A Visual Representation of the Evolution of the European Continental Ecosystems (IMAGE)

Pensoft Publishers

A Visual Representation of the Evolution of the European Continental Ecosystems

Caption

This is a visual representation of the evolution of the European continental ecosystems across the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary Extinction Event: the diverse vertebrate assemblages of the latest Cretaceous, with dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles and mammals (bottom image; see ZooKeys review of Csiki-Sava et al., doi: 10.3897/zookeys.469.8439 for the identity of the different taxa represented), were wiped almost completely, with only a few groups (here epitomized by certain mammals and turtles) surviving into the Paleogene (top image). The backgrounds show more or less accurate reconstructions of the European paleogeography during the latest Cretaceous (bottom; K), respectively the Paleogene (top; Pg).

Credit

Background paleogeography reconstructions - Dr. Ron Blakey, Professor Emeritus Northern Arizona University; fossils: Dr. Jeremy E. Martin (for other fossil image credits see the <i>ZooKeys</i> paper of Csiki-Sava et al., doi: 10.3897/zookeys.469.8439).

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