this time period, representatives of birds, mammals and dinosaurs appear on the planet. Read in detail - Triassic period.
Jurassic period (Jura)- the most famous period of the Mesozoic era.
It received its name due to the sedimentary deposits of that time found in the Jura (mountain ranges of Europe). The average period of the Mesozoic era lasts about 56 million years. The formation of modern continents begins - Africa, America, Antarctica, Australia. But they are not yet located in the order to which we are accustomed.
Deep bays and small seas appear, separating the continents. Active formation of mountain ranges continues. The Arctic Sea floods the north of Laurasia. As a result, the climate is moistened, and vegetation forms in place of deserts.
Cretaceous period (Cretaceous)- the final period of the Mesozoic era, occupies a time period of 79 million years. Angiosperms appear. As a result of this, the evolution of fauna representatives begins. The movement of continents continues - Africa, America, India and Australia are moving away from each other. The continents of Laurasia and Gondwana begin to break up into continental blocks. Huge islands are forming in the south of the planet.
The Atlantic Ocean is expanding. The Cretaceous period is a time of flourishing of flora and fauna on land. Due to the evolution of the plant world, fewer minerals enter the seas and oceans. The amount of algae and bacteria in water bodies decreases. Read in detail - Cretaceous period
Climate of the Mesozoic era
At the very beginning, the climate of the Mesozoic era was uniform throughout the planet. The air temperature at the equator and poles remained at the same level.
At the end of the first period of the Mesozoic era, drought reigned on Earth for most of the year, which was briefly replaced by rainy seasons. But, despite the arid conditions, the climate became significantly colder than it was during the Paleozoic period.
Some species of reptiles have fully adapted to cold weather. From these species of animals mammals and birds would later develop.
During the Cretaceous period it becomes even colder. All continents have their own climate. Tree-like plants appear, which lose their foliage during the cold season. Snow begins to fall at the North Pole.
Plants of the Mesozoic era
At the beginning of the Mesozoic, the continents were dominated by lycophytes, various ferns, the ancestors of modern palms, conifers and ginkgo trees.
In the seas and oceans, the dominance belonged to algae that formed reefs.
The increased humidity of the climate of the Jurassic period led to the rapid formation of plant matter on the planet. The forests consisted of ferns, conifers and cycads. Thujas and araucarias grew near the ponds. In the middle of the Mesozoic era, two vegetation belts formed:
- Northern, which was dominated by herbaceous ferns and gingkovic trees;
- Southern.
Tree ferns and cycads reigned here.
In the modern world, ferns, cycads (palm trees reaching 18 meters in size) and cordaites of that time can be found in tropical and subtropical forests.
Horsetails, mosses, cypresses and spruce trees had practically no differences from those that are common in our time.
The Cretaceous period is characterized by the appearance of plants with flowers. In this regard, butterflies and bees appeared among insects, thanks to which flowering plants were able to quickly spread throughout the planet.
Also at this time, ginkgo trees with leaves that fall off during the cold season begin to grow. Conifers forested areas of this time period are very similar to modern ones.
These include yews, firs and cypresses.
The development of higher gymnosperms lasts throughout the Mesozoic era. These representatives have their name earth flora received due to the fact that their seeds did not have an outer protective shell. Most widespread received cycads and bennettites.
In appearance, cicadas resemble tree ferns or cycads. They have straight stems and massive leaves that look like feathers. Bennettites are trees or shrubs. They are similar in appearance to cycads, but their seeds are covered with a shell. This brings the plants closer to angiosperms.
Angiosperms appeared in the Cretaceous period. From this moment a new stage in the development of plant life begins. Angiosperms (flowering plants) are at the top rung of the evolutionary ladder.
They have special reproductive organs - stamens and pistil, which are located in the flower cup. Their seeds, unlike gymnosperms, are hidden by a dense protective shell. These plants of the Mesozoic era quickly adapt to any climatic conditions and actively develop. Behind short term Angiosperms began to dominate the entire Earth. Their various types and forms have reached the modern world - eucalyptus, magnolia, quince, oleander, walnut trees, oaks, birches, willows and beeches.
Of the gymnosperms of the Mesozoic era, we are now familiar only with coniferous species- firs, pines, sequoias and some others. The evolution of plant life of that period significantly outstripped the development of representatives of the animal world.
Animals of the Mesozoic era
Animals actively evolved during the Triassic period of the Mesozoic era.
A huge variety of more developed creatures formed, which gradually replaced the ancient species.
One of these types of reptiles was the animal-like pelycosaurs - sailing lizards.
On their backs there was a huge sail, like a fan. They were replaced by therapsids, which were divided into 2 groups - predators and herbivores.
Their legs were powerful and their tails were short. Therapsids were much superior to pelycosaurs in speed and endurance, but this did not save their species from extinction at the end of the Mesozoic era.
The evolutionary group of lizards from which mammals would later evolve are the cynodonts (dog teeth). These animals got their name due to their powerful jaw bones and sharp teeth, with which they could easily chew raw meat.
Their bodies were covered with thick hair. The females laid eggs, but the newborn cubs fed on their mother's milk.
At the beginning of the Mesozoic era it was formed the new kind lizards - archosaurs (ruling reptiles).
