Vegetation, climatic and floral changes at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary
Nature
By: J. A. Wolfe and G.R. Upchurch Jr.
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Abstract
he western interior of North America has the only known non-marine sections that contain the iridium-rich clay interpreted as the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary1-7. Because vegetation and climate can be directly inferred from physiognomy of leaves8-15 and because leaf species typically represent low taxonomic categories, studies of leaf floras in these sections provide data on the effects of a terminal Cretaceous event on the land flora, vegetation and climate. A previous study based on detailed sampling of leaves and their dispersed cuticle16 in the Raton Basin provides a framework for interpretation of other leaf sequences over 20 degrees of latitude. We conclude that at the boundary there were: (1) High levels of extinction in the south and low levels in the north; (2) major ecological disruption followed by long-term vegetational changes that mimicked normal ecological succession; (3) a major increase in precipitation; and (4) a brief, low-temperature excursion, which supports models of an 'impact winter'. ?? 1986 Nature Publishing Group.
Suggested Citation
Wolfe, J.A., Upchurch, G., 1986, Vegetation, climatic and floral changes at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary: Nature, v. 324, no. 6093, p. 148-152, https://doi.org/10.1038/324148a0.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Vegetation, climatic and floral changes at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary |
| Series title | Nature |
| DOI | 10.1038/324148a0 |
| Volume | 324 |
| Issue | 6093 |
| Year Published | 1986 |
| Language | English |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Nature |
| First page | 148 |
| Last page | 152 |