Increase in phyla ('explosion')
Paleozoic Era

Colonization of land
Paleozoic Era

Early vascular plants, first bony fish
Paleozoic Era

First tetrapods and insects
Paleozoic Era

Forests of vascular plants, first seed plants, reptiles and amphibians
Paleozoic Era

Most present-day insects, mass extinction at end of period
Paleozoic Era

Cone-bearing plants, first mammals and dinosaurs
Mesozoic Era

More diverse dinosaurs and gymnosperms
Mesozoic Era

Flowering plants diversify, most dinosaurs extinct at end of period
Mesozoic Era