They are the ancestors of all dinosaurs, pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, placodonts and crocodylomorphs. Archosaurs, adapted to the climatic conditions on the coast, became predatory thecodonts.
They hunted on land near bodies of water. Most thecodonts walked on four legs. But there were also individuals that ran on their hind legs. In this way, these animals developed incredible speed. After some time, thecodonts evolved into dinosaurs.
By the end of the Triassic period, two species of reptiles predominated. Some are the ancestors of the crocodiles of our time.
Others turned into dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs have a body structure that is not similar to other lizards. Their paws are located under the body.
This feature allowed dinosaurs to move quickly. Their skin is covered with waterproof scales. Lizards move on 2 or 4 legs, depending on the species. The first representatives were fast coelophysis, powerful herrerasaurs and huge plateosaurs.
Besides dinosaurs, archosaurs gave rise to another species of reptile that was different from the rest.
These are pterosaurs - the first lizards that can fly. They lived near bodies of water and ate various insects for food.
The fauna of the deep sea of the Mesozoic era is also characterized by a variety of species - ammonites, bivalves, families of sharks, bony and ray-finned fish. The most prominent predators were the underwater lizards that appeared not so long ago. Dolphin-like ichthyosaurs had high speed.
One of the giant representatives of ichthyosaurs is Shonisaurus. Its length reached 23 meters, and its weight did not exceed 40 tons.
Lizard-like nothosaurs had sharp fangs.
Placadonts, similar to modern newts, were searched for seabed shells of mollusks that were bitten with teeth. Tanystrophei lived on land. Long (2-3 times the body size), slender necks allowed them to catch fish while standing on the shore.
1 more group sea lizards Triassic period - plesiosaurs. At the beginning of the era, plesiosaurs reached a size of only 2 meters, and by the middle of the Mesozoic they evolved into giants.
The Jurassic period is the time of the development of dinosaurs.
The evolution of plant life gave rise to the emergence of different types of herbivorous dinosaurs. And this, in turn, led to an increase in the number of predatory individuals. Some dinosaur species were the size of cats, while others were as large as giant whales. The most gigantic individuals are diplodocus and brachiosaurs, reaching a length of 30 meters.
Their weight was about 50 tons.
Archeopteryx is the first creature standing on the border between lizards and birds. Archeopteryx did not yet know how to fly long distances. The beak was replaced by jaws with sharp teeth. The wings ended in fingers. Archeopteryx was the size of a modern crow.
They lived mainly in forests and ate insects and various seeds.
In the middle of the Mesozoic era, pterosaurs were divided into 2 groups - pterodactyls and rhamphorhynchus.
Pterodactyls lacked a tail and feathers. But there were large wings and a narrow skull with few teeth. These creatures lived in flocks on the coast. During the day they obtained food for themselves, and at night they hid in the trees. Pterodactyls ate fish, shellfish and insects. This group of pterosaurs had to jump from high places to take to the skies. Rhamphorhynchus also lived on the coast. They ate fish and insects. They had long tails, which had a blade at the end, narrow wings and a massive skull with teeth different sizes, which were convenient for catching slippery fish.
The most dangerous predator of the deep sea was Liopleurodon, which weighed 25 tons.
Huge Coral reefs, in which ammonites, belemnites, sponges and sea mats settled. Representatives of the shark family and bony fishes are developing. New species of plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, sea turtles and crocodiles appeared. Saltwater crocodiles developed flippers instead of legs. This feature allowed them to increase speed in the aquatic environment.
During the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era, bees and butterflies appeared. Insects carried pollen, and flowers gave them food.
This is how it began long-term cooperation insects and plants.
The most famous dinosaurs that time became the predatory tyrannosaurs and tarbosaurs, herbivorous bipedal iguanodons, quadrupedal rhinoceros-like triceratops and small armored ankylosaurs.
Most mammals of that period belong to the subclass Allotheria.
These are small animals, similar to mice, weighing no more than 0.5 kg. The only one exceptional view- repenomamas. They grew up to 1 meter and weighed 14 kg. At the end of the Mesozoic era, the evolution of mammals occurs - the ancestors of modern animals separate from allotheria. They are divided into 3 species - oviparous, marsupial and placental. It is they who replace the dinosaurs at the beginning of the next era. Rodents and primates emerged from the placental species of mammals. Purgatorius became the first primates.
From marsupial species modern opossums evolved, and egg-laying ones gave rise to platypuses.
The airspace is dominated by early pterodactyls and new species of flying reptiles - Orcheopteryx and Quetzatcoatli. These were the most gigantic flying creatures in the entire history of the development of our planet.
Together with representatives of pterosaurs, birds dominate the air. Many ancestors appeared during the Cretaceous period modern birds- ducks, geese, loons. The length of the birds was 4-150 cm, weight - from 20 grams. up to several kilograms.
The seas were dominated by huge predators reaching 20 meters in length - ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and mososaurs. Plesiosaurs had a very long neck and a small head.
Their large size did not allow them to develop higher speed. The animals ate fish and shellfish. Mososaurs replaced saltwater crocodiles. These are giant predatory lizards with an aggressive character.
