User:Abyssal/Portal:Permian

The Permian Portal Introduction Selected article on the Permian world and its legacies An 1888 illustration of Prototaxites in section. A fungus (/ˈfʌŋɡəs/; plural: fungi) is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants and animals. One major difference is that fungal cells have cell walls that contain chitin, unlike the cell walls of plants and some protists, which contain cellulose. These and other differences show that the fungi form a single group of related organisms, named the Eumycota. The discipline of biology devoted to the study of fungi is known as mycology. Genetic studies have shown that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. Abundant worldwide, most fungi are inconspicuous because of the small size of their structures, and their cryptic lifestyles in soil, on dead matter, and as symbionts of plants, animals, or other fungi. They may become noticeable when fruiting, either as mushrooms or molds. Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange. However, little is known of the true biodiversity of Kingdom Fungi, which has been estimated at 1.5 million to 5 million species. Phylogenetic studies published in the last decade have helped reshape the classification of Kingdom Fungi, which is divided into one subkingdom, seven phyla, and ten subphyla. A group of all the fungi present in a particular area or geographic region is known as mycobiota. (see more...) Did you know? Methanosarcina barkeri fusaro. ... that the single-celled Methanosarcina (Methanosarcina barkeri fusaro pictured) may have played a significant role in both the evolution of early life and the worst extinction event in history? ... that Gerobatrachus is considered to be a missing link that supports the hypothesis offered by cladistics, that frogs and salamanders had a common ancestor? ... that Arthropleuridea is an extinct class of myriapods which includes, at over 2 meters long, the largest terrestrial arthropods that ever lived? Need help? Do you have a question about Abyssal/Portal:Permian that you can't find the answer to? Consider asking it at the Wikipedia reference desk. Selected image Reconstruction of Dimetrodon from "A Great Permian Delta", Popular Science Monthly, 1908. Photo credit: Unknown Selected article on the Permian in human science, culture and economics Illustration of the skull of Edaphosaurus in lateral and dorsal view from the book "Water Reptiles of the Past and Present" by Samuel Wendell Williston. The history of paleontology traces the history of the effort to study the fossil record left behind by ancient life forms. Although fossils had been studied by scholars since ancient times, the nature of fossils and their relationship to life in the past became better understood during the 17th and 18th centuries. At the end of the 18th century the work of Georges Cuvier ended a long running debate about the reality of extinction and led to the emergence of paleontology as a scientific discipline. The first half of the 19th century saw paleontological activity become increasingly well organized. This contributed to a rapid increase in knowledge about the history of life on Earth, and progress towards definition of the geologic time scale. As knowledge of life's history continued to improve, it became increasingly obvious that there had been some kind of successive order to the development of life. After Charles Darwin published Origin of Species in 1859, much of the focus of paleontology shifted to understanding evolutionary paths. The last half of the 19th century saw a tremendous expansion in paleontological activity, especially in North America. The trend continued in the 20th century with additional regions of the Earth being opened to systematic fossil collection, as demonstrated by a series of important discoveries in China near the end of the 20th century. There was also a renewed interest in the Cambrian explosion that saw the development of the body plans of most animal phyla. (see more...) Geochronology Epochs - Cisuralian - Guadalupian - Lopingian Ages - Asselian - Sakmarian - Artinskian - Kungurian - Roadian - Wordian - Capitanian -Wuchiapingian - Changhsingian Events - Hunter-Bowen orogeny - Permian–Triassic extinction event Geography - Pangaea - Panthalassa Animals - Ammonoids - Blattopterans - Dicynodonts - Dinocephalians - Fusulinids - Gorgonopsians - Lepospondyls - Pareiasaurs - Pelycosaurs - Temnospondyls - Trilobites Plants - Conifers - Cycads - Ginkgos - Seed ferns Stratigraphic units - Red Beds of Texas and Oklahoma Researchers - Edward Drinker Cope Culture - Animal Armageddon - The Day The Earth Nearly Died - List of creatures in the Walking with... series - Walking with Monsters Subcategories Permian Permian Africa Permian Antarctica Permian Asia Permian Europe Permian North America Permian Oceania Permian South America Permian geochronology Permian events Permian geology Permian life Permian paleogeography Permian stubs Quality Content Featured Permian articles - Amphibian Good Permian articles - Dimetrodon - Temnospondyli Things you can do Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Stubs : Permian stubs Current Permian FACs - none currently Related content Time Earth sciences Paleontology Extinct and Endangered Species Paleozoic Cambrian Ordovician Silurian Devonian Carboniferous Permian Mesozoic Associated Wikimedia The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject: Commons Free media repository Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals Wikidata Free knowledge base Wikinews Free-content news Wikiquote Collection of quotations Wikisource Free-content library Wikiversity Free learning tools Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus ¤ Category:Geologic time portals