The Triassic period was a time of great change for the planet Earth. It was the first time that dinosaurs roamed the earth, and the first time that mammals appeared. The Triassic is also when Pangaea, the supercontinent, began to break up into what are now the continents of North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The Triassic period lasted from 251 million to 199 million years ago. It is divided into three parts: the Early Triassic, Middle Triassic, and Late Triassic. The Early Triassic was a time of recovery from the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event, which killed 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species. The Middle Triassic saw the rise of dinosaurs as well as the first appearance of mammals. The Late Triassic was a time of continued dinosaur dominance on land, as well as the spread of reptiles to new environments such as freshwater lakes and marshes.
The climate during the Triassic was generally hot and dry, with occasional periods of intense heat known as hothouse conditions. This led to widespread desertification across much of Pangaea. However, there were also areas that were wetter than usual, such as in what is now China where monsoonal rains created a lush environment full of ferns and cycads .
During the early part of the period , most life was still recovering from the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event , but by middle part , things were beginning to return to normal . Reptiles were on top at this point in time , with dinosaurs rising to prominence later on in late part . Amphibians continued their decline through this age while fishes underwent an evolutionary radiation . Insects diversified greatly during middle & late part while conifers became more common towards end . Ginkgos & cycads proliferated along with ferns & horsetails in moist equatorial regions while arid deserts expanded in drier mid-latitudes . Overall , it can be said that recovery from PTME took place throughout most if not all ecosystems by close of period though some groups like trilobites never truly recovered their former glory