At the end of the Mesozoic era, snakes and lizards appeared, the species of which have reached the modern world unchanged. The turtles of this time period were also no different from those we see now.
Their weight reached 2 tons, length - from 20 cm to 4 meters.
By the end of the Cretaceous period, most reptiles began to die out en masse.
Minerals of the Mesozoic era
A large number of natural resource deposits are associated with the Mesozoic era.
These are sulfur, phosphorites, polymetals, construction and combustible materials, oil and natural gas.
In Asia, due to active volcanic processes, the Pacific belt was formed, which gave the world large deposits of gold, lead, zinc, tin, arsenic and other types of rare metals. In terms of coal reserves, the Mesozoic era is significantly inferior to the Paleozoic era, but even during this period several large deposits brown and hard coal - Kansky basin, Bureinsky, Lensky.
Mesozoic oil and gas fields are located in the Urals, Siberia, Yakutia, and the Sahara.
Phosphorite deposits have been found in the Volga region and Moscow region.
To the table: Phanerozoic eon
01 of 04. Periods of the Mesozoic era
The Paleozoic era, like all major eras on a geological time scale, ended with a mass extinction. The Permian mass extinction is considered the largest loss of species in Earth's history. Almost 96% of all living species were wiped out due to the large number of volcanic eruptions that led to massive and relatively rapid climate change during the Mesozoic era.
The Mesozoic Era is often called the "Age of the Dinosaurs" because it is the time period in which dinosaurs evolved and eventually went extinct.
The Mesozoic era is divided into three periods: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous.
02 of 04. Triassic period (251 million years ago - 200 million years ago)
Fossil of Pseudopalatus from the Triassic period.
National Park Service
The beginning of the Triassic period was quite sparse in terms of life forms on Earth. Because there were so few species left after the Permian mass extinction, it took a very long time for recolonization and increased biodiversity. The Earth's topography also changed during this time period. At the beginning of the Mesozoic era, all continents were connected into one large continent. This supercontinent was named Pangea.
During the Triassic period, continents began to separate due to plate tectonics and continental drift.
As animals began to emerge from the oceans again and colonize nearly empty land, they also learned to dig burrows to protect themselves from environmental changes. For the first time in history, amphibians such as frogs appeared, followed by reptiles such as turtles, crocodiles, and eventually dinosaurs.
By the end of the Triassic period, birds also appeared, splitting off from the dinosaur branch of the phylogenetic tree.
Plants were also few in number. In the Triassic period they began to flourish again.
Development of life in the Mesozoic era
Most land plants at that time were conifers or ferns. By the end of the Triassic period, some of the ferns had developed seeds for reproduction. Unfortunately, another mass extinction brought an end to the Triassic period. This time, about 65% of the species on Earth did not survive.
03 of 04. Jurassic period (200 million years ago - 145 million years ago)
Plesiosaur from the Jurassic period.
Tim Evanson
After the Triassic mass extinction, life and species diversified to fill niches that were left open. Pangea broke into two large parts - Laurasia was a land mass in the north, and Gondwana was in the south. Between these two new continents was the Tethys Sea. Diverse climates on each continent allowed many new species to emerge for the first time, including lizards and small mammals. However, dinosaurs and flying reptiles continued to dominate the land and sky.
There were a lot of fish in the oceans.
Plants bloomed on earth for the first time. There were numerous extensive pastures for herbivores, which also provided food for predators. The Jurassic period was like a Renaissance era for life on Earth.
04 of 04. Cretaceous period (145 million years ago - 65 million years ago)
Fossil Pachycephalosaurus from the Cretaceous period.
Tim Evanson
The Cretaceous period is the last period of the Mesozoic era. Favorable conditions for life on Earth continued from the Jurassic period to the early Cretaceous period. Laurasia and Gondwana began to expand even further, eventually forming the seven continents we see today. As landmass expanded, Earth's climate became warm and humid. These were very favorable conditions for plant life to flourish. Flowering plants began to proliferate and dominate the land.
As plant life was abundant, the population of herbivores also increased, which in turn led to an increase in the number and size of predators. Mammals also began to split into many species, just as dinosaurs did.
Life in the ocean developed according to a similar scenario. Warm and humid climate maintained high sea levels. This has contributed to an increase in the biodiversity of marine species.
All tropical areas of the Earth were covered with water, so climatic conditions were pretty much ideal for the variety of life.
As before, these almost ideal conditions would have to end sooner or later. This time, the mass extinction that ended the Cretaceous period and then the entire Mesozoic era is thought to have been caused by one or more large meteors hitting the Earth. The ash and dust released into the atmosphere blocked the sun, slowly killing off all the lush plant life that had accumulated on the land.
Likewise, most of the species in the ocean also disappeared during this time. As there were fewer and fewer plants, herbivores also gradually died out. Everything died out: from insects to large birds and mammals and, of course, dinosaurs. Only small animals that were able to adapt and survive in conditions of little food were able to see the beginning of the Cenozoic era.
Sources
Mesozoic deposits- sediments, sediments formed during the Mesozoic era. Mesozoic deposits include the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous systems (periods).
