The Lower/Upper Permian (Rotliegendes/Zechstein) transition in the northern basin is marked by 5 transgressions, the latest leaving a thick salinar sequence in Middle and North Germany. The fact that this marine to evaporitic facies was suitable for mining copper (Mansfeld Copper Shale, 1st transgression) and salt gave it the the name "Zechstein" (Zeche = German word for mine). The red sediments underlying the Zechstein that are free of useful resources were called "Rotliegendes" (Liegendes = being underneath). The development of the intermontane basins in the Variscian Mountains continued uninflucenced from the transgression and therefore can't be divided into Rotliegendes and Zechstein. The southernmost permian red bed sediments in Baden-Württemberg were found south of Heilbronn. Isolated remains of permian basin sediments can be found in the northern Blackwood Forest but are always heavily weathered.
The environmental conditions of permian Germany already have a strong resemblance to the Triassic. Live was mainly limited to areas near rivers, lakes or sporadically water-filled basins. Larger intermontane basins contained rich fresh water fish faunas, and marine fish faunas appear with the Zechstein transgression. Among the plants, coniferous trees (Lebachia) are most common at dry places while ferns are abundant at more humid locations. It's possible to distinguish four floral provinces. According to its dominant fern the cold-moderated southern flora (Gondwana flora) is called Glossopteris flora. Wood from this flora shows annual growth rings while the lack of growth rings in the euramerican flora of central and northern Pangea indicates a tropical climate.
Reptiles and amphibians found good living conditions in the basins and underwent a heavy evolution and radiation.
The goniatites died out at the end of the Permian. At the same time the first Ceratitids evolved from the Prolecanitids. Bryozoans and - to a lesser degree - fixisessile brachiopods were the most important rock-forming and reefbuilding permian organisms.
(Ages according to FAUPL 2000)
Paramblypterus sp.
Lower Permian (Rotliegendes), Odernheim
Laoporus isp.
Upper Permian (Coconino Formation), Coconino County (USA)
The reptile that caused these tracks is sometimes called "the only reptile that always walks uphill". Indeed most tracks show a sand bulge in the heel region that formed when the reptile walked uphill and stepped the sand backwards. The abundance of this track type results from the spreading of a large dune field in today's south west USA: The animals could only walk either uphill or downhill the dune slopes to reach the water seeping out from the dune bases.
When rotating the sole plains back into horizontal position the plate shows an inclination of 35%, typical for the luv slope (the side of a dune facing the wind direction) of a dune. When presuming that the lee side was much steeper than the luv side (characteristic for most dunes) it's easy to imagine that uphill movement was at least easier or only possible on the luv side. Downhill movement might have been easier on the lee side, but the unstable layering of the sand there probably erased every track soon after it was left.
Glossopteris sp.
Upper Permian, Dunedoo (AUS)