Lifeforms - Biota

The Carboniferous terrestrial environment was dominated by a variety of vascular terrestrial plants, ranging from small shrubs to trees over 3 meters in height. The most important groups were liycopods, sphenopsids, cordaites, seed ferns and true ferns. Lysopods include tall trees with dense, spiral-shaped leaves. Reproduction took place either by cones or by spore bearing organs on the leaves.

Cordaites are extinct species of non-flowering vascular plants and precursors of conifers. They also preferred uplands, grew taller, had small scaly leaves and cones similar to modern conifers..

The Carboniferous Era is the period of the peak development of amphibians and the emergence of reptiles. Among amphibians, labyrinthodonts were represented by members of the order Embolomeri and the family Eryopoidea. These forms had a large skull, small body and stocky limbs. They evolved from crossopterygians that appeared in freshwater areas during the Devonian period. Embolomeri and Eryopoidea probably preferred the abundant Carboniferous swamps of that time and stayed close to water.