In Mordovia there are only Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. In the Triassic period (248 - 213 million years), the territory of Mordovia was dry land and sediments were not deposited. During the Jurassic period (213 - 144 million years), throughout the entire territory of the republic there was a sea in which clays, sands, and, less commonly, phosphorite nodules and carbonaceous shales accumulated.
Jurassic deposits reach the surface on 20 - 25% of the area (mainly along river valleys), with a thickness of 80 - 140 m. Associated with them are deposits of minerals - oil shale and phosphorites. During the Cretaceous period (144 - 65 million years) the sea continued to exist, and sediments of this age come to the surface on 60 - 65% of the territory in all regions of the Republic of Mordovia.
They are represented by 2 groups - Lower and Upper Cretaceous. On the eroded surface of Jurassic deposits (oil shale and dark clays) lie Lower Cretaceous: phosphorite conglomerate, greenish-gray and black clays and sands with a total thickness of up to 110 m. Upper Cretaceous deposits consist of light gray and white chalk, marl, opoka and make up the Cretaceous mountains in the southeastern regions of the Republic of Mordovia.
Thin layers are marked by green glauconitic and phosphorite-bearing sands. In other layers there are nodules and nodules of phosphorites, fossilized remains of organisms (belemnites, popularly called “devil’s fingers”). The total thickness is approximately 80 m.
Mesozoic era
The Atemarskoye and Kulyasovskoye chalk deposits and the Alekseevskoye deposit of cement raw materials are confined to the Upper Cretaceous deposits.
[edit] Source
A. A. Mukhin. Alekseevsky cement plant quarry. 1965
Mesozoic era
The Mesozoic era began approximately 250 and ended 65 million years ago. It lasted 185 million years. The Mesozoic era is divided into the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods with a total duration of 173 million years. The deposits of these periods constitute the corresponding systems, which together form the Mesozoic group.
The Mesozoic is known primarily as the era of dinosaurs. These giant reptiles overshadow all other groups of living beings.
But you shouldn’t forget about others. After all, it was the Mesozoic - the time when real mammals, birds, and flowering plants appeared - that actually formed the modern biosphere.
And if in the first period of the Mesozoic - the Triassic, there were still many animals on Earth from Paleozoic groups that were able to survive the Permian catastrophe, then in the last period - the Cretaceous, almost all those families that flourished in the Cenozoic era had already formed.
The Mesozoic era was a transitional period in the development of the earth's crust and life. It can be called the geological and biological Middle Ages.
The beginning of the Mesozoic era coincided with the end of the Variscan mountain-building processes; it ended with the beginning of the last powerful tectonic revolution - the Alpine folding.
IN Southern Hemisphere in the Mesozoic the collapse was completed ancient continent Gondwana, but in general the Mesozoic era here was an era of relative calm, only occasionally and briefly disturbed by slight folding.
The early stage of development of the plant kingdom - paleophyte, was characterized by the dominance of algae, psilophytes and seed ferns. The rapid development of more highly developed gymnosperms, which characterizes the “plant Middle Ages” (mesophyte), began in the Late Permian era and ended at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous era, when the first angiosperms, or flowering plants (Angiospermae), began to spread.
The Cenophyte, the modern period of development of the plant kingdom, began in the Late Cretaceous.
This made their resettlement quite difficult. The development of seeds allowed plants to lose so much close dependence from water. The ovules could now be fertilized by pollen carried by the wind or insects, and water thus no longer determined reproduction. In addition, unlike a single-celled spore with its relatively small supply nutrients, the seed has a multicellular structure and can provide food for longer young plant on early stages development.
Under unfavorable conditions, the seed can remain viable for a long time. Having a durable shell, it reliably protects the embryo from external dangers. All these advantages gave seed plants good chances in the struggle for existence. The ovule (ovum) of the first seed plants was unprotected and developed on special leaves; the seed that emerged from it also did not have an outer shell.
Among the most numerous and most curious gymnosperms of the beginning of the Mesozoic era we find the Cycas, or sago. Their stems were straight and columnar, similar to tree trunks, or short and tuberous; they bore large, long and usually feathery leaves
(for example, the genus Pterophyllum, whose name means “feathery leaves”).
Outwardly, they looked like tree ferns or palm trees.
In addition to the cycads, great importance in the mesophyte they acquired Bennettitales, represented by trees or shrubs. They mostly resemble true cycads, but their seed begins to develop a tough shell, which gives Bennettites an angiosperm-like appearance.
There are other signs of adaptation of Bennettites to conditions of a drier climate.
In the Triassic, new forms came to the fore.
Conifers are spreading quickly, and among them are firs, cypresses, and yews. Among the ginkgos, the genus Baiera has become widespread. The leaves of these plants had the shape of a fan-shaped plate, deeply dissected into narrow lobes. Ferns have taken over damp, shady places along the banks of small bodies of water (Hausmannia and other Dipteraidae). Forms that grow on rocks (Gleicheniacae) are also known among ferns. Horsetails (Equisetites, Phyllotheca, Schizoneura) grew in the swamps, but did not reach the size of their Paleozoic ancestors.
In the middle mesophyte (Jurassic period), the mesophytic flora reached the culmination point of its development.
