Britannica
Sources used in this answer
- Lepidodendron
- Carboniferous Period - Paleoclimate
- A Journey Through Time Since the Precambrian - Carboniferous Period: 358.9 million to about 298.9 million years ago
- lycophyte - Fossil forms
- lycophyte
- Permian extinction - Alteration of the carbon cycle
- Permian Period - Alteration of the carbon cycle
- Carboniferous Period - Distinctive features
- conservation - Global warming
Why did Lepidodendron and related tree lycophytes become extinct?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
lycophyte
Club moss (Lycopodium annotinum).
Lepidodendron and related tree lycophytes, which were prominent during the Carboniferous Period, became extinct due to the disappearance of the extensive peat-forming swamps they inhabited.1
These arborescent lycopsids thrived in the equatorial coal swamps of the Early and Middle Pennsylvanian subperiod. As the climate shifted toward the end of the Carboniferous, environmental conditions changed significantly. The development of mountains led to rain-shadow effects that inhibited coal deposition in basins, and the equatorial settings transitioned from coal-forming swamps to other environments. Because these plants were specialized for the specific, wet conditions of these vast swamps, the loss of their habitat led to their extinction.12