RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Evidence for the recovery of terrestrial ecosystems ahead of marine primary production following a biotic crisis at the Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary
JF Journal of the Geological Society
JO Journal of the Geological Society
FD Geological Society of London
SP 737
OP 740
DO 10.1144/jgs.158.5.737
VO 158
IS 5
A1 BEERLING, D. J.
A1 LOMAX, B. H.
A1 UPCHURCH, G. R.
A1 NICHOLS, D. J.
A1 PILLMORE, C. L.
A1 HANDLEY, L. L.
A1 SCRIMGEOUR, C. M.
YR 2001
UL http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/content/158/5/737.abstract
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.