Mass extinctions and persistent populations

This chapter describes ‘the big five’-the mass extinction events viewed observed in the marine faunal record, -comparing the nature and magnitude of these events to changes apparent in the plant fossil record. It examines the evidence for mass extinction in the plant fossil record, particularly to the physiological characteristics that enable plants to be resilient to the types of environmental change associated with mass extinction events. It also cites examples of the long-term persistence of various families in the plant fossil record and the implications of this in terms of understanding the driving mechanisms behind plant evolution. The chapter explains mass extinctions that are characterized by the relatively rapid extinction of groups of organisms. It points out the reasons for the lack of mass extinction in the fossil plant record relatesd to the mechanisms that enable plants to withstand a certain amount of environmental stress.