The hot tropical climate in what is now the temperate zone was ideal for tree ferns to thrive, while smaller fern species and herbaceous plants preferred the temperate zone. Among the plants of this time, gymnosperms continue to play a dominant role
(primarily cycads).
The Cretaceous period is marked by rare changes in vegetation.
The flora of the Lower Cretaceous still resembles in composition the vegetation of the Jurassic period. Gymnosperms are still widespread, but their dominance ends at the end of this time.
Even in the Lower Cretaceous, the most progressive plants suddenly appeared - angiosperms, the predominance of which characterizes the era of new plant life, or Cenophyte.
Angiosperms, or flowering plants (Angiospermae), occupy the highest level of the evolutionary ladder of the plant world.
Their seeds are enclosed in a durable shell; there are specialized reproductive organs (stamen and pistil) assembled into a flower with bright petals and a calyx. Flowering plants appear somewhere in the first half of the Cretaceous period, most likely in a cold and dry mountain climate with large temperature differences.
With the gradual cooling that marked the Cretaceous, they captured more and more new areas on the plains.
Quickly adapting to their new environment, they evolved at amazing speed. Fossils of the first true angiosperms are found in the Lower Cretaceous rocks of Western Greenland, and a little later also in Europe and Asia. In a relatively short time, they spread throughout the Earth and reached great diversity.
From the end of the Early Cretaceous era, the balance of forces began to change in favor of angiosperms, and by the beginning of the Upper Cretaceous their superiority became widespread. Cretaceous angiosperms belonged to the evergreen, tropical or subtropical types, among them were eucalyptus, magnolia, sassafras, tulip trees, Japanese quince trees, brown laurels, walnut trees, plane trees, and oleanders. These heat-loving trees coexisted with the typical flora of the temperate zone: oaks, beeches, willows, and birches.
For gymnosperms, this was a time of surrender. Some species have survived to this day, but their total numbers have been declining all these centuries. A definite exception is conifers, which are still found in abundance today.
In the Mesozoic, plants made a great leap forward, surpassing animals in terms of development rates.
Mesozoic invertebrates were already approaching modern ones in character.
A prominent place among them was occupied by cephalopods, to which modern squids and octopuses belong. TO Mesozoic representatives This group included ammonites with a shell twisted into a “ram’s horn” and belemnites, the inner shell of which was cigar-shaped and overgrown with the flesh of the body - the mantle.
Belemnite shells are popularly known as “devil’s fingers.” Ammonites were found in such numbers in the Mesozoic that their shells are found in almost all marine sediments of this time.
Ammonites appeared in the Silurian, they experienced their first flowering in the Devonian, but reached their highest diversity in the Mesozoic. In the Triassic alone, over 400 new genera of ammonites arose.
Particularly characteristic of the Triassic were ceratids, which were widespread in the Upper Triassic marine basin of Central Europe, the deposits of which in Germany are known as shell limestone.
By the end of the Triassic, most ancient groups of ammonites died out, but representatives of the Phylloceratida survived in Tethys, the giant Mesozoic Mediterranean Sea. This group developed so rapidly in the Jurassic that the ammonites of this time surpassed the Triassic in the variety of forms.
During the Cretaceous, cephalopods, both ammonites and belemnites, remained numerous, but during the Late Cretaceous the number of species in both groups began to decline. Among the ammonites at this time, aberrant forms appeared with an incompletely twisted hook-shaped shell (Scaphites), with a shell elongated in a straight line (Baculites) and with a shell irregular shape(Heteroceras).
These aberrant forms appeared, apparently, as a result of changes in the course individual development and narrow specialization. The terminal Upper Cretaceous forms of some branches of ammonites are distinguished by sharply increased shell sizes. In the genus Parapachydiscus, for example, the shell diameter reaches 2.5 m.
The mentioned belemnites also acquired great importance in the Mesozoic.
Some of their genera, for example, Actinocamax and Belenmitella, are important fossils and are successfully used for stratigraphic division and accurate determination of the age of marine sediments.
At the end of the Mesozoic, all ammonites and belemnites became extinct.
Of the cephalopods with an external shell, only the genus Nautilus has survived to this day. More widespread in modern seas are forms with internal shells - octopuses, cuttlefish and squids, distantly related to belemnites.
The Mesozoic era was a time of unstoppable expansion of vertebrates. Of the Paleozoic fishes, only a few passed into the Mesozoic, as did the genus Xenacanthus, the last representative freshwater sharks Paleozoic, known from freshwater sediments of the Australian Triassic.
Sea sharks continued to evolve throughout the Mesozoic; Most modern genera were already represented in the Cretaceous seas, in particular, Carcharias, Carcharodon, lsurus, etc.
Ray-finned fish, which arose at the end of the Silurian, initially lived only in freshwater bodies of water, but with the Permian they began to enter the seas, where they multiplied unusually and from the Triassic to the present day they retained a dominant position.
Reptiles became most widespread in the Mesozoic, becoming truly the dominant class of this era.
In the course of evolution, a variety of genera and species of reptiles appeared, often of very impressive size. Among them were the largest and most bizarre land animals the earth has ever bore.
