Extinction at the end-Cretaceous and the origin of modern Neotropical rainforests

JARAMILLO, C.; HERRERA, F.; D'APOLITO, C.; MARTÍNEZ, C.; BAYONA, G.; CÁRDENAS, D.; SANTOS, C.; DE LA PARRA, F.; WING, S.; ROMERO-BAEZ, M.; GUTIERREZ, M.; RUEDA, M.; DUQUE, A.; SILVESTRO, D.; CARVALHO, M.R.; CABALLERO-RODRIGUEZ, D.; TURNER, B.L.; NARVÁEZ, P.L; LABANDEIRA, C.; PÁEZ-REYES, M.; CROWLEY, J.L.

SCIENCE

AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE

Año: 2021 p. 63 - 68

0036-8075

The end-Cretaceous event was catastrophic for terrestrial communities worldwide, yet its long-lasting effect on tropical forests remains largely unknown. We quantified plant extinction and ecological change in tropical forests resulting from the end-Cretaceous event using fossil pollen (>50,000 occurrences) and leaves (>6,000 specimens) from localities in Colombia. Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) rainforests were characterized by an open canopy and diverse plant?insect interactions. Plant diversity declined by 45% at the K/Pg boundary and did not recover for ~6 million years. Paleocene forests resembled modern Neotropical rainforests, with a closed canopy, multistratal structure, dominated by angiosperms. The end-Cretaceous event triggered a long interval of low plant diversity in the Neotropics and the evolutionary assembly of today?s most diverse terrestrial ecosystem.