(See Late Devonian extinction). Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. [27][28], By the early Devonian, the continent Laurussia (also known as Euramerica) was fully formed through the collision of the continents Laurentia (modern day North America) and Baltica (modern day northern and eastern Europe). The distribution of nonmarine fish and marine invertebrate fossils demonstrates that Europe, Siberia, and the Canadian Arctic islands were linked and formed the bulk of Laurussia. [27][28], The closure of the eastern part of the Rheic Ocean is associated with the assemblage of central and southern Europe. Forests and the coiled shell-bearing marine organisms known as ammonites first appeared early in the Devonian. Professor of Geology, University of Southampton, England. The Devonian* saw the peak of marine faunal diversity during the Paleozoic Era. Most of these plants had true roots and leaves, and many were quite tall. Paleomagnetic evidence is inconsistent regarding the position of the South Pole. The earth took 420 days to complete its revolution around the sun instead of 365 days. The oceans experienced episodes of reduced dissolved oxygen levels, which likely caused the extinction of many species, especially marine animals. Details of the anatomy of this early plant are shown in the macrophotos: image showing spines (right edge of stem) and central tracheal element (center of stem, upper half). It is often known as the "Age of Fishes," although significant events also happened in the evolution of plants, the first insects and other animals. These maps of major tectonic elements (plates, oceans, ridges, subduction zones, mountain belts) are used with permission from Dr. Ron Blakey at Northern Arizona University. It is important to note that the arthropods were already on land before the Devonian. Further west was a small ocean (the Turkestan Ocean), followed by the larger microcontinents of Kazakhstania, Siberia, and Amuria. However, they became more widespread as the plants gradually shaped the landscape and provided favorable habitats for their proliferation. During the Devonian, Asia was composed of many separate microplates that are now joined together. [24] CO2 levels dropped steeply throughout the Devonian Period. Some of the early land plants such as Drepanophycus likely spread by vegetative growth and spores. Early tetrapods probably evolved from lobe-finned fishes able to use their muscular fins to take advantage of the predator-free and food-rich environment of the new wetland ecosystems. Like the other periods of the Palaeozoic, the Devonian was first defined in the 1830s. Fig-ure 1 shows two peaks of origination sug- . How did the Silurian period start? Laurussia (Euramerica) is another supercontinent formed around the equator. Devonian reefs also extended along the southeast edge of Laurussia, a coastline now corresponding to southern England, Belgium, and other mid-latitude areas of Europe. When the Devonian period dawned about 416 million years ago the planet was changing its appearance. Devonian waters were also full of different kinds of fish. The Kellwasser and Hangeberg events were the two longest episodes of the mass extinction. The rapid evolution of a terrestrial ecosystem that contained copious animals opened the way for the first vertebrates to seek terrestrial living. There is limited evidence of ice caps, and the climate is thought to have been warm and equitable. A number of small specimens are housed in this case: Echinoderms(ToL: Echinodermata

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