The coal forests fragment
Rainforest breaks into islands — and reptiles take over
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The Carboniferous rainforest collapse around 305 million years ago is the first known breakdown of a global rainforest ecosystem. Fragmentation created isolated refugia, and the classic pattern followed: rapid speciation in isolation, but lower diversity overall. Amphibians lost their dominance permanently, while amniotes diversified sharply — the branch leading to both dinosaurs and mammals. The event is an early and well-documented example of how habitat fragmentation, not merely habitat loss, drives ecological change.
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The climate dried, and the vast swamp forests shrank into scattered islands of woodland. Amphibians, which needed moisture, were badly hit. Reptiles, which could manage dry land thanks to their egg, took over — and entered an entirely new heyday.
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Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org