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.