The Early Cambrian climate was probably moderate at first, becoming warmer over the course of the Cambrian, as the second-greatest sustained sea level rise in the Phanerozoic got underway. However, as if to offset this trend, Gondwana moved south with considerable speed, so that, in Ordovician time, most of West Gondwana (Africa and South America) lay directly over the South Pole. The Early Paleozoic climate was also strongly zonal, with the result that the "climate", in an abstract sense became warmer, but the living space of most organisms of the time -- the continental shelf marine environment -- became steadily colder. However, Baltica (Northern Europe and Russia) and Laurentia (eastern North America and Greenland) remained in the tropical zone, while China and Australia lay in waters which were at least temperate. The Early Paleozoic ended, rather abruptly, with the short, but apparently severe, Late Ordovician Ice Age. This cold spell caused the second-greatest mass extinction of Phanerozoic time. Over time, the warmer weather moved into the Paleozoic era.
The Middle Paleozoic was a time of considerable stability. Sea levels had dropped coincident with the Ice Age, but slowly recovered over the course of the Silurian and Devonian. The slow merger of Baltica and Laurentia, and the northward movement of bits and pieces of Gondwana created numerous new regions of relatively warm, shallow sea floor. As plants took hold on the continental margins, oxygen levels increased and carbon dioxide dropped, although much less dramatically. The north-south temperature gradient also seems to have moderated, or metazoan life simply became hardier, or both. At any event, the far southern continental margins of Antarctica and West Gondwana became increasingly less barren. The Devonian ended with a series of turnover pulses which killed off much of Middle Paleozoic vertebrate life, without noticeably reducing species diversity overall.
The Late Paleozoic was a time which has left us a good many unanswered questions. The Mississippian epoch began with a spike in atmospheric oxygen, while carbon dioxide plummeted to unheard-of lows. This destabilized the climate and led to one, and perhaps two, ice ages during the Carboniferous. These were far more severe than the brief Late Ordovician Ice; but, this time, the effects on world biota were inconsequential. By the Cisuralian, both oxygen and carbon dioxide had recovered to more normal levels. On the other hand, the assembly of Pangea created huge arid inland areas subject to temperature extremes. The Lopingian is associated with falling sea levels, increased carbon dioxide and general climatic deterioration, culminating in the devastation of the Permian extinction.
It's not much of the organisms that dominated the paleozoic era, it's the species of animals. Alot of the larger reptiles and early ancestors of dinosaurs conquered and dominated the paleozoic era.
The permian period was the end of the paleozoic era.
ok im going to start off by saying this, the last answerer is stupid, and doesnt know what he is talking about. it goes from: PERIOD ERA EPOCH there you go ;)
Precambrian Era Paleozoic Era Mesozoic Era Cenozoic Era
The formation of Gondwana and Laurasia occurred during the Paleozoic era, specifically during the late Precambrian and early Paleozoic periods. Gondwana and Laurasia eventually merged to form the supercontinent Pangaea during the late Paleozoic era.
The first period in the Paleozoic Era was the Cambrian.
The main characteristic that distinguishes the fossil record of the Paleozoic Era from the Precambrian Era is the appearance of diverse and complex multicellular organisms in the Paleozoic Era. In the Precambrian Era, the fossil record primarily consists of simpler single-celled organisms. Additionally, the Cambrian Explosion, which occurred at the beginning of the Paleozoic Era, marked a significant increase in the diversity of life forms.
The Paleozoic Era
paleozoic era
It's not much of the organisms that dominated the paleozoic era, it's the species of animals. Alot of the larger reptiles and early ancestors of dinosaurs conquered and dominated the paleozoic era.
i cant answer this :(
Yes. The Mississippian period is a part of the Paleozoic era, along with the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian periods.
Paleozoic
No, the Paleozoic era is the first of three eras in the Phanerozoic eon. It spans from around 541 million years ago to 252 million years ago. The following era is the Mesozoic era, which is the second era in the Phanerozoic eon.
Yes. If no animals survived from the Paleozoic into the mesozoic, then there would be no animals today.
The Paleozoic Era is also known as the age of ancient life.
The Cambrian Period was from about 543 to 490 million years ago. It is the earliest period in the Paleozoic ("old life") Era. Until relatively recently paleontologists thought this marked the beginning of life. Primitive life is now know from the Pre-Cambrian Eon.