As has already been said, by anatomical structure The most ancient reptiles were close to labyrinthodonts. The oldest and most primitive reptiles were the clumsy cotylosaurs (Cotylosauria), which appeared already at the beginning of the Middle Carboniferous and became extinct by the end of the Triassic. Among cotylosaurs, both small animal-eating and relatively large herbivorous forms (pareiasaurs) are known.
The descendants of cotylosaurs gave rise to the entire diversity of the reptile world. One of the most interesting groups of reptiles that developed from cotylosaurs were the beast-like animals (Synapsida, or Theromorpha), their primitive representatives (pelycosaurs) have been known since the end of the Middle Carboniferous. In the middle of the Permian period, pelycosaurs, known mainly from North America, die out, but in the Old World they are replaced by more progressive forms that form the order Therapsida.
The predatory theriodonts (Theriodontia) included in it are already very similar to primitive mammals, and it is no coincidence - it was from them that the first mammals developed by the end of the Triassic.
During the Triassic period, many new groups of reptiles appeared.
These include turtles, ichthyosaurs ("fish lizards"), well adapted to marine life, resembling dolphins in appearance, and placodonts, clumsy armored animals with powerful flattened teeth adapted for crushing shells, and also plesiosaurs that lived in the seas, having a relatively small head, more or a less elongated neck, a wide body, flipper-like paired limbs and a short tail; Plesiosaurs vaguely resemble giant shellless turtles.
In the Jurassic, plesiosaurs, like ichthyosaurs, reached their peak. Both of these groups remained very numerous into the Early Cretaceous, being extremely characteristic predators of the Mesozoic seas.
From an evolutionary point of view, one of the most important groups of Mesozoic reptiles were thecodonts, small predatory reptiles of the Triassic period, which gave rise to the most diverse groups - crocodiles, dinosaurs, flying lizards, and, finally, birds.
However, the most remarkable group of Mesozoic reptiles were the well-known dinosaurs.
They developed from thecodonts back in the Triassic and took a dominant position on Earth in the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Dinosaurs are represented by two groups, completely separate - saurischia (Saurischia) and ornithischia (Ornithischia). In the Jurassic, real monsters could be found among dinosaurs, up to 25-30 m long (including tail) and weighing up to 50 tons. Of these giants, the best known forms are Brontosaurus, Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus.
And in the Cretaceous period the evolutionary progress of dinosaurs continued. Among the European dinosaurs of this time, bipedal iguanodonts are widely known; in America, four-legged horned dinosaurs (Triceratops) Styracosaurus, etc.), somewhat reminiscent of modern rhinoceroses, became widespread.
Also interesting are the relatively small armored dinosaurs (Ankylosauria), covered with a massive bony shell. All named forms were herbivores, as well as giant duck-billed dinosaurs (Anatosaurus, Trachodon, etc.), which walked on two legs.
In the chalk they reached their peak and carnivorous dinosaurs, the most remarkable of which were such forms as Tyrannosaurus rex, whose length exceeded 15 m, Gorgosaurus and Tarbosaurus.
All of these forms, which turned out to be the greatest land predatory animals in the entire history of the Earth, walked on two legs.
At the end of the Triassic, the thecodonts also gave rise to the first crocodiles, which became abundant only in the Jurassic period (Steneosaurus and others). In the Jurassic period, flying lizards appeared - pterosaurs (Pterosauria), also descended from thecodonts.
Among the flying dinosaurs of the Jurassic, the most famous are Rhamphorhynchus and Pterodactylus; among the Cretaceous forms, the most interesting is the relatively very large Pteranodon.
Flying lizards became extinct by the end of the Cretaceous.
In the Cretaceous seas, giant predatory mosasaurian lizards, exceeding 10 m in length, became widespread. Among modern lizards, they are closest to monitor lizards, but differ from them, in particular, in their flipper-like limbs.
By the end of the Cretaceous, the first snakes (Ophidia) appeared, apparently descended from lizards that led a burrowing lifestyle.
Towards the end of the Cretaceous, there was a mass extinction of characteristic Mesozoic groups of reptiles, including dinosaurs, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs and mosasaurs.
Representatives of the class of birds (Aves) first appear in Jurassic deposits.
Brief information about the Mesozoic era
The remains of Archaeopteryx, the well-known and so far only known first bird, were found in lithographic shales of the Upper Jurassic, near the Bavarian city of Solnhofen (Germany). During the Cretaceous period, the evolution of birds proceeded at a rapid pace; The characteristic genera of this time were Ichthyornis and Hesperornis, which still had serrated jaws.
The first mammals (Mattalia), modest animals no larger than a mouse, descended from animal-like reptiles in the Late Triassic.
Throughout the Mesozoic they remained few in number and by the end of the era the original genera were largely extinct.
Most ancient group mammals were triconodonts (Triconodonta), to which the most famous of the Triassic mammals, Morganucodon, belongs. Appears in the Jurassic
a number of new groups of mammals - Symmetrodonta, Docodonta, Multituberculata and Eupantotheria.
Of all the named groups, only the Multituberculata survived the Mesozoic, the last representative of which died out in the Eocene. Polytuberculates were the most specialized of the Mesozoic mammals, convergently they had some similarities with rodents.
