Tetrápodos, plantas y paleoambientes del Triásico continental de la Argentina y Brasil

Abstract

The numerous discoveries of the Triassic terrestrial biota made in Argentina and Brazil since 1920 has opened new avenues for a better understanding of the evolutionary history in the region. The Triassic (~50 my) appears as an important period for biotic evolution, as it is characterized by the emergence of new large clades of plants and vertebrates and high species richness and diversity. Indeed, most of the living tetrapod clades arose in the Triassic. In this essay we attempt to explain the possible main causes involved in the survival of the Paleozoic flora and fauna after the massive Late Permian extinction. Despite the incompleteness of the fossil record, the present study contributes to improve the knowledge on this topic and stimulates the development of new interpretations.