Meteorite That Killed Dinosaurs Remade Forests

The global devastation made room for new animals, but remade the plant world as well.

The meteorite impact that resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs, 66 million years ago, also had a profound effect on forests. Environmental conditions after the impact, including less sunlight and lower temperatures, made it easier for faster growing deciduous trees to prosper than slower growing evergreens. Dr. Benjamin Blonder, from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, compared fossil leaves from before and after the impact. Vein density and leaf mass indicate that after the meteorite impact, trees able to grow faster were able to thrive.  This study suggest that the shift from slow growing trees to faster growing species was directly related to the impact, and not a random event as once thought.

Related Links

• Paper in PLoS Biology
• Commentary in PLoS Biology
• University of Arizona news

Click here for the rest of Quirks & Quarks for Sept. 27, 2014