The ancestors of the main groups of modern mammals - marsupials (Marsupialia) and placentals (Placentalia) were Eupantotheria. Both marsupials and placentals appeared in the Late Cretaceous. The most ancient group of placentals are insectivores (insectivora), which have survived to this day.
The Mesozoic is an era of tectonic, climatic and evolutionary activity. The formation of the main contours of modern continents and mountain building on the periphery of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans is taking place; the division of land facilitated speciation and other important evolutionary events. The climate was warm throughout the entire time period, which also played a role important role in the evolution and formation of new animal species. By the end of the era, the bulk of the species diversity of life approached its modern state.
Geological periods
- Triassic period (252.2 ± 0.5 - 201.3 ± 0.2)
- Jurassic (201.3 ± 0.2 - 145.0 ± 0.8)
- Cretaceous period (145.0 ± 0.8 - 66.0).
The lower (between the Permian and Triassic periods, that is, between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic) boundary is marked by the Permo-Triassic mass extinction, which resulted in the death of approximately 90-96% of marine fauna and 70% of land vertebrates. The upper limit is set at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, when another very large extinction of many groups of plants and animals occurred, most often attributed to the impact of a giant asteroid (Chicxulub crater on the Yucatan Peninsula) and the subsequent “asteroid winter”. Approximately 50% of all species became extinct, including all flightless dinosaurs.
Tectonics and paleogeography
Compared to the vigorous mountain building of the late Paleozoic, Mesozoic tectonic deformation can be considered relatively mild. The era was characterized primarily by the division of the supercontinent Pangea into a northern continent, Laurasia, and a southern continent, Gondwana. This process led to the formation of the Atlantic Ocean and passive continental margins, in particular much of the modern Atlantic coast (for example, the eastern coast of North America). Extensive transgressions that prevailed in the Mesozoic led to the emergence of numerous inland seas.
By the end of the Mesozoic, the continents had practically taken on their modern shape. Laurasia was divided into Eurasia and North America, Gondwana into South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica and the Indian subcontinent, the collision of which with the Asian continental plate caused intense orogenesis with the uplift of the Himalayan mountains.
Africa
At the beginning of the Mesozoic era, Africa was still part of the supercontinent Pangea and had a relatively common fauna with it, which was dominated by theropods, prosauropods and primitive ornithischian dinosaurs (by the end of the Triassic).
Late Triassic fossils are found throughout Africa, but are more common in the south than in the north of the continent. As is known, the time line separating the Triassic from the Jurassic period is drawn according to global catastrophe with the mass extinction of species (Triassic-Jurassic extinction), but the African layers of this time remain poorly studied today.
Early Jurassic fossil deposits are distributed similarly to Late Triassic deposits, with more frequent exposures in the south of the continent and fewer deposits towards the north. Throughout the Jurassic period, iconic dinosaur groups such as sauropods and ornithopods increasingly spread across Africa. The paleontological layers of the mid-Jurassic period in Africa are poorly represented and also poorly studied.
Late Jurassic strata are also poorly represented here, with the exception of the impressive Tendeguru Jurassic assemblage in Tanzania, whose fossils are very similar to those found in the paleobiotic Morrison Formation of western North America and date to the same period.
In the mid-Mesozoic, about 150-160 million years ago, Madagascar separated from Africa, while remaining connected to India and the rest of Gondwanaland. Abelisaurs and titanosaurs have been discovered among the fossils of Madagascar.
During the Early Cretaceous era, a part of the landmass that made up India and Madagascar separated from Gondwana. In the Late Cretaceous, the divergence of India and Madagascar began, which continued until the achievement of modern outlines.
Unlike Madagascar, mainland Africa was tectonically relatively stable throughout the Mesozoic. And yet, despite its stability, significant changes occurred in its position relative to other continents as Pangea continued to break apart. By the beginning of the Late Cretaceous period, South America separated from Africa, thereby completing the formation of the Atlantic Ocean in its southern part. This event had a huge impact on global climate by changing ocean currents.
During the Cretaceous, Africa was inhabited by allosauroids and spinosaurids. The African theropod Spinosaurus turned out to be one of the largest carnivores that lived on Earth. Among herbivores in the ancient ecosystems of those times, titanosaurs occupied an important place.
Cretaceous fossil deposits are more common than Jurassic deposits, but often cannot be radiometrically dated, making it difficult to determine their exact age. Paleontologist Louis Jacobs, who has spent considerable time in field work in Malawi, argues that African fossil deposits "need more careful excavation" and are sure to prove "fruitful ... for scientific discoveries."
Climate
Over the past 1.1 billion years, Earth's history has seen three successive ice age-warming cycles, called Wilson cycles. Longer warm periods were characterized by a uniform climate, a greater diversity of flora and fauna, and a predominance of carbonate sediments and evaporites. Cold periods with glaciations at the poles were accompanied by a decrease in biodiversity, terrigenous and glacial sediments. The reason for cyclicity is considered to be the periodic process of connecting continents into a single continent (Pangea) and its subsequent disintegration.
