News From the Field
Land Animals, Ecosystems Walloped After Permian Dieoff
October 25, 2011
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Researchers at Brown University and the University of Utah have concluded the mass extinction that ended the Permian Period was disastrous for land-based animals. In a specimen-by-specimen analysis, the scientists say species were reduced to a handful of forms, called disaster taxa. The low diversity of vertebrates meant that terrestrial ecosystems endured boom-and-bust cycles for up to 8 million years before finally stabilizing.Full StorySource
Brown University
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