The Triassic Period was the setting for the origin and early diversification of Mesozoic ecosystems after the end-Permian mass extinction. The study of the Triassic is essential to understand the evolution of non-marine Mesozoic ecosystems, particularly the vertebrate components and their climatic context. During this time, the configuration of the supercontinent Pangea, which was unique (e.g., the only time since the origin of life that a global supercontinent spread across the equator) in the earth's paleobiogeographic history, is one of the factors that characterized the period. This paleogeographic configuration combined with a high global sea level and no polar ice caps would have had an extraordinary effect on the global climate. Multiple sudden climate events occurred during this time, such as large igneous province (LIP) eruptions, including two that had a major part to play in the major mass extinctions that bracket the Triassic Period. Against this backdrop, a number of modern vertebrate clades originated on land, including lissamphibians, lepidosaurs, turtles, dinosaurs, and mammaliaforms. To test the link between climatic and evolutionary events, we compiled paleoclimatic data from Argentinian, Brazilian, Bolivian, and Chilean Triassic non-marine vertebrate-bearing strata to discuss observed paleoclimatic changes and their influence on vertebrate evolution in South America during this time. Fluctuating climate conditions dominated the western Gondwana Triassic, with arid to semiarid conditions during Early Triassic with marked humid seasonal fluctuation in the continental interior, the seasonal semiarid condition of the Middle Triassic shows more humid seasonality than Early Triassic, and the Late Triassic was dominated by seasonal sub-humid conditions with one or more semi-arid intervals, particularly in the continental interior. Comparisons of the Triassic South American vertebrate fossil record and this paleoclimate record show striking patterns; however, better geochronologic control, paleoclimate proxy records, and sample fossil-bearing strata are necessary to understand these trends.

三叠纪是二叠纪末大灭绝后中生代生态系统起源和早期多样化的环境。三叠纪的研究对于了解非海洋中生代生态系统的演变至关重要，特别是脊椎动物成分及其气候背景。在此期间，在地球古生物地理历史上独一无二的超大陆盘古大陆的构造（例如，自生命起源以来唯一一次跨越赤道的全球超大陆），是该时期特征的因素之一。这种古地理结构加上全球海平面高且没有极地冰盖，将对全球气候产生非凡的影响。在此期间发生了多次突发气候事件，例如大型火成岩省 (LIP) 喷发、其中有两个在三叠纪时期的主要大灭绝中发挥了重要作用。在此背景下，许多现代脊椎动物进化枝起源于陆地，包括轻生动物、鳞龙类、海龟、恐龙和哺乳动物。为了检验气候和进化事件之间的联系，我们汇编了来自阿根廷、巴西、玻利维亚和智利三叠纪非海洋脊椎动物地层的古气候数据，以讨论这段时间观察到的古气候变化及其对南美洲脊椎动物进化的影响。冈瓦纳三叠纪西部气候条件多变，早三叠世为干旱至半干旱气候，大陆内部有明显的潮湿季节波动，中三叠世的季节性半干旱条件比早三叠世表现出更多的湿润季节性，晚三叠世以具有一个或多个半干旱间隔的季节性半湿润条件为主，特别是在大陆内部。三叠纪南美脊椎动物化石记录与该古气候记录的比较显示出惊人的模式；然而，更好的地质年代控制、古气候替代记录和含有化石的地层样本对于了解这些趋势是必要的。