The Mesozoic era is the warmest period in the Phanerozoic history of the Earth. It almost completely coincided with the period of global warming, which began in the Triassic period and ended already in the Cenozoic era with a small ice age, which continues to this day. For 180 million years, even in the subpolar regions there was no stable ice cover. The climate was for the most part warm and even, without significant temperature gradients, although climatic zonation existed in the northern hemisphere. The large amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere contributed to the uniform distribution of heat. The equatorial regions were characterized by a tropical climate (Tethys-Panthalassa region) with an average annual temperature of 25–30°C. Up to 45-50° N The subtropical region (Peritethys) extended, followed by the warm-temperate boreal zone, and the subpolar regions were characterized by a cool-temperate climate.
During the Mesozoic there was a warm climate, mostly dry in the first half of the era and humid in the second. Slight cooling in the late Jurassic and the first half of the Cretaceous, strong warming in the middle of the Cretaceous (the so-called Cretaceous temperature maximum), around the same time the equatorial climate zone appeared.
Flora and fauna
Giant ferns, tree horsetails, and mosses are dying out. In the Triassic, gymnosperms, especially conifers, flourished. In the Jurassic period, seed ferns died out and the first angiosperms appeared (so far represented only by woody forms), which gradually spread to all continents. This is due to a number of advantages; angiosperms have a highly developed conducting system, which ensures reliable cross-pollination, the embryo is supplied with food reserves (due to double fertilization, a triploid endosperm develops) and is protected by membranes, etc.
In the animal world, insects and reptiles flourish. Reptiles occupy a dominant position and are represented by a large number of forms. In the Jurassic period, flying lizards appear and conquer the air. In the Cretaceous period, the specialization of reptiles continued, they reached enormous sizes. The mass of some of the dinosaurs reached 50 tons.
The parallel evolution of flowering plants and pollinating insects begins. At the end of the Cretaceous period, cooling sets in and the area of semi-aquatic vegetation decreases. Herbivores are dying out, followed by carnivorous dinosaurs. Large reptiles are preserved only in tropical zone(crocodiles). Due to the extinction of many reptiles, a rapid adaptive radiation of birds and mammals begins, occupying the vacated ecological niches. Many forms of invertebrates and sea lizards are dying out in the seas.
Birds, according to most paleontologists, descended from one of the groups of dinosaurs. The complete separation of arterial and venous blood flows caused them to be warm-blooded. They spread widely over land and gave rise to many forms, including flightless giants.
The emergence of mammals is associated with a number of large aromorphoses that arose in one of the subclasses of reptiles. Aromorphoses: a highly developed nervous system, especially the cerebral cortex, which ensured adaptation to living conditions through changes in behavior, movement of the limbs from the sides under the body, the emergence of organs that ensure the development of the embryo in the mother’s body and subsequent feeding with milk, the appearance of fur, complete separation of the circulatory system, the appearance of alveolar lungs, which increase the intensity of gas exchange and, as a consequence, general level metabolism.
Mammals appeared in the Triassic, but could not compete with dinosaurs and for 100 million years occupied a subordinate position in the ecological systems of that time.
Scheme of the evolution of flora and fauna in the Mesozoic era.
Literature
- Iordansky N. N. Development of life on earth. - M.: Education, 1981.
- Koronovsky N.V., Khain V.E., Yasamanov N.A. Historical geology: Textbook. - M.: Academy, 2006.
- Ushakov S.A., Yasamanov N.A. Continental drift and climates of the Earth. - M.: Mysl, 1984.
- Yasamanov N.A. Ancient climates of the Earth. - L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1985.
- Yasamanov N.A. Popular paleogeography. - M.: Mysl, 1985.
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Which was followed by . The Mesozoic Era is sometimes called the "Age of the Dinosaurs" because these animals were the dominant species throughout much of the Mesozoic.
After the Permian mass extinction wiped out more than 95% of ocean life and 70% terrestrial species, the new Mesozoic era began about 250 million years ago. It consisted of the following three periods:
Triassic period, or Triassic (252-201 million years ago)
The first big changes were noticed in the type that dominated the Earth. Most of the flora that survived the Permian extinction were seed-bearing plants such as gymnosperms.
Cretaceous period, or Cretaceous (145-66 million years ago)
The last period of the Mesozoic was called the Cretaceous. The growth of flowering land plants occurred. They were helped by newly appeared bees and warm climatic conditions. Conifers were still numerous during the Cretaceous.
In terms of Cretaceous marine animals, sharks and rays became commonplace. Survivors of the Permian extinction, such as starfish, were also abundant during the Cretaceous.
On land, the first small mammals began to develop during the Cretaceous period. First marsupials appeared, and then other mammals. Appeared more birds and there were more reptiles. The dominance of dinosaurs continued, and the number of carnivorous species increased.
At the end of the Cretaceous and Mesozoic, another thing happened. This extinction is commonly called the K-T extinction (Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction). It destroyed all dinosaurs except birds and many other life forms on Earth.
There are different versions as to why the mass disappearance occurred. Most scientists agree that there was some kind of catastrophic event that caused this extinction. Various hypotheses include massive volcanic eruptions that released huge amounts of dust into the atmosphere, reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface and thereby causing the death of photosynthetic organisms such as plants and those that depended on them. Others believe that a meteorite fell to Earth and dust blocked the sunlight. Because the plants and animals that fed on them died out, this led to predators such as carnivorous dinosaurs also dying due to lack of food.