J. A. Wolfe 1987 <div class="abstract-content"><div class="abstract" data-abstract-type="normal"><p>Deciduousness in mesic, broad-leaved plants occurred in disturbed, middle-latitude environments during the Late Cretaceous. Only in polar environments in the Late Cretaceous was the deciduous element dominant, although of low diversity. The terminal Cretaceous event resulted in wide-spread selection for plants of deciduous habit and diversification of deciduous taxa, thus leaving a lasting imprint on Northern Hemisphere vegetation. Various environmental factors have played important roles in subsequent diversification of mesic, broad-leaved deciduous taxa and in origination and decline of broad-leaved deciduous forests. Low diversity and rarity of mesic deciduous plants in the post-Cretaceous of the Southern Hemisphere indicate that the inferred “impact winter” of the terminal Cretaceous event had little effect on Southern Hemisphere vegetation and climate.</p></div></div> application/pdf 10.1017/S0094837300008769 en Cambridge University Press Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic history of deciduousness and the terminal Cretaceous event. article