PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - BEERLING, D. J.
AU  - LOMAX, B. H.
AU  - UPCHURCH, G. R.
AU  - NICHOLS, D. J.
AU  - PILLMORE, C. L.
AU  - HANDLEY, L. L.
AU  - SCRIMGEOUR, C. M.
TI  - Evidence for the recovery of terrestrial ecosystems ahead of marine primary production following a biotic crisis at the Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary
AID  - 10.1144/jgs.158.5.737
DP  - 2001 Sep 01
TA  - Journal of the Geological Society
PG  - 737--740
VI  - 158
IP  - 5
4099  - http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/content/158/5/737.short
4100  - http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/content/158/5/737.full
SO  - Journal of the Geological Society2001 Sep 01; 158
AB  - 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 δ13C 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 δ13C excursion reflects the longer recovery time of marine versus terrestrial ecosystems.