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Journal of the Geological Society; 2001; v. 158; issue.5; p. 737-740
© 2001 Geological Society of London

Short Communication

Evidence for the recovery of terrestrial ecosystems ahead of marine primary production following a biotic crisis at the Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary

D. J. BEERLING1, B. H. LOMAX1, G. R. UPCHURCH JR2, D. J. NICHOLS3, C. L. PILLMORE3, L. L. HANDLEY4 & C. M. SCRIMGEOUR4

1 1Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK (e-mail: d.j.beerling@sheffield.ac.uk)
2 2Department of Biology, SW Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
3 3U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225, USA
4 4Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, UK

The fossil record demonstrates that mass extinction across the Cretaceous–Tertiary (K–T) boundary is more severe in the marine than the terrestrial realm. We hypothesize that terrestrial ecosystems were able to recover faster than their marine counterparts. To test this hypothesis, we measured sedimentary {delta}13C as a tracer for global carbon cycle changes and compared it with palaeovegetational changes reconstructed from palynomorphs and cuticles across the K–T boundary at Sugarite, New Mexico, USA. Different patterns of perturbation and timescales of recovery of isotopic and palaeobotanical records indicate that the {delta}13C excursion reflects the longer recovery time of marine versus terrestrial ecosystems.


Keywords: Cretaceous, Tertiary, biodiversity, carbon isotopes, cuticles, palynology, productivity.




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