
CAM-like photosynthesis may have aided lycophytes through the Permian–Triassic crisis
A study links Early Triassic pioneer lycophytes to modern Isoetes, showing a CAM-like photosynthetic strategy that could have boosted survival under extreme heat and drought during the Permian–Triassic mass extinction. Climate-model simulations show land temperatures exceeding modern C3 tolerance, while carbon-isotope data suggest these plants employed a mixed C3/CAM physiology. The work implies CAM flexibility helped sustain low-diversity lycophyte communities, influencing ecosystem recovery and broader carbon cycling in a greenhouse Early Triassic world.












