No evidence for angiosperm mass extinction at the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary

Abstract

The Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction event (K–Pg) witnessed up to 75% of animal species going extinct, most notably among these are the non-avian dinosaurs. A major question in macroevolution is whether this extinction event influenced the rise of flowering plants (angiosperms). The fossil record suggests that the K–Pg event had a minor impact on the extinction rates of angiosperm lineages, yet the diversification of extant angiosperms was delayed and started after the K–Pg boundary. However, phylogenetic evidence for angiosperm extinction dynamics remains unexplored. Through the analyses of two angiosperm mega-phylogenies containing ~32,000–74,000 extant species, here we show relatively constant extinction rates throughout geological time and no evidence for a mass extinction at the K–Pg boundary. Despite uncertainty of earliest angiosperm branching times, their staggering diversity, and complex evolutionary dynamics, our preliminary analyses provide congruent results with the fossil record and support the macroevolutionary resilience of angiosperms to the K–Pg mass extinction.

The end-Cretaceous plant extinction: Heterogeneity, ecosystem transformation, and insights for the future

“…The end-Cretaceous plant extinction has been questioned because of the apparent lack of significant global losses at the family or major-clade level (Cascales-Miñana and Cleal, 2014;Sauquet and Magallón, 2018;Thompson and Ramírez-Barahona, 2023). However, we hold that the K-Pg event included a massive extinction of plants and more.…”

“…The result is a sharp contrast between high-resolution regional stratigraphic studies, which usually show significant plant-species extinction and ecological shifts, and global syntheses or phylogenetic analyses, which show no losses of plant families or major clades. This situation has led to a debate regarding whether there was any significant K-Pg extinction for plants (Cascales-Miñana and Cleal, 2014;Nic Lughadha et al, 2020;Thompson and Ramírez-Barahona, 2023). Several previous reviews have covered the general topics of K-Pg plant extinctions, the vital contributions of palynology, and the rich history of investigations (Wing, 2004;McElwain and Punyasena, 2007;Nichols and Johnson, 2008;Vajda and Bercovici, 2014).…”

Angiosperm flowers reached their highest morphological diversity early in their evolutionary history

“…Laurales and Cyclanthaceae; McElwain & Punyasena, 2007) and regions (e.g. tropical South America; Carvalho et al ., 2021), there is no consensus about the impact of the K/Pg extinction on angiosperms as a whole (Willis & McElwain, 2002; Cascales‐Miñana & Cleal, 2014; Thompson & Ramírez‐Barahona., 2023; Wilf et al ., 2023), and it remains uncertain whether it had an effect on floral disparity as Paleogene floral fossils are unevenly distributed with regard to phylogeny, geography, and preservation types (Friis et al ., 2011; Xing et al ., 2016). In our data, the morphospace area covered by these fossils is restricted, and the area emptied during the Paleogene gets occupied again in the Present, confirming a possible sample bias in the Paleogene record.…”

Idiosyncrasies unveiled: examining the pace, patterns and predictors of biotic diversification in peninsular India

“…One potential way to provide this stability is through rapid turnover of the forests where ecologically similar species of Asian origins replace Gondwanan lineages, as has also been suggested in earlier palynological studies specifically for the Indian landmass (64). Globally, rapid turnover following high species-level extinctions in angiosperms during the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary has been inferred by both paleobotanical records and diversification analyses using molecular phylogenies (65). This prediction can be tested using extensive South and Southeast Asian plant clades.…”