The Late Paleozoic world

The Permian was a time of significant global change. The Earth went through a transition from globally cold to globally warm climates. The collapse of the southern hemisphere ice-sheets resulted in significant climate changes. In the tropics the rainfall regime changed from mostly wet to seasonally dry. Against this background of global climate change a worldwide floral transition was initiated. Vegetations rich in conifers began to replace the spore plants and seedferns that dominated the Late Carboniferous and Early Permian. Together with colleagues from Utrecht University, Hans Kerp (University of Münster) and Bill DiMichele (NMNH, Washington DC), these Late Paleozoic Euramerican conifers and their floras are studied.