Introduction

The end-Permian mass extinction was the largest extinction ever recorded in Earth’s history and is followed by the longest recovery period of the Phanerazoic. The marine biota was nearly annihilated, with as few as ten percent of marine species surviving this event. Most surviving taxa were severely impoverished and vast ecological niches were opened, setting the stage for large re-radiations in the Triassic. The effects of this extinction are with as still, for it changed the structure and composition of marine communities more than any event since the Cambrian radiation.